grasp at what to talk about. With Carmen, conversation flowed naturally. They always seemed to have a lot to talk about.
He pulled into the parking lot at Serafina.
“I hope you like Italian,” he said after he turned off the engine.
“I love Italian. I’ve never eaten here. I’ve heard this place is fancy and expensive.”
His lips curved. “The food is great. Come on, let’s go.”
He got out and came around to her side, holding out his hand to help her out of the truck. She hesitated, then took his hand and stepped down.
“Thanks.”
They started toward the door, but she stopped, so he did, too.
“You know, I’d have been fine with some taco place near the water,” she said.
“Good to know. I like tacos, too. We’ll do that some other time.” He held out his arm, and she looked at him, then sighed and linked her arm with his.
She might not be fully on board with this yet, but before the night was over, he intended to make sure Carmen had zero hesitations about the fact that the two of them were on a date.
CARMEN WASN’T SURE WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS WHOLE thing with Rafe, but she was hungry. Plus he was gorgeous and he smelled good, so she was going to follow through.
The restaurant was beautiful with its blue light undertones, lending it a warmth that was romantically atmospheric. Rafe gave his name at the front desk, and they were seated right away at a table outside next to the water.
Their server presented them with menus and a wine list.
Rafe looked over the wine list, then handed it to her. “Let me know what looks good to you.”
“You don’t like wine?”
“I like wine. I just thought you might want to choose a bottle for us.”
That was a first. Tod always ordered wine and food for her, as if she didn’t have a mind of her own. One of the many things she’d wholeheartedly disliked.
She perused the list, then looked up at him. “I like both reds and whites. Do you have a preference?”
He shook his head. “I’m good with whatever you decide.” She couldn’t help but sigh with happiness.
When their server returned, she ordered the Bortoluzzi Merlot. “Very good,” their server said.
Rafe smiled.
“Is that okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. I like merlot.”
She leaned back in her chair and opened her menu, then studied Rafe. “I didn’t take you for a wine drinker.”
“Why’s that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Because of my looks? Because of my job? My background? You do realize those things have nothing to do with liking wine.”
She realized she had preconceived notions about Rafe, and that was her mistake. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
“I took a wine trip with a friend a few years back. Decided I liked the taste. Not as much as beer, mind you. But a good wine is worth drinking.”
She laughed. Now that sounded more like Rafe. “Of course.”
She studied the menu as their server returned with the wine, opened the bottle and poured a sample into each of their glasses. Rafe deferred to her—again—so she tasted the wine.
It was smooth, and excellent, so she nodded to the server, who filled both glasses.
“Nice choice,” Rafe said, swirling the liquid around in his glass.
She was mesmerized by his hand on the glass, the expert way he held his fingers on the stem. And, okay, maybe she just liked his hands, and had thought about what it would feel like to have his fingertips exploring her neck, her collarbone, and lower.
She shivered.
“Cold?” he asked.
It was about eighty-five degrees out, and her shivering had been all about her fantasies and had nothing to do with the weather. She shook her head. “No, I’m fine, thanks. So, where was your wine trip?”
“Napa Valley.”
“With a woman, I’m guessing?”
“Yeah. She was in sales and won the trip for hitting her goals. So she asked me to go with her.”
“Nice perk.”
“Sure was. A weekend in Napa, wine tours, great hotel, amazing food. We had fun.”
She swirled her finger over the rim of her wineglass. “And then what happened?”
“We dated for a couple of weeks after that, but she got a job transfer to Boston, so we ended things.”
“Just like that? No sad goodbyes?”
His lips curved. “No sad goodbyes. She had already put in for the promotion, so she knew she might be moving soon and was up front about that from the time we started dating. I let her know I wasn’t interested in anything serious, so we knew from the get-go that we were