Page 5 of One Last Thing Before You Go

“Will you quit staring at me like that?” she asks, but her voice is light.

“Sorry.” I feel my cheeks heat.

“You’re cute when you’re awkward, you know that?”

I exhale slowly. “I guess I’m suddenly a little nervous.” I fidget with the fork on the table, overcome with a wave of insecurity, of fear that this thing we’re doing is going to go wrong and I’ll never see her again.

Which is dumb, right? I mean, I don’t even live here. What am I doing? This is sure to be a one-night thing. It’s what I wanted when I first spoke to her. What I thought I wanted not more than twenty minutes ago. Maybe I could’ve stretched this out by a couple of days depending on how long I stay in town. And that’s if she lets me see her again.

“I feel like I’m fucking this up.” In so many different ways.

Lottie looks up from her menu and smiles. She reaches out to place a hand on mine, stopping my movements. “Hey. I don’t know about you, but I’m having a really good time.”

I drop my menu on the table and place my other hand directly on hers, creating a Lottie hand sandwich. “Yeah. I’m having a pretty great time, too.”

She pulls her hand free, but not before shooting me a wink. I reach out and pull it back in mine but accidentally knock over the fake candle votive and tiny vase of flowers instead.

“You’re kind of a mess, aren’t you?” She smirks, fixing the arrangement in the center of the table.

“Me?” I ask in mock outrage, pointing at myself. “What are you talking about? Are you saying you’re not impressed by my suaveness?”

She snorts, not unkindly, and takes a sip of her water. “Super suave, Casanova. It’s part of why I’m so attracted to you.”

“Oh?” I smile, dropping the act and sitting up in my seat. “You’re attracted to me?”

Her eyes widen. “Uh, I only meant that—” she stammers. “I⁠—”

“No, no. You’re attracted to me, it’s cool,” I say, getting a kick out of watching her scramble for words. I try to control it, but something in my chest swells and a shit-eating grin spreads across my face because she’s into me. This amazing, smart, hot as hell woman is into me. I feel like a fucking lovestruck teenager.

“You’re not allowed to take it back now. You’re attracted to me.”

Lottie looks me straight in the eye. “I’m—I don’t know. I told you. I’m having a good time,” she says with a shrug, and takes a sip of her water, avoiding my gaze.

“Yeah, you mentioned that.” I smile fondly at her and reach out, taking her hand once again, keeping it in mine this time. I don’t feel like letting go of this girl any time soon.

Lottie stares down at our joined hands on the table and blushes. “I don’t do this often. Or at all, if I’m being honest,” she whispers, as if revealing her deepest darkest secret.

“Go on dates with strangers you met less than two hours ago?”

“Go on dates. Period.”

A little in love with the fact that I’m an exception, I give her hands an encouraging squeeze.

“Lottie?” I ask.

“Yes, Knox?” She presses her lips together to keep from laughing at the sudden intensity I feel in my expression, but I’m not trying to be funny.

“Lottie, I really wanna kiss you right now,” I say in all seriousness. “Can I?”

She takes another sip of water and looks in every direction but mine before settling her gaze on my lips. Finally, she says, “Okay.”

CHAPTER THREE

LOTTIE

“Idon’t know why you’re suddenly obsessing over this,” I tell Jenn as I stretch onto my tiptoes to reach the top row of the shelf. I slide a collection of Shakespeare’s sonnets in between more books that we’ll never sell, and walk over to the counter, avoiding eye contact. “Not a big deal by any means.”

“Are you kidding me?!” She throws her hands in the air in frustration, her face the picture of the dramatic. “It’s a huge deal! Massive.” I roll my eyes and scoff, but that doesn’t stop her. “Poppy Goodwin said you were glowing when she saw you guys at the bar. Absolutely glowing,” she says, slamming her hands on the counter by the register. I continue to make myself busy, trying not to think of the way Knox’s smile made me feel; the way his boyish grin made my heart jump in my chest, my core tighten. “And Lizzie McCalister—Lizzie-freakingMcCalister!—told me she sat you guys down for dinner at Mamma’s. For dinner, Lottie. You had dinner with the guy. And you’re telling me it wasn’t a big deal? When was the last time you went on a date with someone? Like an honest-to-god date.”