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Poppy chuckled and flipped the book upright before burying her nose in it again.
“I’m Chase.”
I turned back to the man to see that he was leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. His eyes were a bright blue and they were trained on me with clear interest.
“Oh. Uh...I’m Summer.”
I held out my hand for him to shake, and he surprised me by bringing it to his mouth and planting a kiss on the back of it.What a charmer.
But the feel of his kiss on my skin did absolutely nothing for me. All I could do was compare the simple brush of his lips to the feeling of Levi practically devouring me last night.
Actually, there was no comparison, and I hated that.
“Tell me, Summer, what are your plans for tonight?”
“Nothing solid at this point. Why do you ask?”
“I was hoping you’d join me for dinner.”
Technically, I did have plans, but I impulsively decided to blow them off in that moment. I was too wrapped up in Levi right now, and I desperately needed to get him off my mind. What better way to do that than to give this guy a shot? He was certainly good-looking enough to get the job done and provide a bit of a distraction.
I hoped.
“Sure,” I said, picking up my beach bag and pulling out a notebook and a pen. I scrawled my number on the paper and ripped it out, handing it over. “Text me and we’ll make plans.”
“Oh, I’ve got plans.” His grin was flirty, and I wanted to feel something in response to it, but I didn’t. “You’ll hear from me soon.”
With that, he got up and walked away, and I watched him go for a minute before turning back to Poppy, who was already gaping at me.
“Oh. My. God. I can’t believe that just happened. That guy ishot.”
I smiled. “Really? I didn’t notice.”
“Liar. But what about the winery tour tonight? We’re all supposed to go and help Faith pick the wine served at the wedding.”
I mentally pushed any guilt about that to the back of my mind. I needed to go on this date. I felt like my sanity was at stake and depended on it.
“You guys will be fine without me. Besides, I’m sure there will be plenty of other activities to participate in for the rest of the week.”
“You have a point there. Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you.” Then, Poppy smirked. “Just use protection if that guy charms your pants off.”
I rolled my eyes. “He won’t.”
I wanted to say that it was because I didn’t do things like sleep with men on the first date, but that wasn’t the real reason. I was really worried that if I did sleep with Chase, I would just be thinking about Levi the whole time.
* * *
“This isthe best restaurant on the island,” Chase told me that night as we were led to our table. I saw him slip the hostess some cash as he asked for their best seat in the house, so it wasn’t a surprise when we were seated in a semi-private alcove near a window with a great view. “I had to call in a favor or two, but I figured you might like it.”
“It’s very nice,” I said, glad that I chose to wear a little black dress tonight. I wasn’t exactly expecting to go to such a fancy place.
The restaurant was big, with a naturally romantic setting. There were crisp white tablecloths and long tapered candles on the tables. The lighting was low and intimate, and the smell of cooked seafood permeated the place, making my mouth water.
“Have you been here before?” I asked as I picked up the menu and saw the prices.
Yikes.
“Oh yeah. I come to Pompeo Island for vacation at least once a year. And don’t worry about the bill tonight. I got this covered.”
