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“I’ll start then,” Cassie said. “It was pretty obvious back at the house there was a spark between you two. When you shook hands something happened, and how he introduced himself was sort of funny. I’ve never seen him flustered like that. It was sweet.”
“It was crazy. When we touched, I felt something. It was like a jolt. He’s so big, like a Viking with dimples and those gorgeous blue eyes.” Abbey was rambling, and she needed to stop. She’d probably never see him again, so whatever she thought she felt didn’t matter.
“That’s so great! And don’t say anything. Just relax and have fun. Remember you agreed you would have some adventures this summer? Maybe Luke will be a summer adventure, maybe not. At least we’ll have a nice dinner, okay? Don’t overthink it,” Cassie advised.
Her sister was right. Abbey nodded. Even if she never saw Luke again after tonight, she’d have a fun story to tell. She’d held hands and had dinner with Luke Stryker, a pitcher for the Chicago Cobras. It was already an adventure.
They both left the ladies’ room in search of the guys. Abbey felt excited for what the evening had in store. Good food and interesting company. She was glad she’d let Cassie convince her into coming out.
She spotted Luke across the room with Jake at their table, and when their eyes met, her body lit up. He smiled at her, showing off his dimples, instantly causing her nipples to bead.
Relax, Abbey. This isn’t a date, remember? Luke’s just being nice.
To her surprise, the guys stood when they reached their table, and Luke held out her chair. No one had ever done that for her before.
“You hungry, princess?” Luke asked.
Abbey’s mouth fell open, and she quickly closed it. “Princess?”
He shrugged and gazed into her eyes as if he could see into her soul. She never wanted to look away. “That’s what I thought when I first looked at you. As pretty as a princess. No. Prettier,” Luke explained, and took a sip from his water glass after everyone was seated at their table.
It may have been a well-practiced line, something Luke said to all the girls, but for the first time in her life, Abbey didn’t feel like a nerd. She felt like a beautiful woman, and she liked it, a lot.
“Hey, guys, why don’t we decide what we want off the menu?” Jake suggested.
For a second Luke seemed annoyed with Jake, but he smiled and looked at his menu. Abbey did the same, and a few minutes later they placed their order. She and Luke were quickly talking again, while Cassie and Jake focused on each other.
The nerd in her couldn’t resist asking. “Was that an iPhone you were using when your uncle called? I didn’t think they were out yet.”
Luke pulled the phone out of his pocket and held it in front of her. She marveled at the newest in cell phone technology. She retrieved her AT&T Tilt from her purse. It was state of the art, too, a gift from her parents.
Luke shrugged and grinned. “My uncle knows Steve Jobs. He got me one before official launch day. Go ahead, touch it.”
“Luke,” Jake warned.
“What? It has a touch screen, Jake. That’s how you use it. Youtouchit. Relax,” Luke snapped back.
“Yeah, Jake. Relax,” Abbey scolded Jake. Abbey slid the nearly three-inch touch screen on her Tilt to the left and up, exposing the keyboard making her phone look like a tiny laptop. “Mine has a little touch screen, too.”
“Great minds think alike,” Luke commented.
Fortunately, Jake backed off just as their server placed appetizers on the table. “So, you’re headed to U of I in the fall. That’s great. Computer Science major. Beautifulandsmart.”
Abbey blushed. She wasn’t used to all the compliments. Cassie or Jake must have told him about U of I. Abbey nodded. “Yeah. I’m excited. Nervous, too. Mostly excited though.”Come on, Abbey. Stop rambling.You sound like a dork.
“I’m attending Walden online. Have to, because of all the traveling. Business major. Then MBA after that. Thank God for laptops, right? I have a Dell,” Luke said, starting on their salad course.
Abbey couldn’t agree more. Those clunky desktops were a thing of the past, as far as she was concerned. “I know. I have a Sony Vaio. I love it.”
“Oh my gosh. Listen to the nerds go,” Cassie teased.
Before Abbey could answer, Luke chimed in, “You’re just jealous of all the brain power on this side of the table.”
Abbey laughed at Luke’s great comeback.
Jake scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Right. That’s it. We’re jealous.”
And just like that, the music changed from a classic Italian favorite toI Was Made for Lovin’ Youby Kiss. The owner of Cucina Antonetti’s, Carlo, was a member of the Kiss Army, and sometime during dinner service each night, the restaurant played a Kiss song.
