Page 43 of Drawn to You

“You take my breath away in that dress.”

I didn’t even have to consider what to say. There are a hundred compliments on the tip of my tongue. And the shine in her eyes right now makes me want to say all of them.

“Thank you,” she says, slightly breathless.

Breathless is good. Breathless is very, very good.

I offer her my arm again. “We have a reservation. Are you ready to go?”

She nods and takes my arm. Operation Practice Date is underway.

“Movies were our thing,”Josie says a couple of hours later. “AndSNL. She introduced me toSNL.”

We finished our steaks and sides an hour ago, but we’re still sitting in a downtown Nashville steak house, a curtain hidingour private booth from onlookers. It’s going on one a.m., but as Josie tells me about her mom, I don’t feel remotely tired.

“What were some of her favorite skits?” I ask.

“She loved Chris Farley and Mike Myers. I think ‘Van Down by the River’ was her all-time favorite.”

“Did you guys watch movies at home or at the theater?”

“Usually at home. But if there was a big movie coming out, we’d go see it on Friday night. Always with a huge bucket of popcorn and Cherry Cokes.”

“My mom always loved movie popcorn, too,” I say, smiling as I think about her.

“Is she gone? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“You can ask me anything. She’s still around. My parents live in Naples, Florida. Dad’s a financial planner and Mom does interior design, but just for fun.”

“Isn’t it funny how even as an adult, you see people with their moms and just long for your own? I’d give anything to make cookies with her or go for a walk with her. To hear her voice again and see her smile...it would be everything to me.”

She clears her throat and looks away. I reach across the table and take her hand gently in mine.

“Just checking in,” our server says, opening the curtain slightly. “Anything you guys need?”

“No, I think we’re good,” I say.

“Okay, great.”

We had drinks and dinner, split a piece of raspberry cheesecake and I already paid the bill. If the magic of our time together will be over when we leave this curtained booth, though, I don’t want to go.

Josie stifles a yawn and smiles sheepishly.

“I guess we should go,” I say.

“Yeah, we have to get up at four thirty.”

She gets her wrap and bag and slides out of the booth, and I follow. I fight my urge to cup her cheek and kiss her. This is the moment. If I’d asked her on a real date, I’d kiss her here and take her back to the hotel, where we’d do a lot more than kiss until it’s time to leave for our flight.

This night has been very real to me, but I don’t know if she’s ready for more yet.

“You did great,” she says over her shoulder as she moves the curtain aside.

“We’re not done yet.”

I wink at her and she smiles. It’s scary how hooked I am on that smile. And her laugh creates an actual, physical warmth in my chest.

What the hell is happening to me? Is it just that I haven’t had sex in what feels like a lifetime?

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