Page 41 of Not Quite Perfect

Unfortunately, I was having trouble enjoying myself. “I’m sorry,” I whispered as the waiter refilled my water glass and then strolled away. “I know this isn’t what you had in mind.”

David’s eyes met mine over the rim of his menu. “It’s fine.”

Sometimes, I felt like David was too good to me. I knew it couldn’t have been easy being in a relationship with someone who treated you like a dirty little secret, but he never tried to make me feel bad about it. Which in turn made me feel even worse. When he’d pushed for this date, it had been the only time I’d seen his easy acceptance of our situation falter. With his jaw set in a hard line and challenge glinting in his dark blue eyes, I couldn’t have said no, no matter how badly I might have wanted to.

“I know it’s fine,” I said, my response laced with a touch of exasperation, “but I wish it wasn’t.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He set his menu to the side and held up a finger to stall the waiter from coming to take our order.

I stared down at the breadstick on my plate for a few beats before raising my eyes to his. “Doesn’t it ever bother you?”

He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “All the damn time, but I want you in my life more than I’ve ever wanted anything, so I’m willing to be patient.”

“But what if she never comes around?”

I also didn’t have to explain whoshewas. If my mom wasn’t so damned pig-headed about this, David and I could have gone public a long time ago.

I tried not to let myself imagine what it would have been like if instead of pretending like we hadn’t known each other that morning on Dobbers Island, we’d laughed and told everyone we had just started dating. I never let myself wonder what our lives would be like if instead of being appalled by our connection, our families had celebrated it. If instead of chastising me for my feelings for David, my mom had taken my hand in hers and said that I needed to hold on to love when I found it.

I didn’t want to be bitter and resentful toward her, but I was. I also knew the time was coming where I’d have to make a choice: him or her.

“She will,” David answered my earlier statement with a surety I didn’t feel.

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m charming and incredibly persuasive?” he said, turning the words I’d spoken to him that afternoon back around on me.

“You are, but she’s pig-headed and stubborn.”

David lifted an eyebrow. “And you wonder where you get it from.”

I laughed despite myself. Iwaspig-headed and stubborn. Save Drew, all us Witherspoons were. Thankfully, it was something David claimed to love about me. He often praised mydedicationandtenacity.

“Just relax, Victoria. It’ll all work out.”

With great effort, I smiled at David and perused the menu, putting our conversation on the back burner for the time being. “The risotto looks good,” I remarked, my eyes skating over the options. “Or maybe the tagliatelle.” I looked up to find David gazing at me warmly. “What?”

“I was thinking the same thing. Want to get one of each and we can share?”

“Sure,” I answered, this time with a genuine smile as David hailed the waiter and we finally put in our order.

* * *

I snuggledinto the warm crook of David’s arm as we strolled back to his car after our meal. It hadn’t snowed yet, but every night was becoming colder than the last, and it was only a matter of time until winter made itself fully known. For now, we could still walk leisurely through town after dark without freezing to death. “That was nice,” I said, pulling the scent of his cologne into my lungs.

“It was.” he answered, dropping a kiss to the top of my head.

I craned my neck back. “Thank you for making me come.”

“We’ll have to do it more often.”

“We will,” I agreed, much to both of our surprise.

I’d been leery at first, but once I’d accepted the world wasn’t going to come crashing down around us, I’d been able to enjoy myself. I loved hanging out with David at his condo or at my house, but being out in public with him was even better.

Drew had told me he was a good teacher, but seeing the way David interacted with others gave me an appreciation for what he must have looked like standing in front of his classroom. He held himself with such obvious ease, and spoke like a man who knew his place in the world. Not to be confused with arrogance, his confidence was one of the sexiest things about him.

And I couldn’t wait to get home to show him just how sexy I thought he was.

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