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“Aren’t you going to get cold?” he said, before leaning over to drop a kiss on her cheek.
“Levi, it’s nice to see you,” she responded, stepping away with amusement on her face. “Thank you for the flowers. Let me get a vase for them.”
When she turned, his jaw dropped. The straps at the back of her dress came together along her spine. The dress wasn’t incredibly revealing, but he’d never considered how sexy shoulder blades could look on a woman before.
Especially one walking away from him.
He started after her, catching up with her in her kitchen, where she had set a vase filled with water on the counter and was cutting the bottoms off the flowers’ stems.
“Sorry. I meant to say, you look great.”
Her eyes sparkled with what seemed like amusement, and the red of her apple cheeks deepened. “I know. I can tell by the look on your face that you like my dress.”
“I do.” He stopped himself before asking again if she was going to get cold. He had a spare flannel shirt in his truck if she did.
She must have read the question on his face, because she laughed. “I’m bringing a cardigan. Don’t worry. But it’s sweet that you’re trying to take care of me.”
The night air had to have been chilly on her shoulders as they walked out Mina’s front door, but after she locked up, she straightened her shoulders, settled her head on the top of her neck and walked on in front of him to his truck. He would have to figure out how to sit at dinner so he could see the slope of her shoulders from the back. And how her face moved in tune with her emotions.
“You drove to my house?”
“Well, there wasn’t much driving. Mostly I just parked in front of your house.” He had figured the gesture would delight her, probably more than the flowers. Her chin ticked up, and she made a pleased noise at the back of her throat when he opened the passenger door for her.
It was a short drive to the restaurant he had picked out, so there wasn’t much time for Mina to talk about the many activities happening in her busy schedule, which had caused their date to be postponed an entire week. Levi was pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant when she mentioned something called a “drink and draw.”
She should drive next time, so he could watch her face as she talked.
“Hold that thought,” he said. “I want to know what that is, but let’s get our table first.”
While Mina walked toward the restaurant, Levi rested his hand on the small of her back, keeping just behind her. The temptation for more, for walking his fingers around to hold the curve of her hips or reach and grasp her hand in his, was strong, but he resisted. The parking lot on the way into the restaurant on their first real date wasn’t the place. Especially since he had broken her trust and needed to earn it back. A hand resting on her spine, feeling the heat of her body from under her dress, was a nice middle ground.
After they entered, he kept a little closer to her as they wove their way through the tables behind the hostess. The space was small, and all the tables were full. Which was fine by him. Mina, with her curves and her smile and that intoxicating view of her back, was the kind of woman he wanted everyone in town to see him with.
“So, drink and draw,” he said as they sat down. “What’s that?”
She glowed from within as excitement lit her eyes. “It’s collaborative, group comic drawing. Everyone meets at a coffee shop or a bar and sits around drawing, only there are exercises like panel passes, where one person draws a panel of a comic, then passes it to the next person, who draws and passes it to the next, and so on until the comic is finished. They’re a good chance to practice story and explore new styles.”
She smiled at the waiter who poured water in their glasses and told them the specials. Mina ordered a glass of wine, and he ordered a beer.
“What’s good?” she asked.
“Everything. This is the best pizza you will get, not just in Missoula, but the best.”
“You know I went to graduate school in Chicago,” she said, looking up at him from her menu, the amused twinkle of her eyes visible through her long bangs. Everything about her was animated and alive. As far as he was concerned, she could talk about anything, so long as she kept talking and her face kept moving.
