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“Oh, don’t. I talk too fast, and my hair was a travesty that day, but I own it. One of the best days!”
Leighton topped their glasses off. “Let’s see. In addition to Savvy, I worked with Peters Brothers and The Lennox Group on small projects back when I was doing a little in marketing. I think two of them are married, right? One of the Savvy execs and Jessica Lennox. Jessica’s become a friend.”
Jamie nodded. “Yes! They’ve come into the shop a handful of times, always holding hands and grinning at each other. I can report that the honeymoon phase has been extended indefinitely with those two. I love watching them flirt in line.”
Leighton seemed to enjoy this report and got a faraway look in her eye. “That sounds like the dream.”
“Are you a romantic?” Jamie asked around her glass.
“Most people would guess no.” She paused. “But they would be wrong. I am.” In that moment, she wasn’t just beautiful, she was cute.
“A closeted romantic. What’s your favorite romantic film?”
“Too many to name. But I have watchedPretty Womanwith my mother more times than I care to admit.”
Jamie widened her eyes, pleased with the choice. “The grand gesture at the end? Is that the pull?”
Leighton’s cheeks dusted with rose. Maybe shewasa romantic. “Vivian deserved that and more”—she held up a finger—“but I also loveThe Fast and the Furious.”
Jamie blinked. “I’m trying to find the common thread.”
“The long game, maybe?” Leighton tapped her chin. “I think when it’s meant to be, it’salwaysmeant to be. Friendship, romance, cars. Doesn’t matter what the thing is if it was ordained for you.”
“So that means you believe in fate.”
“It does. Don’t you? We all have a destiny just waiting for us to discover it.”
“And what’s yours?”
Leighton let her gaze linger, caressing Jamie from across the table. “I’m not sure, but I might be sitting across from her this very minute. Time will tell.”
Jamie forgot to breathe. “How does it look so far?”
“Promising. Very promising.”
Jamie touched her glass to Leighton’s. “To fate.”
“To fate.”
As she sipped, Jamie pondered the concept, examining it slowly. Intrigued. “I’m not opposed to the idea of an ideal path. I just think there’s maybe more than one path for each of us. We choose our own.”
Leighton shook her head. “No. I’m looking for the one. The only path I’m supposed to be on.”
Oh, Jamie could definitely lose herself in those soulful brown eyes when they searched hers with such intensity. Leighton clearly had a lot of feelings about destiny, and it was turning Jamie on. “Oh, youarea romantic. Your friends are wrong.”
Leighton’s lips offered a hint of a smile. “Which is why I had to ask you out. I said there was something about your bar, but there’s something about you, too.”
Jamie took a steady breath. “What do you think it is?” She lifted her glass, hoping the casual movement masked her utter captivation.
“Beyond the obvious”—she gestured to Jamie’s face—“I think that’s what I’m here to find out. There’s this instant likability and quiet charisma that radiates off you. It made me, I don’t know, want to be around you more.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” The wine was starting to make Jamie bold and flirty, a fun combination slightly outside her wheelhouse. She planned to enjoy every minute of it.
Leighton tilted her head. “I might have a little crush. And I’m not someone who fears failure. I fearregret. And I don’t want to have any, Jamie.” Could this woman please say her name again?
For an extended moment, they stared at each other, testing out their connection that took off like a spark in a dry forest. She swallowed. Leighton was truly someone to take in. Her skin was near flawless, a freckle next to her left eye. Her semilong blond hair fell in perfect layers, and the subtle lines around her eyes when she smiled made her even more beautiful. She still had her fingers mixed with Jamie’s and must have noticed. She pulled her hand back slowly, confidently, in absolutely no rush. It took Jamie a moment to shift her gaze and focus on the fancy charcuterie board that arrived, looking like something off a Food Network commercial.
“Please eat every bite. You’ll thank me,” their server said with a wink and floated away to give them time to enjoy. Jamie gazed at the array of hard and soft cheeses and their accompaniments. Prosciutto, salami folded in the shape of a rose, olives, honey, jam, mustard, almonds, spiced cashews—and were those pickled vegetables? It made her want to step up her own cheese selection, but she remembered doughnuts were her customers’ favorite wine pairing and she couldn’t betray the culture. Puzzles had an entirely different vibe and target customer. Mainstream and posh. As it should be. There was room for both.
