Page 46

“Bye,” he sing-songs, and we both hang up at the same time.

Climbing out of the car, I straighten my outfit. The sun is just about to set, and I have just enough of a glow to be able to see my reflection in the window.

Nina convinced me to wear a white baby doll dress that’s shirred across my chest and the full length of the sleeves. It’s different for me, but it’s not too tight or uncomfortable, and we compromised with my worn-in, knee-high black biker boots and matching cross-body bag. My hair falls loosely over my shoulders, and I’m grateful it cooperates with almost no effort from me ninety-nine percent of the time.

Before grabbing my clear lip gloss, my fingers detour deeper into the bag, touching the silver necklace that’s quickly become my talisman, my reminder of Zara before I truly knew what we could be. Quickly applying my lip gloss, I smack my lips together and lock up the car, slipping my cell and key fob into my bag.

Butterflies fill my stomach. I’m buzzing with energy, finally feeling excited rather than anxious. As I take a step up the short set of stairs, a voice I’ve come to recognize stops me.

“Hey, you.”

Turning, I glance down at a strikingly beautiful Zara. She’s smiling up at me, her hair tied in a low ponytail, the last bit of the evening sun shining an ethereal glow around her. She’s wearing a high-waisted, full-length khaki skirt with large black flowers printed all over it, with a half-sleeve, black crop top that leaves a tiny sliver of skin exposed between the two pieces of clothing.

Beautiful is an understatement.

She is refined and elegant, and in every lifetime I’m sure I’ve ever lived, a woman like her would be unattainable to a woman like me. But she’s looking at me with stars in her eyes, and I’m not about to give that up for anything.

“Hey.” I feel my smile split my face in two as the word leaves my mouth. “Great timing.”

She walks up the two steps until she’s beside me and then slides a hand around my waist before kissing me on the cheek. “How are you?”

I can’t help the cheesy line that comes out of my mouth. “Better now. You?”

She leans closer, kissing me on the cheek again, almost like she can’t help herself. “Same.”

“This place looks nice,” I tell her.

“I’ve never eaten here before,” she admits as we walk inside. “But a client told me about it at work, and it sounded so much better than an upscale restaurant with menu items I have no idea how to pronounce.”

We wait till one of the servers is available to lead us to our reserved table. It’s situated in the back of the restaurant, tucked away in a cute little alcove, tea candles in the center of the wooden square table, the chairs opposite one another.

It’s quiet and intimate and so very different.

Taking a seat, the server is quick to hand us our food and drink menus, along with some water for us both. I reach for the glass, taking a quick sip, and enjoy the cool glide of liquid down my throat.

Zara is looking at the menu, and I use that moment to sweep my eyes over her one more time. Her tongue is absentmindedly pinched between her lips as she scans the menu. I notice the moment she’s decided what she wants to eat because she straightens her posture and raises her eyes to meet mine.

“What?” she asks with a shy smile.

“Nothing.” I pick my menu up off the table. “Anything look good?”

“I’m so hungry, everything looks good.”

I shrug. “So let’s order everything.”

She tilts her head. “And who’s going to eat it all?”

“You just said you’re hungry, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” she says slowly. “But I’ve got eyes bigger than my stomach.”

Chuckling, I look through the food options. “What about a set menu? They’ve got a little bit of everything included on here.”

“Yes. That sounds great, actually.” She swaps out her food menu for the drink one. “Do you want a cocktail or to share a bottle of wine?”

“I’m good. I actually rarely drink alcohol,” I reveal, almost bracing myself for the shocked reaction that everyone always has. “I think that night at the club was the first and last time this year.”

She casually waves her hand in the air. “That’s fine. I don’t have to drink.”