Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Andi walked downstairs, silently loving the way Joel’s hand rested on the small of her back. It was a protective gesture, something she’d never experienced before. Andi had never had a lot of time for dating.
Sure, she had gone out with guys in high school and since…sometimes to see a movie, sometimes just for drinks after work.
Dating those guys, however, felt different from dating Joel.
For one thing, he was older than she was, a real man, mature and experienced, while the guys she’d gone out with had been her age, though they’d acted and seemed younger. Less suave, more dude-like.
Andi gasped when they reached the street and she saw the limousine parked out front.
The driver was standing near the back door, and as she glanced around her neighborhood, she saw more than a few curious faces—from windows and on the street—peering in her direction.
Limos weren’t a regular thing on her street, let alone one that was stopped rather than merely driving through after making what had to be a wrong turn.
She thanked the driver as he opened the door, climbing in, taking in the soft leather seats, the bar along one side of the vehicle. Joel followed her in.
“I’ve never been in a limo,” she admitted, suddenly feeling slightly self-conscious about her outfit.
She was wearing black jeans and a white blouse—the best clothes she had.
She hadn’t had time to go shopping for anything else, and even if she had, she couldn’t have afforded anything she might consider “limo worthy.”
Joel was wearing navy-blue pants and a white button-down shirt, so he wasn’t overly dressed up either.
But even in the fairly casual outfit, he looked posh, and she suspected the clothing cost more than she made in a week.
He looked like a man who could walk into any restaurant in the world and blend in just right.
She ran her hands over her jeans, her palms suddenly sweaty.
She had looked forward to this date all day, her daydreams running rampant as she played over his sweet, almost chaste goodbye kiss last night.
She didn’t have a clue how he’d managed to make a gentle kiss so damn hot, but it had triggered an arousal that had her tossing and turning most of the night—despite the fact she was tired as hell.
“Do you think,” she started. “Am I dressed up enough?” she forced herself to ask.
Joel didn’t even bother looking at her outfit, his gaze locked on her face. “You look beautiful, Andi.”
She’d never considered herself the type of woman who needed compliments about her looks or anything else. She figured as long as she liked the woman looking back at her in the mirror, it was good enough.
But hearing those words from Joel warmed her soul and actually made her feel…beautiful.
“Thank you.” She rubbed her hands on her thighs again, the action drawing Joel’s attention.
“Are you nervous?” He plucked one of her hands up, clasping it in his.
“A little. I don’t have a lot of time to date. I couldn’t tell you the last time I’ve gone out with someone.”
“I don’t date much either,” he confessed.
She was surprised by that. “Really?”
“Like you, my work keeps me busy.” Joel lifted her hand and kissed it. “So I’m going to have to make sure this is a date we’ll both remember.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m never going to forget being picked up in a limo,” she said, giggling.
“You deserve to be taken out and spoiled. You work too hard.” He had said the same thing to her countless times yesterday, every time with that same thread of concern in his tone.
“I don’t mind hard work,” she said softly.
Joel didn’t respond to that. Instead, he bent forward, pulling a bottle of champagne out of a chiller, popping the cork with an ease that told her this wasn’t his first rodeo. He poured each of them a glass, then tapped his against hers.
“To first dates,” he said.
She smiled, secretly loving the way he called it a first date like he expected there might be more. The pragmatist in her knew this was it—a one-off—but the dreamer couldn’t help but hope he might want to see her again the next time he traveled to Baltimore.
The ride to the restaurant was a pleasant one as they talked about the unseasonably warm weather in Baltimore and sipped their champagne. By the time they reached the restaurant, Andi’s nervousness was gone because Joel was easy to be with.
Andi was a friendly person by nature, but she’d never felt such an instant connection with anyone before.
While she’d been shocked when he initiated that kiss last night outside her apartment building, it hadn’t felt rushed or wrong.
In fact, it had felt more natural than any other kiss she’d ever gotten in her life.
The driver pulled up to the front entrance and Andi’s concern about her outfit crept back in as she watched two very elegantly dressed couples enter the fancy restaurant.
Stepping out onto the curb, Joel reached in to help her, tucking his arm around her waist to draw her close.
“Stop worrying. You look lovely, Andi. There’s no dress code. Trust me when I say, you’re going to be the most beautiful woman in there.”
“Are you a mind reader?” she joked.
He shook his head. “Not usually, but with you…” He shrugged. “Would it sound strange to say it feels like I’ve known you for years, not just a day?”
“It wouldn’t. Because I feel the same way.”
He kept his arm around her waist as they entered the restaurant, the hostess guiding them to a cozy, private corner booth. While Andi knew of this restaurant—one of the classiest in the city—she’d never stepped foot in it. Taking a peek at the menu drove home exactly why.
“This is…” She stopped herself from remarking on the prices, uncertain if that would be rude. Joel rode around in a limo and he’d selected this place, so obviously he could afford it. Regardless, she wasn’t comfortable spending so much on a meal.
Once again, Joel seemed to read her thoughts. “Don’t look at the prices, Andi. Just the descriptions of the food. Pick what you want based on what sounds good, not what it costs.”
There was no way she could do that. “I’m not super hungry,” she lied.
Joel got that look on his face—the one that seemed dangerous but not threatening—as he took the menu away from her. “Do you eat red meat?”
She nodded.
“Is there anything you don’t like?”
She shook her head. “I’m not picky.”
“Allergies?”
“None,” she replied.
“Good. Then I’m ordering for you.”
The feminist inside wanted to protest his heavy-handedness, but the girl who’d been taking care of herself since birth loved the idea of handing control over to someone else for one night.
It was exhausting constantly making all the decisions for her family.
It fell to Andi to not only pay for the groceries but to go buy them.
She’d become very adept at meal prepping so that Mom and Dylan would always have dinners prepared on nights when she had to work.
The idea of letting Joel decide what she ate tonight felt strangely freeing.
“I’d like that,” she whispered.
Joel’s features softened, and she sensed that she’d given him the correct response.
When the waiter arrived, Joel ordered a bottle of wine for them as well as their meals—which sounded mouth-wateringly delicious.
Once they were alone again, he placed his arm along the back of the booth behind her, turning so that they were sitting close.
“I have a confession to make,” he murmured.
For a split second, the bottom fell out on Andi as she panicked. Confessions were never good.
She should have known this was too good to be true. Things like this didn’t happen to her. God…he was probably married or engaged or facing indictment for something horrible. Her mind went wild imagining all the bad things.
“What is it?” she finally forced herself to ask.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about your performance last night, Andi. You’re wasting your talent in that little pub.”
She breathed a sigh of relief, even as her heart swelled. “That’s nice of you to say.”
Joel picked up a lock of her hair, toying with it in a way that had her nipples budding, her panties going damp.
“I’m not blowing smoke up your ass. I mean it.
Your voice is incredible, and the songs you’ve written deserve to be shared with the world.
Tell me about ‘Bigger Dreams’ because that song has been playing on repeat in my head all day. ”
Andi never ceased to be amazed when someone said they liked a song she’d written, but for some reason, coming from Joel—it felt like an even bigger deal.
Usually, she brushed off the question of where inspiration for that song came from because the story was too personal. Her typical response was something generic like “the words just came to me,” but tonight, she wanted to share the story with Joel.
“The chorus of the song are the last words my dad said to me before he split.”
He frowned, and she could practically hear him replaying the words in her head. “Andi,” he started, his voice gentle.
She cut him off, repeating the lines from the song. “My dreams are bigger than this place. Wake up every morning. Don’t recognize my face. I don’t mean to hurt you, but I gotta go. Gotta go.”
She sang the song at the pub a couple times a week, so the repetition had allowed her to distance herself from the emotions they evoked. Tonight, however, the feelings were crashing around her, the pain causing her chest to tighten.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, giving her a comforting kiss on the cheek.
She considered his response, expecting the pity in his tone to bother her. It didn’t.