The Ninth Inning (The Boys of Baseball #1) - J. Sterling Page 0,53

guess I just didn’t think you’d want to be so public on our first outing together,” I said, hating how unsure I sounded and that I’d used the word outing.

“Date. It’s our first date. And hell yes, I want to be in public with you. I want everyone to know that you’re here with me. I want to show you off.”

I laughed, feeling a little embarrassed and excited at the same time. “You want to show me off?”

He turned my body, so I was facing him straight on as he looked down at me. “You told me once that I never took you out in public. You felt like I kept you in the dark. And you weren’t wrong about that. All I want to do now is put you in the light, where everyone can see us together.”

I swallowed hard, that ball back in my throat. “Really?”

“Really,” he said as he leaned down to kiss me, tentatively at first, as if he was testing the waters and making sure it was okay.

I deepened the kiss, forgetting that we were surrounded by people, and focused on my legs, which felt like they might give out at any second. I was convinced that Cole’s kisses could cause knees to buckle across the globe.

We slowly pulled away from each other, my eyes still closed but shielded behind my sunglasses.

“Cole, party of two?” was being shouted from somewhere behind us.

“Already?” I said. I looked around at all the people still waiting as I reached for my glasses and dropped them into my purse.

He shrugged. “What can I say? It’s my favorite place. They kinda love me here.”

He reached for my hand, and I let him this time, our fingers locking together as he pulled me through a group of snarling girls who grumbled under their breath. I swore I’d heard one of them call me a name, and it took everything in me to keep walking and not cause a scene. They weren’t worth it.

As we maneuvered through the large space, I couldn’t help but smile at how it was decorated. It felt like we had legitimately stepped back into the 1970s. And even though you could tell the interior was dated, the restaurant still beamed with bright light, the immaculate white flooring giving off a glow as you moved across it. The dark wood paneling was accented with a plethora of puffy-looking orange booths and multicolored barstools. I actually appreciated the fact that they hadn’t reupholstered everything to make it look brand-new. It would have lost some of its charm if they had.

“This place is so cool,” I whispered toward Cole as the hostess pointed at a small two-person table, and we moved to sit in it.

She handed us each a menu before walking away.

“I bet I know why you’ve never heard of this place!” He sounded so excited and sure of himself that I decided to play along.

“Why?” I asked as I bounced in my seat, surprised at how springy and cushy it still was. I figured that after years of use, it might have been worn out, but I was wrong.

“They probably don’t have any social media. How can they expect the queen to find them if their online presence isn’t any good?”

I looked around again, noting how every single seat was filled with happy eaters. “Word of mouth is better than anything online. How have I never even heard of this place before though? How has no one told me?”

He only shrugged. “Obviously, you have bad friends. Time to trade Lauren in.”

“If the food is as good as you say it is, I’ll consider it,” I said as I unfolded my menu, and Cole reached for it, taking it out of my hands.

“We’re ordering brunch. No menu needed,” he said, and I decided not to argue and actually be a good listener instead. “And to be fair, I did tell you about it once before.”

That day where he’d mentioned his mom. “You’re right. But you never told me the name, I don’t think.”

“Probably not,” he said as a waitress appeared, bringing us two waters and asking if we were ready to order. Cole ordered for us both, and I knew I shouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as I did.

She pointed us toward the brunch station, and once again, I found myself shocked at how state of the art and trendy it all was. They had an unlimited mimosa station paired with a freshly squeezed juice bar, featuring ten