CHAPTER SEVEN
The floor creaked under her as April paced back and forth, her voice becoming higher and higher as she ranted to Emma and Izzy who watched with wide eyes from her bed.
“This was a stupid idea. What was I thinking? Nothing good can come out of this date. Listen to me! A date with Luke?” The doubts had started as soon as she’d agreed to the date and had slowly become louder and louder over the past day or so, culminating in the current meltdown.
“I don’t have anything to wear! And I’ve never been to this restaurant. What food do they serve?”
Izzy stood and calmly walked over to interrupt the path April was pacing. “You literally just went shopping two days ago. You definitely have something to wear.”
“For basics! And whatever quirky, colorful clothes caught my eye. Nothing appropriate for a first date. What’s the vibe of the place, anyway? Is this a fancy, black-tie kind of thing?”
“OK, now you’re being ridiculous.” Emma stood and began rummaging through the pile of clothes that still sat atop April’s desk. “Wow. You’re right—this does smell amazing. What is—Right, right, focusing,” Emma muttered as Izzy shot her a look. “But really, babe? Black tie in Magnolia Springs?”
Maybe Emma had a point.
“And The Garden Table is great. It opened a few months ago. It’s casual, homey vibes, OK? Stop freaking out.”
“Plus, if the serves know you, they sometimes give you a friends-and-family discount,” said Izzy, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Focus, please, Iz,” said April, trying to calm her racing thoughts as she perched on the edge of her bed. Except, sitting still made it worse. She resumed pacing but with a little less franticness. “What if this is all a joke and he doesn’t show up?”
“Well, if Noah didn’t kick his ass then we would.” Izzy patted April’s shoulder. “Plus, an old-school egging never goes amiss.”
That, at least, made her laugh. Gentle Izzy was probably the most protective of their little trio, like an angry mama bear.
Typically, Izzy avoided violence or any kind of confrontation, but April would never forget the time they’d gone out dancing together at a nightclub one town over and someone had groped Emma in the line to get inside.
Without hesitating, Izzy had turned and throat-punched him so hard that the guy had gagged.
They’d left immediately afterward and the moment had gone down in the best friends’ hall of fame.
“Here,” Emma said, throwing clothes behind her and onto the bed. “Put these on.”
If there was one thing April would never question Emma on, it was fashion. As a model, Emma knew how to dress, but as an influencer she also knew how to style. So April strode over to the hastily deposited clothes and put them on.
The jeans were new, faded denim in a barrel-leg style with a seam running down the front of the leg that looked super cute, but April had mostly bought them because they made her ass look fantastic.
Emma had paired them with a cropped boxy white shirt with flower keyhole cutouts all over, and a black belt with a gold buckle.
None of these were items April would have put together, but it worked.
She looked like she’d stepped out of a late-spring perfume ad.
“Do you have earrings?”
April waved at the desk where her old jewelry box sat. “Just whatever’s in there.”
Emma hummed, poking at various items April couldn’t see before she pulled out a pair of chunky small hoops. “Wear your hair up and put these in.”
Obeying, April pulled her mid-length hair up and into a perky pony, letting a few strands of hair escape to frame her face. It had started to fade already, now a soft pastel teal, and she knew she would have to go to the salon soon to get it sorted.
“Wow.” April blinked at herself in the full-length mirror set to the side of her closet. “Thank you, Em.” Even her hair was working with the outfit. There was only one thing missing that she’d admittedly loved about New York. “I wish I’d got my nails done.”
“You’re a nail girly now?”
“Gels,” she amended, “not acrylics. I can’t do anything if my nails are too long. But wouldn’t a fresh baby-pink set go so cute with this outfit?”
Manicures and pedicures had been her one guilty pleasure in New York.
She’d gone along with Tyler’s sister once when she’d been visiting the city and it had been a game-changer.
The choice of shape, color, pattern—all of it had been hers to control.
It had made her feel like she belonged, like a layer of armor that let her blend into city life.
Plus, it was super relaxing and she always left the salon with a clearer mind than when she’d gone in.
“We could learn to do them ourselves?” Izzy suggested. “I’m not sure there’s anywhere good to get them done in town.”
“Totally a gap in the market,” Emma agreed.
April tugged at her hair before Emma gently slapped the hand away. “I guess. I just liked the ritual of going to get them done. It was like …”
“Self-care.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
There was a thoughtful look on Emma’s face that usually only meant one of two things: trouble or chaos. Often, the two went hand in hand. “Leave it with me,” she said, as if that wouldn’t pique their curiosity. “You need to leave now if you’re going to make it on time.”
April accepted the small bag that Emma handed to her, a purse the perfect shade of green to match her hair that April hadn’t been able to resist when she’d seen it in the boutique. Unlike the hair dye, the bag would last forever.
“It’s just off of Main Street, so we can all leave together.”
“Oh, wait—is it Penny Larkin’s place?” Izzy nodded, and April gave a small smile.
“Right opposite the bar. Familiar territory, then.” She hadn’t been back to the bar since Monday’s visit, and with her swirl of nerves about seeing Luke already feeling disorienting, she wasn’t sure if being so close to the bar would throw her off even more.
But it was too late to change plans now, so she simply forced a smile and said, “I better get going.”
“We’ll walk with you,” Izzy suggested, giving Em an unsubtle look, as if they thought April might chicken out if they didn’t escort her to the restaurant’s doors. Which, honestly, might have been a fair assessment before she’d put on that outfit and done her hair and make-up.
She looked … good. Really good. And more like herself than she’d felt in a long time.
Tyler, eat your heart out, she thought and followed her friends down the stairs.
The Garden Table was busy for a Wednesday night. Maybe it was because it was something new in a town where that was a novelty, or maybe the food really was as good as Izzy had claimed on the walk over. April supposed she’d find out for herself soon enough.
The evening was mild, if a little heavy, but the forecast had promised dry weather so April had risked the walk without a jacket.
It was quiet outside, but inside the restaurant was thriving.
The facade had been painted a gentle sage green around a large window framed with the ornate scrollwork sculptures that lots of the buildings in town had.
Emma and Izzy had left her once they’d hit the town, going off to Emma’s apartment together while April headed in the other direction to meet Luke.
Admittedly, she was still half expecting to walk in and discover she’d been stood up, so it surprised her when she peered through the window and spotted him almost immediately amid the small crowd.
The door opened smoothly, a sweet bell jingling to announce her arrival as she stepped in and took in the warmth of the space.
Dark wooden floors and intimate lighting ran throughout the open room, golden lights dangling from the ceiling giving everything a glow that felt almost magical, like electric candlelight.
Hints of the sage-green color from outside were reflected in the tablecloths and seat cushions, as well as in the fresh greenery that decorated the corners between tables and draped across the ceiling.
The effect was lush, romantic, and cozy.
An interesting choice for Luke to have made.
April made her way over to his table, clearing her throat awkwardly as he watched her for the entirety of the walk to him with an intensity that made her mouth go dry.
He smiled when she got closer and she hesitated, half expecting him to stand and kiss her cheek or something equally date-like, but he remained seated. “Hey.”
“Hi,” she rasped and pulled out her chair to sit quickly. Water was already at the table and she poured herself a glass, drinking it down too fast and nearly choking. At least the dryness in her mouth had abated. “How are you?”
“I’m good. A little surprised you showed.”
It was the same thing she’d been thinking about him, and she laughed. “It was a close call.”
“Well, you won’t regret it. I can vouch for the food at least, if not the company.” He was also dressed more casually than she’d seen before, in dark jeans and a deep-blue pullover that matched his eyes almost exactly.
“You look nice,” she said, avoiding his eyes. It had been a long time since she’d been on a first date, but compliments were customary, right?
“Um, thanks.” Luke hid his face behind the menu, but not before she saw the tinge of pink on his cheeks. “You, ah, look nice too.” For a second, things almost seemed nice. “I think I preferred your other outfit, though. There’s something to be said for booty shorts and cropped tops.”
Of course, he had to ruin it.
“Really?” She rolled her eyes but otherwise kept her expression blank. “Well, I’m glad my runaway-fiancée chic worked for you.”
He muttered something in response that she didn’t hear and, before she could question him, their server walked over to take their orders – chicken arrabiata for April, and a steak for Luke. As the server walked away again, Luke turned his blue eyes back to April.
“So what made you change your mind?”
She shrugged. “Moment of weakness.”