Page 54 of Surprised By Love

I bite my lip.That’s kind of hot.

Josh closes his door, turning on the heat. “Let’s get it warmer in here for you.”

I can tell him I’m warm enough already because of him, but I decide against divulging that bit of information.

“We’ll be in here for a bit. We’re headed out of town.”

“Out of town?”

“Yes.” He checks the rear-view mirror, then looks at me and winks. “You do like pasta, I assume?”

“Yes, I do. In fact, it’s the one thing I can actually cook.” I laugh.

“Well, tonight you don’t have to cook it, but I would love to test out your cooking skills, since I know your baking skills are top-notch.”

I giggle. “I can’t cook many things, but I can handle pasta and soup.”

“OK,” he chuckles. “Good to know.”

Josh takes my left hand and laces his fingers through mine, resting them on my thigh just above my knee. My heart skips a beat. This is insane. I’ve never had this kind of reaction to a man before and I wonder if he has the same reaction towards me? He squeezes my hand, looking over at me, giving me a big smile that shows his perfectly straight teeth and those damn dimples.

I think maybe he does.

There is a comfortable silence between us as we listen to the local country radio station. He sings to a couple of songs and I join in on a few. It feels so right and I’m totally comfortable with him. In fact, it feels like we’ve known each other for more than a couple of weeks.

Ten minutes into the drive, I ask. “So, are you going to tell me where we are going yet?”

“Well, since we’re around the corner, I guess I can.” He looks at me and gives me his most incredible smile. “We’re going to The Pasta Palace.”

My eyes grow wide. “The Pasta Palace? I have heard great things about this place. I’ve never been.”

“Good.” He nods. “I hoped that was the case. I wanted to take you somewhere you have never been before and I thought this was a good choice, since you haven’t been home in years. This place only opened two years ago.”

“This is a great choice.” I squeeze his hand, still on my lap.

We park the car, and Josh jumps out, telling me to stay put. He opens my door, holding a hand out for me to take. He helps me down, closing the door behind us. Holding his hand on my lower back, we walk towards a nice looking restaurant that has spiral topiary on either side of the entrance.

He holds the door open for me and we walk in. The place is warm and cozy, with dark hardwood floors, light beige walls and dim lighting hanging from the ceiling.

Josh grabs my hand as we walk up to the hostess stand and a beautiful blonde greets him. Him. Not us. Her smile is bright and the way she is looking at him is making my skin boil.

It’s so weird. I never felt jealous of women when it came to Derek. I don’t know why… women hit on him all the time. It never bothered me when, by right, it definitely should have. But, the way this woman is talking to Josh, flipping her hair… Oh my God, she just reached out and touched his arm. With me standing right beside him. He wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

“Yes, it sounds great, but, like I was saying, I have a reservation for two under Prescott.”

Lost in my own thoughts, I have no clue what they’re talking about.

“Right this way,” she says, leading us into the restaurant. Her hips swaying with more emphasis than what’s normal, if you ask me. If I had to guess, it’s for Josh’s benefit.

I look around, and the place has a romantic vibe, with small teardrop shaped lights hanging from the ceiling above each table. The restaurant is not so formal you’d have to dress up to dine here. Which is a good thing, since Josh and I are both wearing jeans.

There are some booths with brown leather seats along the wall, tables of four and six spread throughout the interior.

She leads us to a booth and Josh holds his hand out for me. I slip out of my jacket and he hangs it on the coat pegs attached to the wooden divider between the booths. He hangs his jacket up, taking a step back so I can slide in.

He slides onto the bench opposite of me. The hostess leans in towards him, flaunting her cleavage as she passes him a menu. She stands, placing one in front of me. “Your server tonight will be Ramona, and she will be with you shortly.” She smiles at Josh and heads back to her station.

He grimaces and shifts in his seat at the server’s name, and I wonder if he knows her.

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