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him.
    â€œYou did? Your sister again?”
    â€œHardly. I’d rather keep her out of my business. A friend of mine. Who has a wife. I made sure she confirmed his advice for what to wear.”
    She laughed lightly. “They sound like nice friends.”
    â€œThey are,” he agreed. “The best.” He and Austin had been in some good scrapes together. Brett had three sisters. Austin was the closest thing he had to a brother.
    The waitress returned with his whiskey and menus, and for a few minutes, they pondered what to order.
    â€œWhat’s good?” he asked. “I’m guessing you’ve been here before?”
    She nodded. “Only a few times. My favorite is the gnocchi, but you might want something more…meaty. I’ve had the thyme chicken. It’s lovely.”
    He went with the chicken, because he had the sudden idea that eating anything with linguini or any type of long pasta could get messy. After they ordered, bread came, followed by a house salad. By the time the entrees were delivered, his whiskey was gone, Melly had accepted the second glass of wine and they were chatting easily about work.
    It was easy. Almost too easy, Brett realized. In between bites, Melly told funny stories about her high school students and the pros and cons of teaching that particular age group, which led to sharing a few tales of their own teenage years. They ordered coffee and Melly suggested dessert to share, and they agreed upon the dark chocolate roulade. Her eyes had lit up when she saw the dessert menu, and the decadent choice didn’t disappoint. Watching her put the spoon in her mouth and close her eyes with appreciation made his brain shift forward to the next part of the date…if there was, indeed, a next part.
    He wanted there to be.
    Brett put down his spoon, no longer hungry, and fixed his gaze on her face. There was something about her that drew him in. Maybe it was the way she smiled, or the softness in her eyes that put him at ease. And he was certain that she had no idea of the innate sexiness she possessed. There was a grace to the way she moved, a certain something that caught a man’s eye and kept it.
    â€œI’m so full,” she announced, licking the last of the chocolate off the spoon. “I made a complete pig of myself and I can’t find it in me to be sorry.”
    Several comments rushed through Brett’s mind—about licking the spoon, about needing her energy for later—but he didn’t say them. Instead, he reached across the table and took her hand in his, twining their fingers together.
    She looked surprised, and then a little bit pleased as she held his gaze.
    â€œWhat would you like to do now?” he asked, rubbing his thumb over the top of her hand.
    â€œOh. Well…” She hesitated and then smiled. “What would you like to do, Brett?”
    He measured his words. He was quite good at self-editing when he put his mind to it. “For starters, I’d like to kiss you again.”
    Something flickered in her dark eyes. Desire? Awareness? Whatever it was, he liked it.
    â€œBrett,” she said, her voice low.
    â€œYou asked,” he reminded her, smiling a little. “But whatever comes next is up to you. If you want me to take you home and call it a night, that’s okay. It’s been great spending the evening with you.” In his head, he knew there was a benefit to taking things slowly. It didn’t mean he necessarily wanted to.
    â€œA drive home would be fine,” she answered, and he tried to quell the disappointment he felt at the simple words. Maybe Manda had been right. Maybe he had been licking his wounds for too long. It was possible it was past time he got back into the dating world again.
    Melly gripped her clutch purse tightly as they made their way out of the restaurant into the spring evening. Brett took her hand as they walked to the parking garage, and she thought about his