Page 76 of Second Chance for the Single Mom

“I’m glad you picked this place,” I said after finishing my burger. “What made you think of it?”

Lucas looked up at me from his salad. “You really don’t remember?”

“Remember what?”

He leaned back in the booth, resting his arm across the seat. “This is where we went on our first date.”

“What? No it isn’t. Our first date was to the movies.”

Lucas shook his head. “That was our first date after we became Facebook official. We had already made out between classes by that point. Our firstactualdate was when we came here after a football game. Do you remember?”

I concentrated on the distant memory. “We were with a group of friends at the football game. Someone had a flask, but it was full of wine. Was it that night?”

Lucas nodded.

“I remember someone suggested we come here for food,” I said slowly, piecing it together on the spot. “They said their friend was the manager and would serve us beer. We all drove separate, and you and I were the first ones here.”

“Theonlyones here,” he added.

“That’s right! Everyone else bailed and went to Sonic instead, but they forgot to text us. So you and I were stuck here together.”

“We sat in that booth.” Lucas pointed behind me. “We spent over an hour trying to work up the courage to order an alcoholic drink. Eventually we chickened out and got burgers and Cokes.”

“The waitress was so annoyed! I forgot all about that.”

“And you accidentally left your purse in your friend’s car, so I had to pay for your meal,” Lucas concluded. “Thatwas our first date, even if it was by accident.”

My smile faded. “You brought me to the place of our first date?”

He shrugged. “It felt appropriate. Except this time, we weren’t afraid to order beer.”

My chest swelled with emotion. I’d been sitting here, enjoying my evening, without realizing Lucas had arranged a nostalgic date.

The waiter walked by, and Lucas flagged him down. “Can I get an order of fries?” He turned to me. “I’m sorry. I can’t fake it any longer. This salad is fine, but the smell of your food iskillingme. You win.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Lucas pointed across the table at me. “No, but I canfeelyou thinking it.”

“Do you want to upgrade them to chili-cheese fries?” the waiter asked.

I raised an eyebrow at Lucas.

“Buddy,” Lucas told the waiter, “I want that more than anything in the world.”

“We’ll take those fries to go, along with the check,” I told the waiter before he left.

Lucas frowned at me. “In a hurry to get home to tuck Bran into bed?”

“No,” I replied with a lusty smile. “In a hurry to get back to your place.”

38

Haley

It was drizzling outside as we drove back to Lucas’s apartment, but the sky opened up and dumped on us as soon as we were parked outside. We shouted and sprinted through the rain, giggling and reminiscing about our first date seven years ago. Neither of us were drunk, or even buzzed, but we were riding the high of our renewed emotions.

This felt sogood.

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