Page 130 of Lucky In Love

Margot

“Okay if we go to The Lilac Café?” Liam asked in a text the next day.

I knew weekends would be hard for him with the bar, though he said he was finally in a place where he could hire a new manager. “Nice! I’ve been meaning to go there!”

Happy emoji? Do these guys like emojis? We’d been texting and had a video call last night, but I still felt like I didn’t really know them.

Mandy was thrilled that we had a date. “This isn’t Hopeton,” I told her. “How will people even react at a restaurant?”

“The woman who poured beer on her ex’s head cares about people in a restaurant?” She’d asked over text.

Fair point.

And to be honest, it wasn’t the idea of two men that was holding me back. It was the fear of a relationship. I thought I was going to marry someone who was already married. How could I not have known?

Chad’s wife reached out to me on Instagram to see if I could join her in a lawsuit. I didn’t know. It felt like going backwards, though I certainly sympathized with her.

I had my first Zoom call with the promotion leadership for a team out of Kentucky today. While I didn’t start full-time for the league yet, they’d sent me a check to work with this specific team now, as they were posting some borderline inappropriate posts about their competition. The thing is it was working for them. Attendance was increasing, as were their followers.

There had to be a way for them to channel that energy into more appropriate posts, ones that didn’t make fun of other team players with video clips.

Then I had a call with the theater association for the Midwest. They were happy with my work, and wanted to move into TikTok.

“Let’s go!” I said to myself in the mirror. Today felt like a lot, including the date, but it also felt like the start of a new life for me.

I had to smile when both men tried to hold the doors open for me and pull out my chair at the restaurant.

“Thank you guys,” I said when they both pulled out my chair. “I’m not used to even one guy doing this, let alone two.”

“You've been dating the wrong men,” Liam said.

“Clearly.” I agreed. My stomach was aflutter with nervousness, but they kept me laughing the entire evening. It went so quickly.

This date was so easy, I thought later, as we walked along the nearby park. I couldn’t help but think about what would come next. Would they expect me to invite them up? Did dating two men at once mean they’d expect twice as much sex?

Earlier in the day, I’d tried to ask Mandy.

“Don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with,” she said, speaking low from her office at the stadium. “Just like dating one guy at a time. You’ll know what’s right for you.”

The thought of sleeping with one of these two hot guys, let alone both, made me both excited and nervous at the same time.

“Room for dessert?” Donovan asked as we walked out of the restaurant. He was holding my hand but pointed to a nearby ice cream place with his other hand. I nearly groaned, as I was so full from the delicious salad and rolls I’d just had, but at the same time, I wanted to try that place.

Also, I didn't want the evening to end.

“I just don't want the evening to end,” Liam said. “We definitely don't expect you to bring us up to your place, in case you were worried about that. Sharing a woman is new for us. I hope you'll give us time and space to get used to sharing. We both want to get to know you.”

I was so relieved at what he said, though I think Liam said that more for my benefit than for himself and Donovan.

At the ice cream store, despite the dizzying array of flavors, I got my usual mint chocolate chip.

“Where’s the hot fudge or whipped cream?” Donovan asked. When I smiled, he told the young man working there to add those to my ice cream.

Clearly, I was going to need to invest in some elastic waist clothes if I was going to keep dating these two.

Tonight's kisses at the door went on for a little longer than our first kisses. It felt fantastic when one of them was behind me, so I was between them.

When Liam was behind me, his arms around my waist, and I was kissing Donovan, I could easily see this working well if we were naked, too.

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