Page 77 of Freshmeet
Warmth spread through my chest, and I looked away, smiling. She knew exactly what to say to make a guy feel good.
We crossed the street to the square, and Kat drove by honking like a mad woman. “Where’s she going?” I laughed, waving at the back of her van.
“Work.” Sarah smiled sweetly, glancing into the window of the Welkum as we passed. “Ope. Meg’s there.”
I kept my eyes on our destination across the square, humming to let her know I’d heard her. Outside of necessary conversations behind the bar, I’d avoided Meg. Luckily, she hadn’t seemed too interested in maintaining our friendship. “Has she given you any more trouble?”
“Nah. To be fair, I haven’t really seen her around.”
When we got to the restaurant, I held the door open and followed her inside, where we were immediately led to a table. Pulling her chair out, I waited until she was situated and pushed her in before taking the seat across from her.
Sarah bit her lip and batted her eyelashes. “Opening doors, and pulling out chairs? Mama McCormick raised a gentleman.” I didn’t miss the hint of humor in her voice, but I was who I was.
“McCormicks take manners seriously.” She raised an eyebrow, and I laughed. “Okay, maybe not Jamie.”
Her perfect, full lips spread into a beautiful smile as she looked down at her menu. The pressure to find something to say, to draw her attention back to me, was overwhelming. It was an anxiety I’d never felt before, and honestly, I wasn’t sure what it meant.
I stared at my menu without reading it, knowing I would panic-order at the last minute. What I really needed was a glass of water and to calm the fuck down.
“Welcome to Lotus Sushi. Can I start you with any drinks?”
Standing at our table was none other than Kat.
“You work here?” I asked, nerves now at one hundred.
“Yup.” She tapped her notepad. “What would you like to drink?”
The arrival of one of Sarah’s sorority sisters, especially the pink-haired hellion, added a level of weirdness to this date that I was not prepared for. “Can I get a water, and—” I looked at Sarah. “You want to get sake?”
“Sounds good.” She glanced at Kat and pursed her lips.
“Do you want it warmed or chilled?”
“Warmed?”
“You got it. I’ll be right back.”
Blowing out a breath, Sarah shook her head. The tension between us simmered like always, only this time we were on a legitimate date. For some reason, that meant we were acting like we hadn’t slept in the same bed the night before.
“Here are your waters and sake. You ready to order?”
Panic time. “Why don’t you go first?”
Sarah rattled off a few rolls, and I picked a few at random. Once Kat was gone, we stared at each other. Slowly, her smile grew, and she started laughing. “Why is this so awkward?” She took a sip of water, her eyes staying on me, waiting for an answer.
“I don’t know. It’s not like we’re strangers. I’ve heard you snore.”
“I don’t snore.” She tilted her head with the straw between her lips, her blue eyes sparkling with that emotion I’d caught earlier. Placing her glass down, she said, “Okay, how about this—this is my first real date in two years.”
“You’re lying.”
Sarah shook her head, placing the black fabric napkin across her lap. “Nope. I mean, technically, I’ve had dates to formals andstuff, but that’s going to a party with a bunch of people. I don’t consider that a date.”
“Then, I think I have you beat. By your standards, I haven’t been on a date in almost five years.”
She leaned in, her hand knocking into her water, but she quickly righted it. “Five years?”
I debated for a minute whether I wanted to dive into the exes talk, but hey, we hadn’t done anything the normal way, so why start now? “The last date I went on was with my ex, and she ended up breaking up with me for a guy she’d met at school. I’d just taken a bite of dessert, and she dumped me. Nearly ruined chocolate cake.”
