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I opened the door and a slow smile spread across his face.
"Wow. You look amazing."
My cheeks flushed. "Thank you."
He stepped closer, slipped a hand around my waist, and gave me a light kiss. "Ready?"
"Let me just grab my coat."
He helped me into my coat, then led me to his car. As soon as I'd taken a few steps, I knew I should have chosen different shoes. My nude heels were pretty, and complemented my dress, but my feet were already tired. I had the tiniest twinge of longing for my couch and slippers.
But this was fine. A date with Preston was worth it.
We drove into town and parked outside Alchemy Bar and Grill. I'd been there before and the food was good. In fact, the owner was one of Zachary's cousins, Eric Haven.
Why was I thinking of him as Zachary's cousin? I’d known him through Annika first, not Zachary.
I needed to get that man out of my head.
Preston held the door for me and I stepped into the lobby. Another man in a suit stood with a smile of recognition, but I'd never seen him before. A woman with long blond hair—they were extensions, but very well done—stood next to him. He held out his hand to shake Preston's.
“You made it,” he said.
"This is Marigold.” Preston placed his hand on the small of my back. "Marigold, this is Drew and his wife, Tess. Drew and I have been colleagues for a long time."
I tried to smooth over the surprise in my expression as I shook hands with Drew, then Tess. “Nice to meet you.”
“Preston can’t stop talking about you,” Drew said with a know-what-I-mean smile. “It’s great to see you actually exist.”
I wasn’t sure how to reply, but managed a polite laugh.
“Stop teasing her.” Tess nudged Drew, then gestured over her shoulder. “Our table is ready. We were just waiting for you.”
As Drew flagged down the host, I took a deep breath. Our table? Preston hadn’t said anything about meeting friends. Was this a double date?
My feet moved in response to the light pressure of Preston’s hand on my back. Like usual, he guided me to the table and pulled out my chair. I noticed Drew did the same for Tess.
The host gave us menus and explained the specials. Drew went straight for the wine list and ordered a bottle for the table.
The men started talking about what sounded like work. Under different circumstances, I would have happily engaged Tess in conversation. I chatted with people all the time at the salon. But that was the thing, I’d been chatting all day. I couldn’t quite seem to muster the motivation to attempt small talk, which left me feeling shy and awkward.
After several long moments, Tess made eye contact and smiled. “So, Preston tells us you do hair.”
Was her tone condescending or was it my imagination? Maybe I was just being sensitive. “Yes, I have a salon here in town.”
“How sweet. Good for you.”
“What do you do?” I asked.
“Mostly volunteer work.”
“That’s code for daddy pays the bills,” Drew said with a wink.
Tess just smiled.
“How long have you been married?” I asked.
Drew looked at his wife. “Five years?”
