Amanda smiled at me as she rose, her expression warm. “See you on the other side.”
“See you soon,” I said, taking her in for the first time.
She looked beautiful. Relaxed. Confident.
Exactly the kind of woman I’d always gravitated toward.
And yet, for some reason, as the two women walked away, my eyes followed Nora’s retreating form instead.
16
NORA
“Thank you,”I said to Miles as he held the door at The Serpent and Apple open for me to step through on Sunday evening.
“Happy to be at your service, milady,” he said, dipping into an exaggerated bow as I stepped past him into the entryway of the upscale restaurant.
“Such a gentleman.”
He straightened, amusement flickering across his face. “Just trying to make up for making you eat that hot pepper the other night.”
“You say that as though you didn’t enjoy watching me suffer.” I glared playfully at him.
“I plead the fifth.” He grinned, lifting his hands in mock surrender. “Although, I suppose I can’t feel too bad about how that competition turned out, considering it led to us meeting up for this amazing dinner.”
“I suppose it did work out pretty well in the end,” I said, glancing up at him.
“It did.” He leaned in, his voice dropping as his hand restedat the small of my back, the faint scent of his cologne wrapping around me. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling heat creep up my cheeks. Then, after taking in more of his appearance, I added, “You clean up pretty well yourself.”
And he really did.
Miles’s dark hair was neatly styled, and the fitted navy suit he wore did absolutely nothing to hide his broad shoulders and athletic frame.
The man could pull off a football uniform without trying. But this? This was a different kind of sexy.
We stepped through the second set of doors, and that was when I spotted Theo and Amanda near the hostess stand.
Theo was dressed in a charcoal suit, looking polished and charming as usual. Amanda stood beside him, her arm looped through his, wearing an off-the-shoulder red dress that looked incredible on her.
And just taking her in made me silently thankful that I’d gone with one of my dressier options tonight—a silky emerald-green dress that hit just above the knee.
I didn’t own many pieces meant for fancy nights out since most of my life rotated between jeans, T-shirts, and workout clothes, but tonight I’d made an extra effort. Lucy had helped me pull my hair into a sleek updo, and I’d gone a little bolder than usual with my makeup. Even adding false lashes for a touch more drama.
It wasn’t every day you went on a date with a famous quarterback.
“The hostess just went to check on our table,” Amanda said, turning toward us.
“Perfect,” I said.
“So, how’s everyone feeling after the massages this afternoon?” Miles asked, seemingly oblivious to the way a fewnearby diners had started sneaking looks in our direction—heads tilted, whispers traded. “Pretty great, right?”
“It really was,” I agreed, doing my best to look unfazed for the benefit of anyone clocking the woman who’d just walked in with the town’s favorite quarterback. “My neck and shoulders haven’t felt this loose in way too long.”
“Seriously,” Amanda chimed in. “Every time I get a massage like that, I swear I’m going to start going at least once a month. But then I never actually do.”
“I always have the same intentions,” Theo said with a nod. “But it turns out I’m not great at planning things like that when I also have to line up childcare.”