Page 82 of I'm Watching You

‘Naw, you look good. Besides, it’s casual.’

She wasn’t hungry. Lunch had been filling. Still, an evening out that wasn’t emotionally draining would be welcome.

Sam guided her to a sleek Audi and opened the door for her.

Lindsay couldn’t help but smile. ‘You’re spoiling me.’

‘You could use that once in a while.’ He closed her door and came around the front. The car’s interior smelled new.

He slid behind the wheel and started the engine. The soft scent of his aftershave reminded her that this was adate.

Crap. Didn’t she have enough on her plate?

They’d not driven a block when his cell rang. He glanced down at the number and sent the call to voice mail.

‘Why don’t you answer that?’ Lindsay said. Zack always took his calls.

‘It’s not important. You are.’

Not all men were like Zack.

And that was a good thing. Right?

Alone in the car, this close to Sam, she felt a bit awkward. If he’d been Sam thefriend,she’d have had no trouble talking to him. But Sam thedatefelt like an entirely different person. Suddenly pressure existed where there’d been none before.

‘So how was the hospital today?’ she said.

He kept his gaze on the road. ‘Same old, same old.’

Normally, Sam had half a dozen stories to tell about his day in theER. And his unexpected silence had her scraping for something else to say that would keep the conversation going. ‘No war stories?’

‘None. Ever notice we always talk about work?’

‘Yeah.’

His expression turned serious. ‘Let’s do our best not to talk shop tonight.’

Suddenly she was tongue-tied. What would they talk about? First Zack and now Sam. Why couldn’t she carry on a conversation with an adult male? ‘That doesn’t leave much.’

He grinned. ‘There’s the weather.’

She laughed but realized seeing Sam like this felt dishonest somehow. She was legally separated from Zack and a signature away from finalizing the divorce. She was rebuilding her life without him. Dating wasokay.

Sam pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot and parked in a spot close to the door. She got out and met him at the front of the car. He placed his hand into the small of her back and guided her into the restaurant.

It was a quiet, small bistro that had only opened a couple of months ago. Most weekends the place attracted large crowds. Tuesdays offered a slower pace.

The hostess led them to an intimate table in the back near a fireplace filled with votive candles that flickered in the dimly lit room. ‘Stop indulging me.’

He chuckled and took his seat. ‘You deserve to be spoiled once in a while.’

Lindsay spread her napkin over her lap. ‘I’m so used to taking care of everything. Being spoiled makes me feel uncomfortable.’

The waitress arrived and Sam ordered a bottle of wine as well as a sampling of appetizers. Within minutes they arrived. The wine was excellent, as was the display of cheeses.

As he swirled the Merlot in a glass, his gold signet ring winked in the candlelight. ‘So why are you so used to taking care of yourself?’

She shrugged. ‘Long, long story, Sam.’

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