“What does he do? Like, for a job?”
Mia laughed at her brother’s narrowed eyes. “Why do you care? If he’s unemployed will you forbid me from seeing him?”
“Of course. I don’t want some bum taking advantage of my old-maid sister.”
“Don’t worry, he’s not a bum. He’s a SEAL.”
Both teenagers gawked at her.
“For real?” Angie blurted out.
“For real.”
Danny’s suspicion transformed into glee. “That’s so frickin’ cool. Do you think he’ll bring a gun on your date?”
“Why on earth would he do that? He’s a soldier, not a cop.”
“Is he picking you up? I’ve never met a SEAL before.”
Jeez. Her brother looked scarily excited about the prospect of Mia going out with a navy man. Maybe she ought to send Danny on the date.
“I’m meeting him at the restaurant,” she replied.
The interrogation didn’t let up. “Which restaurant?”
“Go away, babe,” Angie announced. “I have a lot of work to do and you’re distracting me.”
“Fine.” Just like that, Danny left the room without a protest.
Mia raised her eyebrows. “I’m impressed. It takes me a minimum of five attempts to get him to do what I say.”
“That’s ’cause he likes making you mad. He thinks it’s funny.” Angie stuck her hand in the case and emerged with a tube of beige foundation. “’Kay, now quit talking. This might take a while.”
Chapter Four
Mia was late.
Jackson waited in front of the small Italian bistro on Market Street and checked his phone for the third time in the past five minutes. No new messages.
He would’ve been worried that he was being stood up, if not for the text Mia had sent him ten minutes ago informing him she was on her way. The gentleman in him still wished she’d allowed him to pick her up, but she’d been mighty insistent about meeting him here.
Clearly she was trying to keep her distance right off the bat, which didn’t surprise him considering how difficult it had been getting her to even agree to dinner. But her arm’s-length approach didn’t faze him. He was determined to win Mia over tonight, no matter what.
Truth was, he liked her. He really, really liked her, a rare and wonderful feeling he hadn’t experienced in ages. Lord, he hadn’t realized how frustrating dating could be. Sex? That was easy—San Diego was full of women eager to take off their clothes for a SEAL. But finding a girl who truly liked and wanted to be with him? A whole other story.
“Hey, sorry I’m late!”
He lifted his head in time to see Mia round the side of the building, and the sight of her blew him away. His gaze darted up and down her body, unable to focus on any one detail because they were all so dang incredible. Her hair was loose, the dark shoulder-length tresses curling slightly at the ends, and her skin looked so soft and luminous his fingers tingled with the urge to stroke her face. She was wearing makeup, but not an obscene amount of it, just enough to accentuate her gorgeous hunter-green eyes, high cheekbones and full lips. And she’d donned a dress tonight. A knee-length green sundress paired with brown platform heels that added a few inches to her tiny frame.
“You done checking me out or should I give you another minute?”
Her dry voice snapped him out of his ogle-fest. Clearing his throat, Jackson shoved his fingers in the belt loops of his khaki cargo pants. “You look amazing,” he said gruffly.
Her lips stayed in smirk formation, but there was no mistaking the flicker of pleasure in her eyes. “Thanks. I’ll have you know I endured forty-five minutes of torture at the hands of my brother’s girlfriend in order to look like this. That’s why I was late.”
“Aw shucks, darlin’. You got a makeover just for me?”
“Don’t you dare read anything into it. I’d have done it for anybody.”
“I don’t believe you.” With that, he smiled broadly. “C’mon, let’s head inside.”
They walked through the bright red door of Tonio’s, Jackson’s favorite place to eat in San Diego. His teammates constantly teased him about it, maintaining that cowboys were supposed to eat steak and potatoes and nothin’ else, but Jackson had always had a thing for Italian food. When he and Mia had messaged back and forth about tonight, he’d been dang pleased to hear that it was Mia’s favorite food too.
“I love this place,” she told him as they entered the dimly lit waiting area. “Danny and I get takeout from here at least once a week.”
Apparently she wasn’t kidding, because a second later, the dark-haired woman at the hostess stand greeted Mia like the two of them were old friends.
“Mamma Mia!” the older woman teased, her brown eyes crinkling. “You didn’t call ahead to place an order, cara.”
“No takeout for me tonight, Rosa. We’re eating in.”
The hostess shifted her gaze to Jackson, and a smile stretched across her face. “Ah, I see. A special occasion! Let’s get you a table then.”
The woman led them into the cozy main room, which felt even more romantic than usual. The entire bistro seemed to glow from the soft light seeping out of the overhead fixtures, and the faint strains of classical piano only enhanced the amorous vibe.
They arrived at a table with a crimson tablecloth, lit candles and gleaming silverware resting on pristine white napkins. After they were seated, the hostess hurried away and a waiter took her place, taking their drink orders before handing each of them a leather-bound menu. And yet for all the pomp and circumstance, the food wasn’t overpriced and there was no air of pretension about the place.