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“He was gorgeous. But you know what? So are you. I won’t hold back, okay? I told you I was boring and lonely. It’s okay to be honest with what I think of you, too, correct?”
“Don’t hold back,” he said, grinning.
“You’re attractive,” she said. “You might have saved me some grief if you’d approached me when we were kids.”
“Why is that?” he asked.
“Oh, the trials and tribulations of marriage. I’m so happy you got lost in the Landrys’ woods.”
He reached across the table and held out his hands, waiting for her. Placing her cup on the saucer, she deliberated, remembering the moment in his car. If she touched him, she was lost.Oh, enjoy it,she thought.
They held hands, and like she had wanted to do in the car, she closed her eyes, allowing the sensations to dance over her body, chills tingling her face and cheeks and eyelids.
He watched it happen; a little tic in her upper lip, the slightest smile turning the corners of her mouth up.
“Calista?”
“Yes?”
“Will you see me again?”
“Stay the weekend,” she replied. “The kids go out on the boat with Alphé tomorrow. We’ll have the entire day.”
“Do you mean the night, too? I’d better think about getting that room.”
“No, don’t get a room. Stay with me tonight.”
He nodded his head.
“I promise to behave,” she added.
“I don’t want you to, but I promise, too,” Austin said. “I don’t want this to be a one-night stand.”
There was a lull in the conversation. Emily returned with a fresh pot to heat their coffee, but they’d had enough.
“I’m ready to head toward home. We might get a little nap in before my kids come back. Are you ready?”
“I can nap anytime. You tell me what you need, and I’ll do it.”
“Good. I’m ready to go home.”
He went to the cash register to pay. They left the café, and on the way to his car, he took her hand. The car was at the curb, so it was only for thirty seconds, but it was the most wonderful thirty seconds.
For a moment, she had misgivings about taking him to her house.
“I feel like I need to explain the state of my house,” she started.
“No, you don’t. I live in a crappy one-bedroom apartment in a crappy neighborhood in a crime-ridden part of town. Your place is going to be better than mine no matter its state.”
“Why would you live in a dangerous place? I’m not sure I like that.”
“Well, if something happens between us, I’ll move back here, okay? That’s the end of your worries. I already feel like I never want to leave.”
She didn’t reply, feeling emotional, but she took his hand back. They were moving fast, even if they knew each other a million years ago.
“Where is this house of yours?”
“Turn around,” she said.
