Maybe I’m shaking because of hunger. She hadn’t had anything since late afternoon, because part one of date night, apparently, was to be supper at Angel’s Roadhouse.
They hadn’t told her what part two was going to be.
She’d taken a moment to change into the skirt and tee shirt she’d brought with her. That had definitely been one source of her nerves. She almost always wore either jeans or slacks of one form or another, but the guys had asked her to please wear a skirt for their date.
I didn’t have to ask them why, either. There’d been such a teasing glint in both men’s eyes, she had a feeling the purpose of her wearing a skirt was to give them access to her thighs—and other things.
They didn’t tell me what they have planned for the second half of date night, but I have a feeling I know what it’ll be.
Leesa took one more moment. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. One two three. She exhaled, nodded, and walked through the swinging door to the dining room.
“Ready, sweetheart?” Jason asked.
“Not in the least. But I’m done here.” She stopped when she reached them and looked from one to the other.
Both men chuckled. Then Jason took her left hand in his and brought it to his lips. Before him—him and his cousin—no man had ever kissed her hands, not even as a joke.
“It’s going to be all right, you know.” Phillip held the door for them. Once they were all outside, the men gave her the time she needed to lock the restaurant. She wouldn’t be opening the next day. Carrie would do that and would take the first shift with breakfast and begin the soup and lunch menu prep. Leesa was scheduled to report for duty at eleven.
“You probably think I’m being silly.”
“Not at all.” Jason turned to look at her. He still had a hold of her hand, and somehow, he’d managed to lace their fingers. Leesa felt the intimacy of the connection between them. Then Phillip moved in closer, not behind her but beside her. He ran his hand down her back then took her right hand in his.
“I, better than most, understand that you only know what you know,” Jason said. “Our first few dates are going to be a learning experience for all three of us.”
“I’m glad we’re not going into the city this time,” she said.
“We wanted to make tonight, especially, all about us, as a triad,” Phillip said. “We want for us to find a level of comfort before we venture into the wider world.”
Leesa nodded. “I’ve been talking to a couple of the women, hoping for a few pointers. Rachel, who’s my best friend, and Carrie, who’s another one of my co-workers and also a friend, were both happy to answer my questions.” She felt the embarrassment wash over her, but that was okay. Maybe, as time passed and they became lovers—she was pretty certain that couldn’t be too far off—maybe she’d not feel awkward talking about intimate topics.
“To get some idea on how things are done? Because, baby, we’ve done the same thing.” Jason opened the passenger door of Phillip’s car, a nice Cadillac on loan from the family, and saw her seated. He fastened her seatbelt for her and then swooped in and placed a quick kiss on her lips. Then he got into the back seat while Phillip slid behind the wheel.
That man also leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. She licked her lips and imagined, for a moment, she could taste both men there.
“Okay, now I don’t feel like such a dork. Anyway, each of my friends told me there was only one thing they considered a negative with regard to their marriages. It was the same thing for both, and while they hated it, it wasn’t at all a deal breaker. They both hate it when they have to go out and about and have to pretend to be the wife of only one man instead of two.”
“And J. Coop’s brothers, as well as our cousins here, told us the only thing they hated was the way their wives all felt doing that very same thing.” Phillip started the car. “So, we thought we’d start off here in Lusty and see where we go from there.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
Leesa liked Angel’s Roadhouse. She enjoyed the ambiance, which was slightly different during the day and regular supper hour as opposed to going on nine in the evening. At this time of night, music played, and some people danced. The Roadhouse, she’d learned soon after she’d moved to Lusty, hadn’t been in operation all that long. There was a section at the back of the dining room that had been dubbed “Benedict Central,” simply because the husbands of Laci, Bailey, and Jenny Benedict, three staff members here at Angel’s, were all Benedict cousins. Those cousins who’d relocated to Lusty—one pair of brothers from New York and the others from Montana—often came in at some point during their wives’ shifts. Add to that all the other Benedicts, Kendalls, and Jessops in Lusty showing up a few times a week and the area in back was more or less reserved for the family.
Jason reached for her hand as they’d gotten out of the car. “Normally, I’d suggest we pick a table in another part of the dining room. We’d both much rather have a nice private supper with you.”
“But you haven’t been here that long, and you want to mend your family relationships.” Leesa had understood that right from the first moment. When she thought of those words that Ian had said to him, and how Jason had interpreted them, her heart still ached.
He looked a bit embarrassed as he nodded. That, more than anything, underscored the fact that
