Chapter 12
Eva
“Wow, you look fantastic. Did you pick it out yourself?” I asked as Sam walked toward me, standing outside the restaurant.
Sam looked down at his outfit and smiled. “You caught me. I called my sister, and she helped.”
“Well, she knows what she’s talking about. Remember this look because I want you to look like this for all your future dates. Got it?”
“Sure.”
Sam looked around and then looked back at his outfit and at everyone sitting inside. “Well, I think I’m overdressed.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s better to be overdressed than under,” I said to him. “Have you been here before?”
“Nope. I don’t eat out that often. Besides, it’s kind of sad to go to a restaurant by yourself.”
“You got me there,” I agreed. “Well, let’s sit over here. It’s kind of away from everyone, so we can talk in private.”
I led the way to a corner booth, which was in a more intimate spot. It gave us a chance to discuss how the transition into the dating portion would work.
“So, your sister. Tell me more about her,” I asked, wanting to get into the getting-to-know-you questions that happen on all first dates.
It was strange because I’d known Sam for a while, yet I didn’t recognize him. Only the surface level. What was I doing? This was a business dinner. And I needed to remember it.
Besides, I had my own problems. If I didn’t find my true love in the next week, my family would become ordinary people. I didn’t even know what would happen after that. We have been gods for ages, and if I messed this up, the past wouldn’t even matter.
We ordered some pizza. I took a breadstick and dipped it in the marinara sauce. A long string of cheese surprised me when I bit down. I felt a small amount of sauce touch my chin and wiped it with my napkin.
“Well, well, I’m not surprised. Another matchmaker here out on another date,” a voice said, closing in on the table.
Putting my napkin on my lap, I looked up to see none other than Dion. I swear, he always had something to say to me.
“Dion,” I said. “We’re in the middle of something. And it seems like you’re preoccupied yourself.” I glanced at the girl standing next to him.
“You’re right. All I need to say is tick tock, tick tock.”
Dion and his date left, leaving me with my mouth open. How in the world did he know? Or did everyone know, and I had been the last to find out?
“Who was that?” Sam asked, setting down his slice of supreme pizza.
“My cousin. He owns the winery where we had the mixer the first time we met. He’s a perfect piece of work.”
“I could see that,” Sam said and nodded. “Is he always like that?”
“Rude? Yep, we’ve always been like this to each other growing up. He’s always wanted to join the family business, but my grandma won’t let him be a part of it.” I tried not to say the reason would be less about finding his life partner and more about finding the perfect hookup.
“What does he mean by ‘tick tock,’ and why isn’t he surprised you’re out on another date?”
I let out a long breath. “It’s—” I paused, not knowing what to say without giving away who I was. “The business takeover is pressuring me, and my dating history means he wasn’t surprised to see me with another man.”
“Oh, I see,” Sam said, staring off toward the front door.
“Yeah, it’s just how he always has been. Let’s just say, not my favorite cousin.”
This made both of us laugh. Trying to forget Dion, Sam and I talked about everything and nothing all at the same time.
The night and the date were coming to a close. “Well, I guess this is it. I live pretty close, so I walked here. I’ll see you later.”
“Let me walk you home. It’s late. And I can’t let a beautiful woman walk home alone now, can I?” Sam said, holding out his arm for me to take.
I smiled and shook my head, putting my arm through his. We strolled down the street. It was picturesque. The moonlight was shining, the streetlights flickering. We laughed, and I even swayed into him, bumping against his side. Sam did the same. The night was turning out perfect, and that was what scared me the most.
As I slowed, approaching my front porch, I turned to Sam and said, “Well, I had a great time, and I think you’re ready to go out on dates with women. You’re a natural.”
Sam looked at the ground, then met my eyes. The intensity of his stare was frightening. It was like he was trying to look into my soul to know what my feelings were. He took a step closer.
In a hypnotic trance, I mirrored his movement. A slight breeze gave me a chill, so I stepped a little closer. My head came to his angular chin. Sam reached for my hips and brought me closer. Our chests touched. I felt the heat radiating off his body. My heart was beating so fast, I could hear it in my ears. Was he going to kiss me? I wanted him to. There was a small twitch on the dimple on his face, and he went for it.
His lips were so soft. I parted my mouth to let him explore. There was a slight flicker of his tongue, not too demanding and not too achy. I’d never have guessed his inexperience, had he not told me. It was perfect.
“It wasn’t like an ordinary kiss. It was earth shattering,” I told Bianca over the phone after saying good night to Sam.
“No way,” Bianca said, as I explained the details of my fake date with Sam. She loved to hear the juicy details of my dates. And even though this one hadn’t been real, it sure felt like it. She wanted to know all the good details.
“Was there tongue?” she asked with a serious tone.
“Yeah. And it was top-notch.”
“Sam and Eva sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
“Really? What are you, like five?” I retorted.
“Hey now. It’s what I could get,” Bianca said.
“And you need to keep this on the down-low, because if Dad or Grandma find out, I’m toast. There’s this unspoken rule that I’m not supposed to kiss a client.”
“But it’s your company now.”
“Still, I have a certain standard to uphold.”
“Okay, okay. I won’t say anything. But if it slips out some other way, you can’t come running to me. Deal?” I shook my head and took a sip of my warm chamomile tea, closing my eyes, taking me back to that moment outside my house when we’d shared our first kiss.