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It was rare for Shoshana to be downtown in the evenings. She was so tied to the store and her routine there that she rarely went beyond it for anything other than the most basic necessity. She tried to remember the last time she’d met someone for dinner or drinks at any of these restaurants or bistros and drew an embarrassed blank.
Putting her head down and focusing on her own shop was great for her work ethic, but it meant she felt like a stranger in her own town. The street was relatively quiet for a Sunday. Not bustling, at any rate. It surprised her how quiet it was, as the place looked downright quaint.
Maybe it was the weather. She eyed the sky where clouds looked swollen and dark. They had been gathering all afternoon, and the air had that electric bite that said a storm was going to hit sometime tonight.
She adjusted the sleeve of her top and wondered if she should have had David pick her up at her house. Meeting him at the restaurant felt--what? She wasn’t sure. Perhaps she was just uncomfortable in the general sense. Because she was attracted to this man and because she wanted to get to know him and because as attracted to him as she was, he felt sofamiliar. She shook herself. She was getting twisted around and she needed to stop that, or she’d work herself into a tailspin.
She focused on the white lights that had been threaded through the low row of box hedge running the length of the downtown street. She wondered how long those had been out. It wasn’t for a holiday. It was the middle of June. But it was pretty in the twilight and she could see how they would be ethereal when it got darker. It was closer to night than it would normally be at this time, thanks to the clouds overhead.
She wondered if Sunday evening were an especially busy time for the downtown businesses then rolled her eyes at herself. She was doing it again.
Anticipation was making her giddy.
She stopped in front of the wrought iron gate of Francesca’s. It was a cafe that specialized in crepes, and she remembered when it opened that she’d thought it would be painfully out of place here in this mountain town. But somehow it worked? The gate led to an artfully overgrown garden of lavender and roses and little wrought iron tables and chairs. He was standing on the other side of the gate and when he turned to look at her she caught her breath.
“Wow.” She was aware that she sounded like a starry-eyed teenager. She didn’t care. He hadn’t gotten less gorgeous in the time they’d been apart.
He was all cheekbones and full mouth, and the cambric shirt he wore made him look relaxed and casual, but still more put together than if he’d shown up in a tee shirt. His hair was just long enough that her fingers ached to run through it. It waved around his face in a way that she knew many women would pay good money for--that kind of curl was not cheap and impossible to fake. His dark eyes glittered in the afternoon light as he took her in.
“You look beautiful,” he said honestly, and she blushed all the way to the roots of her hair. The need to break the tension she felt was an ache in her chest and she said the first thing she could think of to do it.
“You need to kiss me,” she blurted, then slapped a hand over her mouth, shocked that the words had left her mouth. David looked at her, but he didn’t laugh. Instead, something interesting happened to his lips. His mouth moved as though he wanted to smile but had to speak instead. One eyebrow twitched infinitesimally, and he cocked his head the tiniest bit, like he was actually considering what she said.
“Would it help if I said I had planned on it?” His fingers curled around the latch on the gate and then it was opening for her. She stumbled through, feeling like a pubescent colt, all awkward limbs and weird, jerking, impulsive movements.
She stopped, realizing he’d been waiting for her to speak. She shook her head, still embarrassed that she’d actually saidthat, but having no idea how to save the situation. Instead she crossed her arms over her chest, hoping to hide the social awkwardness behind a veneer of ladylike chill.
Of course, it was still June, so that was no help.
“I don’t know why I said that,” she said, because she had to say something. She was glad they were the only ones in the little garden. No one else would witness her shame.
“Well, I’m hoping it’s because you want me to kiss you. Although as far as conversation starters go, I have to say that one definitely breaks the ice,” he said. He was definitely laughing now. She felt even more heat on her cheeks and knew her face must be flushed solid red.
“You’re laughing at me,” she complained, resisting the urge to run her fingers through her hair. She couldn’t do that, she’d ruin whatever soft, boho style Leah managed to coax her hair into, and she’d never hear the end of it.
“Not entirely. Do you want me to kiss you?” he said, reaching for one of her wrists. His lips still smiled a small smile, but his eyes were serious.
Shoshana let him touch her, tried to remember that she was a grown woman and not a teenager. That her attraction was entirely allowed, and also clearly encouraged. This was a date. She should be attracted to the guy, right? Right.
He touched her face, his fingertips brushing just barely over her jaw, his thumb touching her chin. She realized her heart was beating too fast. She hoped he couldn’t tell how quickly it was going. Somewhere in her mind she thought about how her smartwatch was going to log this as cardio and it was all she could do not to check. She swallowed, tried to say something, then swallowed again.
“Shoshana?”
She definitely shouldn’t be so happy for a man to say her name! She blinked, trying to focus on something finite. Something small, like his eyelashes. Nothing so intimidating as his mouth. Certainly not the sensual curve of his jaw. She forced herself to speak. To just get it out before she lost what little nerve she still had. Her fingers tightened and her nails dug into the palm of her hand. The pinching pain was exactly what she needed to find her voice.
“I need you to get it over with. The kiss, I mean.”
“I’m sorry?” His perfect forehead furrowed. She’d flummoxed him and she was relieved at that. If he could be flummoxed, then he wasn’t entirely perfect.
She took a deep breath to steady herself, glad she could find something that resembled her center. After a moment she was able to say, “I need you to go ahead and kiss me. To get it out of the way. Before we go in, I mean. You know how it is, first kisses are always so…”
“Oh, so we do the kiss before the date even happens, and then it's out of the way and we can just enjoy ourselves,” he said, understanding dawning. He was still laughing at her, but she wasn’t as embarrassed now.
“Yes, exactly. That. What you said. I would consider it a personal favor.” She lifted her shoulder in what she hoped was a self-effacing gesture.
“If I kissed you before I took you to dinner,” he said. His hand was still on her skin. His thumb was gently caressing the hollow of her throat and it was hypnotic.
“David--”
