Page 47 of A Match Made In Fall

She grins. “That’s a great idea.”

We scan through the menu, and everything looks good, just like the server said.

“I can’t decide between the chocolate-on-chocolate sundae, or the Cheerful Cherry Chip sundae,” she wails.

“You could get both,” I tell her.

She gives me a horrified look. “Definitely not.”

I close the menu. “Okay, you get one, and I’ll get the other.”

“No, that’s not fair. You should get to choose your own dessert.”

“I did, and I’m perfectly happy with those two options. I’ve heard everything is good here.”

She eyes me curiously, and I go to reach for her hand, but the server returns with our drinks. We place our order, and then suddenly four servers jump up on the counter and start performing a perfectly choreographed routine. The whole restaurant starts cheering, and some people stand up and start dancing along to the music.

“Ugh. I want to dance,” Isabella wails. “I hate this boot.”

I stand up and reach for her hand. “Come on,” I insist. “I know it’s not the same, but you can lean on me while you dance on your good leg.”

She quickly gets up, and we move along with the music. Even on one leg I can see how talented and graceful she is. She’s practically beaming as we try to keep up with everyone around us. I can’t wait to see her back on the dance floor. And I’ll make every effort to see her perform live at some point.

The song ends, and everyone celebrates, giving each other high fives.

Isabella throws her arms around me. “Thank you. I didn’t realize how much my soul needed that.”

I tighten my arms, closing in the space between us. “It was my pleasure.”

I consider kissing her again, but I decide to pace myself.

After we sit down, I notice a distracted look on her face.

“Are you okay?”

She nods. “It just reminded me how much I miss dancing. And I think it finally hit me that everything is going to be okay. I’ve been feeling so down ever since the injury.”

I take her hand in mine. “Everything is going to be okay. You’ll be back on your feet before you know it.”

She moves her face closer to mine and kisses me. Now I’m glad I held back and let her make the next move.

“Thank you again for not taking off at the beginning of this evening.”

It’s my turn to kiss her. “Not a chance. I don’t scare that easily.”

Naturally the delivery of our massive desserts breaks up our close moment. And I’m sure of it now—this is the best date I’ve ever been on.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

ISABELLA

I’m not sure what’s better—a morning message from Austin or the possibility of getting the all-clear from the doctor tomorrow. As excited as I am to finally move on from this injury, getting a text from Austin is a close second. Maybe even tied for first.

Perfect doesn’t even begin to describe the evening we had together. Especially considering how it started. Dexter’s arrival was completely unexpected, and it's something I know I’ll have to deal with sooner rather than later.

My parents were asleep by the time Austin dropped me off, so I have no idea how the rest of the evening played out after we left. All I know is that my mom invited Dexter in for coffee. I’m sure everyone did their best to talk to him, but knowing Dex that won’t be enough. He’s never been someone who would just leave without putting out all the stops. If he came all this way, he’s going to want answers directly from me.

Despite his showing up unannounced, Austin finding out about the fake relationship scheme, and everything crumbling around me—the night was still amazing.