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“It’s too good to ruin,” Leighton said. “We can’t do it.”
“All the more reason. We must. Food was meant to be consumed, devoured, savored.” To demonstrate, she stole a bite of the nutty Gouda and closed her eyes, letting the flavors take their time.
When she opened them again, Leighton seemed transfixed. “Look at you. Showing off your foodie skills.”
Jamie went very serious. “Can’t help it. I eat more than I should and make no apologies.”
“Nor should you if it looks like that when you do it.”
The next two hours flew by. They killed the bottle, did their best on the amazing tray, and swapped stories about their exes.
“So, Laurel was actually a promising partner at one point or…?”
Jamie sighed, trying to figure out how to explain Laurel and the number that relationship did on her. There was a reason it had been over three years since Jamie had entered into a relationship with anyone. “She made me feel that because I was with her, I was important.” She exhaled slowly, trying to organize the words that would explain the very unique feeling of being dependent on another human for self-worth. “I felt small and, in a way, lucky to be with Laurel, whose personality was larger than life.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
Jamie pressed on. “She was someone who always pulled in a lot of attention, and my identity became this extension of her, which she reinforced every chance she got.”
Leighton sat back, dejected. “That’s not my favorite story. I think we need chocolate lava cake and another top-off.”
“You don’t have to say much more thanchocolate caketo get me to sit here for another hour.”
“How did you finally break away?”
“Well, I started to see my existence, my identity, slipping away. I was standing in quicksand, and a little bit more of me disappeared every moment I was with Laurel. It was only a matter of time before I lost myself entirely. So, one night, I quietly packed.” Jamie shrugged. “She made sure I understood that I was nothing, and that without her, my life would have zero interest or meaning. I still walked out of there, tears streaming down my cheeks.”
“Oh no. And yet you still have to run in the same circles.”
Jamie closed her eyes. “New York turned out to be smaller than I thought, especially when we still have a handful of the same friends. She’ll never get over the fact that I left her and uses every interaction we have to try to point out how boring I am.”
Leighton shook her head. “I don’t find you boring at all.”
“Thank you. I don’t either.” They clinked glasses again. “In fact, I kinda like me.”
“Perhaps the sexiest sentence ever.” She rested her chin in her hand. “We’ve covered a lot except where’s home?”
“I have an apartment down here. It’s small, but it’s actually a really nice place to land. If I look to the right and crane my neck, I can see the Flatiron Building. Where do you live?”
“Upper East Side.”
“Ooh la la.” Jamie raised her eyebrows. “I’m dining with the upper class.” She looked around the table for show. “Did I use the right silverware? Your job is a bigger deal than I thought.”
“I do okay, but if we’re talking about my apartment, well, I inherited some family money.”
“A trust fund baby in the flesh?”
She sipped her wine. “Hi.”
The way she said that, almost shyly, sent a very welcome shiver down Jamie’s spine and back again. She laughed, which made Leighton smile along. They had a nice give-and-take, and Leighton had no problem taking Jamie’s teasing. She never would have predicted on that first day Leighton had arrived in the coffee bar that she’d ever be this comfortable with her. Life was a pretty amazing thing. It had a way of sneaking up on you, and in this moment, Jamie felt blessed it had tapped her on the shoulder. Even if tonight was all they ever had, a one and done, she’d still feel lucky. She’d needed this date, this connection, to believe that romance was alive and well for her. Beyond that, she really liked Leighton. She was so much more than an attractive woman in her line.
“Are you thinking about how awesome a time you’re having?” Leighton asked. She glanced at the clock near the beautiful bar across the room. “Or that I kept you out past your bedtime?”
“To the first question, yes. Stop reading my mind. It’s creepy.” She tossed in a grin. “Second of all, yes, again. I open pretty early. But the truth of it is that I don’t mind losing sleep. It’s a nice night, and you are…”
“Also nice?” Leighton asked, using Jamie’s word.
“No. Much more than nice,” she said quietly. But she’d dropped the playful tone because Jamie wanted Leighton to know she meant it.
