Two hours later, we’re sitting at a table near the back of Francesca’s, looking out at the courtyard. It’s a warm summer night and the sun is just setting over the courtyard’s back wall. A diffuse orange and magenta glow pervades the space, showering the ivy clematis hanging from the pergola outside our window. We’ve finished dinner and I’m contemplating taking her outside by the fire pit to pop the question when I look back to see her staring at me. To say she’s a vision of loveliness is an understatement. In her black A-line V-neck dress, she’s a goddess in the flesh.
She sets her glass down, sits forward, and nibbles her lip. “Shall I go first or do you want to?”
“Want to what?”
“Spill the beans, silly.”
“Oh, yeah. Umm…why don’t we go outside?” I say, struggling to tamp down my raci
