Page 9 of Romance Reset
“It’s perfect. Especially with those stilts you call legs. Let’s see you. Hurry up.”
Amelia donned the sleeveless blouse, but before she could do much more, Izzy’s fingers unbuttoned one of the buttons over Amelia’s chest.
“Don’t you dare button that back up. Oh, this is good. Much better. Now, jewelry. And perfume. Leave your hair a bit mussed. It’s sexy.”
Sexy? Amelia waited and let Izzy do her thing. Her friend moved to the dresser to look over the various items on display for easy access and chose a bracelet and dangly earrings. Finally, after a spritz of perfume on her pulse points, Izzy deemed Amelia ready.
“Remember. Now that Marsali has your feedback on the first date to go along with what you told her during your client interview, the odds are even higher that this will be the guy. Just enjoy yourself.”
Maybe. Only time would tell.
While Izzy went back to the closet for something for her to wear to the restaurant, Amelia reclaimed her perch on the edge of the bed and waited. During her dinner with Izzy and Marsali, the matchmaker had bombarded Amelia with questions about her likes and dislikes, temperament preferences, pet peeves. No stone was left unturned, and Marsali did the same interviews with the men. Maybe this one would be better now that the first one was out of the way? But Marsali had no way of judging chemistry, so theoretically it could be another dud.
No. We’re thinking positive. No duds!
“Okay, I’m ready. Oh! We forgot shoes for you. Where are those new shoes of yours that I love so much? The wedges with the ankle straps?”
Amelia moved to the closet once more and found the shoes Izzy coveted. One of the perks of being on set so much behind the scenes was making friends with the costume designers and getting various castoffs at the end of filming.
Amelia donned the shoes, then took a deep breath before she stood and towered even higher over her shorter friend. “How do I look?”
“Dang, girlfriend. I’d totally date you. Now… what are we going to do?”
Amelia blinked. “Go to dinner?”
“Find a man!” Izzy said in her best cheer voice. “Let’s do this.”
Izzy had chosen a turquoise tunic Amelia typically wore with leggings, but given their height difference, Izzy was able to wear it as a dress. Paired with her blinged-out flip-flops, it looked cute and summery.
Traffic was thick due to the weekend and beautiful weather, and forty minutes later, Amelia dropped her friend off outside the restaurant to get herself situated at the bar before parking her secondhand Mercedes SUV in the lot. She took a final look in her mirror and touched up the lipstick she’d worried off during the drive.
Her heart pounded in her chest, and even though she’d done this once already, her anxiety skyrocketed. Meeting someone naturally at the grocery store or a park was one thing, but when she was so aware of it being a setup, she couldn’t help but think it added another layer of stress.
Amelia got out of the vehicle and clutched her wrap and purse as she headed toward the restaurant, aware of several male heads turning as she made her way to the entrance. At least her appearance was on point tonight and the admiring looks boosted her flagging confidence.
Like the first time, she paused at the hostess stand and gave Marsali’s name. Marsali valued the privacy of her clients, and unless Amelia chose to give the man her full name and contact info, everything went through Marsali, including the dinner reservation.
“This way,” a handsome young host said. “Follow me.”
The young man’s height and broad shoulders blocked her view as he led the way into the dining area, and Amelia’s nervousness cranked higher, forcing her to take a steadying glance out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the beautiful view of the Atlantic beyond. The host stopped and Amelia stumbled a bit at the abrupt halt. She hoped her date didn’t notice her clumsiness and think she’d arrived drunk.
She smiled at the host, who held her chair, before forcing herself to face her date for the evening. Amelia gasped sharply and practically fell into the chair when her legs gave out.
This couldn’t be— Really?
Amelia stared into the black-brown eyes of Lincoln Hayes, all the while struggling to take a breath. Her body floated, transported back in time to the sweetness of first love and the heat they’d shared.
“Your server will be right with you. Enjoy your evening,” the host said as he walked away.
Lincoln’s eyes warmed, and the little lines at the corners crinkled as he smiled that gorgeous, make-her-knees-weak smile of his. Oh, he’d easily convinced her to do many things with that smile. Drag race in the dark of night on a deserted road, climb to the top of a water tower for a make-out session, fall completely and totally in love with him. So many things….
Except one.
“Amelia. It’s been a long time.”
Chapter 4
Lincoln slowly lowered himself into his seat at the table and pondered the odds of his first professional match being his high school girlfriend of two and a half years.
