“What!? That’s amazing! Francesca, this event was incredible. I’m in awe.”
Her warm smile took over her whole face. She looked out at the lingerers in the tent, the band, the handful of people still clustered at the tables on the lawn—surveying her work. “I’m happy with how it all came out. I got a few referrals, too.”
“As you should! You deserve it.”
Luke and Jeremiah found us. Luke brushed his knuckles against mine before slipping my hand into his again. “I need to go get Luna. You good?”
“Yep!” I swirled the last few sips in my wine glass. “I’ll walk back after I finish this.”
All I wanted since the moment Luke pulled back and his hands left my waist was to sneak away together, alone. But it would have to wait.
Luke kissed my cheek firmly before he left, leaving me blushing and fighting a smile in front of his friends.
When I got into bed that night, I replayed my time with Luke in the garden in my head.
“I can’t help myself when I’m around you.”His low timbre filled my mind, making my stomach somersault. My fingertips brushed over my lips.
When my phone buzzed on the nightstand, my hand shot out so quickly that I knocked it to the ground with a thud. I scrambled out of bed to grab it.
Luke
Can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?
And, two seconds later:
I already got a sitter.
“So, you hit the fundraising goal?” I drummed my fingers on the console, pulled at the hem of my floral sundress, looked everywhere but at Luke.
“We did. Can’t thank you enough for the idea.” He stole a sheepish look at me in the passenger seat before training his gaze back on the road, left leg bouncing uncharacteristically.
“Francesca deserves all the credit.”
Luke swallowed, saying nothing as he pulled into the parking lot behind his office near the top of Main Street.
We navigated through the other pedestrians as we headed toward the harbor, hands brushing but not grasping, continuing to talk about the event but studiously avoiding my favorite part: our kiss in the dark garden. I couldn’t stop thinking about it—the whiskey taste of his tongue, the firm press of his erection through the thin fabric of my dress. My stomach flipped over every time I called the memory back into my mind, including right now.
The whole way down Main Street, it was tentative glances, small talk, silence. For all the time we’d spent together this summer, everything we’d shared, the kiss last night confirming the attraction was mutual, this felt different. Formal.
I was nervous. He seemed nervous, too.I like you so much,I wanted to say.You have nothing to be nervous about.
Luke held the door open for me when we got to the restaurant attached to one of the hotels downtown. I’d been here before, but not yet this year.
There were two restaurants in this hotel. One was a swanky patio and pool bar right off the main road near the harbor. The other—the one we just entered—was around the corner, its entrance just below street level. It was more casual, off the bustling main stretch. Quieter, smaller. More private. Cozy, even with the A/C blasting to combat the August heat. Almost everything—the tables, chairs, bar, floor, and walls—was dark wood, making it feel like we were inside an old wooden ship. That was the intent, if I had to guess, given the multitude of paintings of such ships hanging on the wood-paneled walls.
“Is this okay? I know it’s more casual. But I wanted to go somewhere we might actually be able to hear each other.” He peered at me earnestly, brown eyes wide with trepidation.
“It’s perfect.”
He nodded, but his face told me he was still questioning his restaurant choice.“I should have known you’d be embarrassed if someone like him thought you were dating a townie construction worker.”
I thought I did a great job allaying his insecurities last night, but the tension in his shoulders told me they might still be there, swirling under the surface.How on Earth could someone like me make this gorgeous, accomplished, incredible man nervous?
“I really like you, Luke. I’m happy we’re here.”
He smiled genuinely, shoulders dropping. “I really like you, too. Do I seem nervous?” The corner of his mouth ticked up, like he knew he was tense.
I fought the smile that pulled on my lips as soon as he said he liked me too. “A little, yes.”
