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My eyes shot up. He somehow chose the other three dishes that I’d wanted.
“I don’t mind sharing if you’d like to try any of mine,” he said, his eyes dancing.
I normally hated sharing food, but I couldn’t resist the offer to try some of his dishes. “Sure. I wouldn’t mind.”
With his elbows on the table, Luke hid his smile behind his clasped hands. Did he really know me that well or did we have similar tastes? I was afraid either answer would confuse me. Could this be a thing—me and Luke?
Don’t overanalyze this, Grace. It’s just one date. Slow down.
“So, I have to admit. This isn’t the sort of place I would have pictured you taking me,” I said.
“Really? What did you picture?”
I laughed. “Well, it was a toss-up between a sports bar or some fancy French restaurant. Something that serves only tiny portions. Not because I think you eat tiny portions, but because you’d want to show off.”
“If you haven’t noticed, Grace. I’m not that different from the high school guy you knew.”
I shook my head. “No, Luke. You’re wrong. You’re very different from the boy I knew.” Or perhaps I was wrong about him.
Our dishes came out soon after and we shared all six dishes. Luke would moan and insist I try something and I didn’t hesitate to dig in. I never enjoyed sharing a meal so much in my whole life.
“This place is amazing. Why isn’t it packed?”
Luke folded his arms and looked around the room. “I think this place could be something. I have some ideas to market and publicize—”
“So, why don’t you buy it from the owner?”
“Because this place is his life. And I don’t see myself running a restaurant.”
I bit into the crispy calamari. “What do you see yourself doing?”
He shrugged. “I wish I knew. I have all these ideas for different places but can’t settle on just one.”
“Sometimes I wish I still had choices. To just wake up and start over again.”
His eyes searched mine. “What would you do if you could do it all over again?”
Thoughts raced through my mind, but I couldn’t settle on any. “I don’t know. But I wouldn’t take everything so seriously again.”
“Well, why don’t we start tonight?”
Narrowing my eyes, I asked, “What do you mean?”
He pulled back his chair and offered me his hand. “I’ve got an idea.”
A rush of adrenaline surged through me as I stood from the table. I didn’t know where we were going, but I was excited to find out.
16
Grace
As Luke opened the front door and I stepped out, a bright flash startled me. Then another, followed by five or six more. Luke grabbed my hand and rushed me to his car as footsteps trailed behind us.
“Luke! Is this your new girlfriend?” someone shouted.
Then everyone else chimed in: What’s her name? Where’s she from? Are you two getting married?
Luke opened my door and I dove into the passenger seat. I was still staring at the bodies standing in front, snapping pictures, as Luke started the car.
