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“It made it all the way to the diner and back, so I think we’re in business.” I smiled over at him. “Thanks again for your help.”
“Any time. I made us a reservation at the Bistro. Ryder recommended it. Does that work?”
“Sure, sounds great.” He led me over to Quinn’s truck, his hand resting on the small of my back, and I tried to ignore the fluttering in my stomach at his touch. If I reacted like this to every little thing, I was going to combust by the end of the night.
He opened the door for me, helping me into the truck, then circled around and started the engine. We eased out of the lot, turning left towards the restaurant. I gnawed nervously on the corner of my lip, clasping and unclasping my hands. Liam hummed softly to the song on the radio, apparently comfortable with the silence between us.
“How’s Pops doing?” I asked, cutting my eyes at him.
“He’s feeling a little better. He’s home now, but he has a bunch of cardiology appointments coming up. Gigi is all over his diet, too, so he’s really cranky.”
I laughed, picturing the two of them going head to head over how many vegetables Pops had to eat. “I’ll bet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him order anything other than the burger or the tuna melt at the diner. Oh—and bacon. He really loves bacon.”
Liam chuckled. “Yeah, Pops does love his bacon. Or did. No way is he getting close to anything pork-related right now, at least not on Gigi’s watch.”
“That’s rough. I can’t picture Pops a vegetarian.”
“Me neither,” Liam said, pulling up to the restaurant. He parked the truck, then came around to open my door.
“Thanks,” I said, taking his hand as he helped me down from the cab, sending a tingle racing up my arm.
Once I hit firm ground, I thought for sure we’d move back into our own separate spaces, but instead Liam held onto my hand, lacing his long, strong fingers with mine. A simple gesture, but in that brief moment, things shifted between us. My stomach flip-flopped and my nerves clicked into overdrive. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been on a date, let alone with a man as handsome as Liam.
Liam held the door open, ushering me into the Bistro. The scent of freshly baked bread hit me straight away—a nice departure from the typical greasy burger and stale beer stench I endured every day at work. White twinkly lights looped around the perimeter of the restaurant, giving the room a fairy-like glow, candles flickering on every table.
“Reservation for McCauliffe,” Liam told the girl at the desk. She checked her list, then led us to a table in the back, near the brick fireplace complete with a crackling fire.
Liam helped me with my coat, his fingertips lightly brushing the back of my neck, shooting a full-body shiver straight down my spine. He pulled my chair out for me and I sat down, suddenly lightheaded. I unfolded my napkin, draping it across my lap, as he settled in the seat across from me.
“This is nice, thank you,” I said, smiling over at him.
“It was a toss-up between here andMama Tivoli’s.Ryder said this place was quieter, so I thought it would be better.”
“I’ve actually never eaten here before, if you can believe that.”
“Really?” Liam asked, rearranging his silverware, lining it up neatly perpendicular to his plate.
“Nope, never. Hard to believe, in a town this small, there’s somewhere I haven’t been. Not that I get out much.”
“How come?”
“Besides the obvious work situation, you mean?”
“That I can relate to. I’ve worked eighty-hour weeks before, back when I was developing my app and then again during the selling phase. But bigger picture—how is someone like you still single?” He leaned forward, fixing his eyes on me, and my heart rate pounded into overdrive.
I sat up straighter in my chair, trying hard not to squirm in my seat. “Um, in case you’ve forgotten, Peachtree Grove is pretty small. Most of my friends are married now. A bunch of them already have kids.”
“So you don’t date? Like, at all?” He cocked his head to the side, staring at me, analyzing me, as if I were an exotic butterfly or something.
I shrugged. “Not really.”
“Huh.”
“I guess that means you date widely then?” I took a sip of the iced water the waiter poured, dreading his answer. Because of course a man as gorgeous as Liam would date. A lot.
He laughed. “No, not that much. I know, it’s ironic. The developer of a dating app who doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
“I wouldn’t go spreading that around,” I whispered, teasing. “Could be bad for business.”
