We follow her through the packed restaurant, and I notice that every single table is taken up with people either enjoying their food or chatting with smiles on their faces as they wait for their meals to arrive. I feel Gareth close on my heels as we walk through a doorway behind Leah and up a set of stairs. When I crest the top of the stairs and see the view before me, my breath catches. Through the glass-enclosed space, there is nothing to see at this vantage point but twinkling stars and city lights. And with only four tables within the space and only one of them taken up with an older couple, it feels private.

“This is beautiful,” I murmur as Lina stops at a table near the edge of the building, and Gareth pulls out my chair for me to sit.

“Mack just finished this two days ago. You two and that couple over there, who are his parents, are the first to eat up here.” She looks at Gareth. “You must be good friends with Mack.”

“You could say that,” he responds casually, and she eyes him for a moment then looks between the two of us.

“Your waiter Simon will be with you shortly to go over the menu with you, but I have to tell you my favorite thing here to eat is the ginger, garlic, and honey baby back ribs, the house mac and cheese, with a side of greens.”

My mouth waters. “That sounds good,” I say, because everything she mentions does. Still, I know I will never, not ever, order ribs to eat on a first date.

“Trust me, everything on the menu is delicious,” she replies, looking pleased, before she bows slightly. “I hope you two have a great dinner.”

“Thanks,” I tell her, and she smiles at me. I watch her walk away then look at Gareth, who touches his fingers to mine on top of the table.

“You getting the ribs?” he asks with a small twitch of his lips.

I shake my head then answer, “No. I mean, they sound good, but I don’t trust myself to eat them without making a mess of myself.”

“You want them though, don’t you?”

“Was I drooling when she was talking about them?” I ask.

“A little.” He laughs. “I’ll order them and you can have one of mine.”

“Just one?” I frown.

“Don’t be greedy.”

“Just one of anything is never enough,” I inform him straight-faced.

He laughs again and I enjoy the deep sound. “Okay, two, but only if you promise to share whatever you order.”

“I think you should know now that I’m greedy when it comes to my food.” I pick up my napkin and place it over my lap.

“Does that mean you won’t share with me?”

“I grew up with sisters who had no problem taking the last piece of pizza or the last scoop of ice cream. I learned early on to get as much food as possible before it was all gone. If you give me three of your ribs and a scoop of your mac and cheese, I’ll give you the scraps off my plate, but I can’t promise there will be much left.”

He shakes his head. “I think I need to see what you order before I take that offer,” he responds, as a thin older man with no hair on his head approaches our table.

“Good evening. My name is Simon, and I will be your server this evening.” The older gentleman inclines his head before he quickly rattles off the wine list and tells us about the house specials for the evening. I order a glass of wine, and Gareth orders a beer. We both agree on an order of fried green tomatoes as an appetizer, which means my stomach is growling in anticipation when Simon walks away.

“Do you know what you’re going to order?” Gareth asks.

I don’t even look at the menu. “The house special of fried hot honeyed chicken, mashed potatoes, and bacon green beans.”

“Have you had hot chicken before?” he asks, looking concerned.

“Have you ever been to Hattie B’s?” I answer his question with a question. Hattie B’s is famous for their hot chicken, and it’s one of my favorite chicken spots in Nashville.

“I know it.”

“I go there once a month. I would go more often, but I’m not normally in the mood to stand in line to eat.”

“Seriously?” He looks surprised.

“Seriously.” I nod, and he shakes his head in disbelief. “I would eat there every night if I could. I love it.”

“I went once and never went back.”

“Some people can handle the heat, and others can’t.” I smirk. “One thing I also learned growing up—the spicier the food, the better my chance of getting more of it for myself.”

“You probably have a point, because if the chicken you get tonight is even close to the heat of Hattie’s, I’ll keep my hands on my own plate.”

“That’s fine, but just remember you already promised me a rib.”

“I won’t forget,” he says as Simon comes back to drop off our drinks and take our orders.

When he leaves once more, I lean back in my seat and take a sip of wine as Gareth takes a pull from his beer. “Where are your boys tonight?” I ask, not wanting to pretend like they don’t exist when they most definitely do.

“With my mom. She’s taking the two of them to the movies and filling them up with junk food.”

“What are they seeing?” I ask, setting my glass back on the table but keeping my fingers wrapped around the stem.

“The new Marvel one that just came out.”

“I want to see that,” I say, and he tips his head to the side. “What?” I ask when I see the look of disbelief in his eyes.

“You like action movies?”

“My list for movies goes: comedy, action, mystery.”

“What about romance?”

“It depends. Only if it’s a romantic comedy. If it is, it’s up there with my love of comedies, but if it’s just a romance, it’s normally a hard pass.”

“That’s surprising.”

“Why?”

“You read romance.”

“I do, but reading a romance book and watching a romance play out on screen are completely different. When you read about a couple, it’s like you are there with them, falling in love at the same time they are. You feel, smell, and see what they do. It’s difficult to portray that into actions and looks in a movie, which makes things awkward for me when I watch a romance unfold on screen.”

“So your favorite movies are comedies?”

“Yes, and I’m that person who is laughing the loudest in the theater, annoying everyone sitting around me.”

He smiles. “What are your favorite types of books to read?”

“It would be a tossup between fantasy and rom-coms. I love disappearing into a new world and experiencing things that don’t exist. I also love romantic comedies, where funny things happen to bring a couple closer together.” I ask, “What are your favorite types of movies?”

“Comedies first then action movies, and occasionally I like to watch sci-fi, depending on what the movie is about.”

“What is your favorite movie of all time?’

“Die Hard.”

“Such a guy.” I roll my eyes, and he chuckles, taking a sip of his beer while leaning back in his seat. I take a sip of wine, amazed at how relaxed I feel. This morning, I was a nervous wreck even thinking about going out with him. But now, I feel surprisingly at ease, even with the constant flutter of butterflies in the pit of my stomach.