Page 65 of Flashback for the Forward

She reached for the bottle, examining the label. “Songbird Estate.” Tracing the emblem, she asked, “What kind of bird is this?”

“A lark. The owner named the property after his wife.”

“That’s terribly romantic,” she mused on a wistful sigh.

“It is,” I agreed, rising once more to remove the silver cloche covering her plate and setting it to the side.

Bridget eyed the coq au vin with appreciation. “Oh, this looks and smells amazing.”

“The French restaurant downtown is so authentic that if I close my eyes while eating, I can imagine I’m in Paris.”

She took a bite, her eyes drifting shut as she chewed, savoring the flavor. After another sip of wine, she asked, “Have you been to Paris?”

Swallowing, I nodded. “I have. Of all places I’ve traveled—the rest of Europe included—it’s my favorite city.”

“Maybe someday I’ll make it there.”

The sadness in her voice betrayed that she didn’t believe that dream would ever become a reality.

If I could, I’d take her tomorrow. But real life—my busy schedule, her psycho ex lurking somewhere out there—made that impossible. For now, at least.

I prayed I was allowed to keep her long enough to give her the world.

Chapter 19

Bridget

Tonight was magical. The setting, the food, the company, all of it was perfect.

And I had Cole to thank for that.

At some point during dinner, he’d left his hand palm up on the table, and without a moment’s hesitation, I reached over to take it. The calloused pad of his thumb rubbed circles over my knuckles, sparking an electric current beneath the skin. It made me feel alive for the first time since—well, I couldn’t exactly remember the last time.

As the night drew to a close, I was hesitant to let him go, even as we came to a stop outside my bedroom door. The man hadn’t been kidding when he said he planned to treat this like a real date.

Cole squeezed my hand. “I had a really nice time.”

“Me too. It was the best date I’ve ever been on.” Not that the bar had been set too terribly high. Before Aiden, I’d suffered through a handful of blind date disasters.

He smiled. “That only gives me more motivation to make the next one better.”

The mention of more dates, of continuing to build on what we’d started here tonight, made me giddy, as though I was teenage Bridget falling for her longtime crush all over again.

Clearing his throat, Cole said, “Well, I guess this is goodnight.”

“Oh.” I couldn’t hide my disappointment that this was it.

“Is something wrong?”

“No,” I confessed. “I just thought—” Shaking my head, I muttered, “Never mind.”

“You thought what, Bridget?” he pressed.

Heat rising to my cheeks, I kept my gaze firmly rooted on the ground. “Isn’t it customary to end a date with a kiss?”

There was a sharp intake of air from the man standing opposite me. “A kiss?”

“Seriously, forget I said anything.” Mortified beyond belief, I reached behind me with my free hand, blindly trying to find the door handle.