by Virna DePaul
I could tell he thought I was cute.
Maybe this Love Potion stuff had been a good idea, after all. I took another fortifying sip.
He set his glass down on the table. “Well, I was in a relationship for several years before I relocated for this job opportunity. Kate’s a great person, but we didn’t see ourselves spending the rest of our lives together. Our break-up was mutual and amicable.”
Clearly, Kate was insane.
He reached for a piece of bread, buttered it, then set it on my plate. “What about you?”
“Nothing so civil.” I picked up the tiny slice of bread and took a breath. “Jeremy and I were never on the same page. It felt like two years trying to put a tuxedo on a pig.”
“Sounds like a lot of work,” he said, seriously.
“It was, but I can thank my hairdresser for taking the load off me. She’d been giving him more than haircuts, behind my back, if you know what I mean.”
He winced. “Sorry to hear that.”
I leaned toward him, bit my bottom lip, and gave a little shrug. “I’m over it.”
“I’m glad.” Forget smoldering. We’d advanced to downright sizzling.
Heat blazed through me. This ranked beyond The Friend Zone. If I could speak, I would’ve asked for the check. Instead, my eyes were locked with his and there was no way I was looking away first.
The waitress set our plates down in front of us, distracting me and breaking the moment.
Noah tugged at his collar, then picked up his fork. “What were we talking about?”
“Relationships.” I beamed, loving that I seemed to affect him as much as he did me.
“That’s right.” He cleared his throat. “You told me earlier, you had enough with trivial conversation. What’s that about?”
I scooped some mashed potatoes with my fork. “Ellen, being an ecstatic newlywed, thrives on fixing me up through Henry. For some reason, whenever the small talk starts I just zone out. Can’t help it.”
He blinked. “Who’s Henry?”
“Ellen’s husband.” I lifted another forkful of potatoes, and they melted in my mouth. Even food tasted better when I was with Noah. “Which reminds me. She’d said I was meeting with Henry’s softball buddy. A Perfect 10.”
He put a hand to his chest. “Are you saying I’m not a 10?”
More like a 25. I moistened my lips, trying to be smooth. “I’m still deciding.”
Just because I was head over heels, didn’t mean I’d play easy.
“Well, then. Let me see if I can gain some points for creativity.” He dabbed the side of his mouth with his linen napkin and set his fork diagonally on his empty plate. “Since you seemed to be dreading the blind date so much, I figured I might have a shot.”
My heart pounded in my chest.
“Since you didn’t know your real date, I figured it wouldn’t make a difference if I had Ellen substitute me in instead.”
Oh, it made a difference in a good way. I savored my last bite of salmon, almost unable to believe Noah’s confession.
“Truth be told, Rachel,” he looked down, almost shy, before he met my eyes again, “I’ve tried my best to flirt with you for over two months now, but wasn’t quite sure if you were interested. You, um, seemed to date quite a bit.”
I put a hand to my forehand. I’d suffered through two months without Noah because I’d been letting Ellen set me up. “How could you think I wouldn’t be interested? You’re…well, you’re hot.”
He smiled softly. “Glad you think so, but you never indicated you thought that.”
My body heated so fast, I had to hold the table to steady myself. “Consider yourself indicated.”
He fixed his eyes on me, then slipped his hand over mine and laced our fingers. “Likewise.”
I swallowed, having trouble getting my feelings across. “You know what I think, Noah?”
He tightened his fingers and shook his head, still gazing at me. “What?”
Deciding to call and cancel the nine o’clock cabbie, I gestured to my empty glass. “I think this Love Potion really works.”
***
Life suddenly felt like a Disney movie. Girl meets boy. Girl likes boy. Boy surprises girl on a not-so-blind date. Boy gives girl ride home and girl finds his golden retriever on the front seat of his car—gotta love a man who’s devoted to his dog! Girl and boy go back to her place to watch sports highlights cuddled up on the couch together.
I glanced at the rug on the floor where my miniature beagle curled against Noah’s Golden Retriever. “Thank goodness Chester and Bubbles seem to be hitting it off.”
Noah slid his arm around me. “How do you think their owners are doing?”
I gazed into those soft blue eyes and decided they were even more amazing close up. “This definitely rates as the best blind date ever.”
He smiled, showing me those adorable crinkles, and then leaned toward me.
I held my breath….
Brrrring! My home phone shrilled.
Oh, no. No! No! No!
“Ignore it,” I whispered, but Noah was already handing me the phone.
I glared at the plastic receiver. Who would call me at ten-thirty at night on V-Day? Didn’t they know I was busy? I pressed the talk button on my cordless. “Hello?”
“Rach, it’s me.”
I didn’t recognize the raspy male with the world’s worst timing. “Me who?”
“It’s me.” Short pause and then, “Jeremy.”
“Jeremy?” No. No way. I glanced at Noah, who seemed to be taking unprecedented interest in the candle arrangement on my coffee table. “Why in the world are you calling me?”
He sniffed. “Debbie broke up with me this morning. Says I’m not over you and she’s right.”
I shuddered. “Did you overdose on heart candy or something?”
“You sound upset.”
“Uh, yeah, I am.” I glanced at Noah who was now studying me. He smiled. I scooted toward him. He moved closer. I—
“—I need you to give me a second chance,” Jeremy pleaded.
I gripped the phone I’d forgotten I was holding. “Nope. Not going to happen.”
“It’s Valentine’s Day, Rach. Can I at least come over so we can talk?”
After our break-up, there was a brief time when I’d hoped Jeremy would come to his senses, beg my forgiveness, and want me back. Scary to think I might’ve settled for someone I didn’t even trust. “I’m sorry you got dumped, Jeremy. But I have to go. Good luck, okay?”
He whimpered. “Does this mean you don’t forgive me?”
“Forgive you?” This time I burst out laughing. “Jeremy, you did me a favor. Bye!”
I threw the phone to the far side of the sofa.
Noah lifted a hand to touch my chin. “Wrong number?”
“Wrong, whacky, disturbing number.”
“I hate it when that happens.” To my disappointment, he removed his hand and picked up the remote control. “You watched the highlights for me so, if you want, I’ll watch Sex and the City for you.”
“Really? You don’t have to.” Sweet, but he truly didn’t have to. I couldn’t care less about Sarah Jessica Parker right now.
“I want to earn as many brownie points as possible.” He slipped his arm around me and snuggled close. “Besides, I plan to distract you from the TV. A lot.”
I moistened my lips. “Do we have to wait until it starts?”
He bent toward me, then brushed his nose against mine. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Rachel.”
His breath felt warm against my cheek.
Oh yum. Double yum. “Next year I expect flowers,” I whispered.
His lips brushed my jawbone. “Anything you say.”
Unable to wait any longer, I cupped his face in my hands, and pressed my mouth to his. Soft, warm, amazing. Our kiss deepened, sending shivers through me. Our mouths melted together and my off-kilter world clicked into place.
You know all those previous heartaches?
How I’d wanted to give up? How hard it had been for me to take a risk?
It was all worth it. I’d suffer through much worse to end up in this exact moment. Here with Noah. My last blind date.
THE END