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“Should I have worn something nicer?” I asked. I’d opted for jeans and a cashmere sweater that flattered my complexion, but if I’d known what he was wearing, I might have chosen a dress instead.
“No, you’re perfect.” He kissed my cheek and placed his hand on my lower back to guide me to the door.
Behind us, Duke whimpered. I blew him a kiss over my shoulder. “We won’t be too long, Dukie,” I promised. He settled down.
Outside, Nate opened the passenger door first and held it while I lowered myself into the car. A crazy grin spread over my face. He was trying to romance me. I could squirm with delight.
Still, as he sat behind the steering wheel, I said, “You know you don’t need to woo me or pretend to be anything other than what and who you are. Don’t forget, I know you better than anyone.”
He glanced over at me, his eyes seeing more than I liked. “Perhaps I don’t need to woo you,” he said, “but I want to. You deserve to be taken out properly and treated right. You’re special, Gracie, and you deserve more than a grumpy single dad with a chip on his shoulder, but I’m going to do the best I can to be worthy of you anyway.”
Tears filled my eyes. I took his hand. There was nothing I could say to that.
“Is this real?” I whispered.
“Yeah, honey.” He kissed the back of my hand. “I promise you, nothing could be more real.”
Don’t cry, I warned myself. Usually, I had no problem keeping my emotions under wraps, but everything was near the surface right now, and I didn’t want to have to explain that my tears were happy ones.
“So, where are we going?” I asked to distract myself.
Nate switched the engine on and pulled away from the curb. “At first I thought of the resort, but there’s a chance we’d get stuck and not be able to come down again, so I decided we’re better off avoiding that. That leaves the pub and the cafe.” He glanced at me. “I’d rather not have either of my parents at our first official date, so the pub is out.”
I frowned. “But the cafe won’t be open.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Wait and see.”
“What does that mean?”
He pulled up outside Taste of Destiny but stopped me when I started to get out. “Wait a moment.”
Eden hurried out of the café, and Nate met her halfway between the car and the door, taking hold of the basket she carried. I watched them, intrigued. When Nate got back into the car, he passed me the basket.
“Dinner,” he said. “I asked Eden to pack a selection of sweet and savory food before they closed for the day.”
“A picnic?” It hardly seemed the weather for picnicking.
“Sort of.”
I stayed quiet while Nate drove again. After a few minutes, I realized where we were going. The lookout point just out of town. A spot I’d told him was one of my favorite places to visit when I needed reminding of why I loved Destiny Falls so much—usually during the harshest parts of winter. He parked, the headlights bright in the descending darkness, and shut off the engine.
“Here we are.” He took the basket from me and lifted the lid. “Sorry, I know it’s not fancy, but it’s the best I could come up with on short notice.”
I beamed. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you like it. “
He handed me a paper plate and tilted the basket so I could view the options. There were salad sandwiches, muffins, a couple of wrapped items that smelled like pie or quiche, and on the side, a cupcake with a pink heart frosted on top.
We talked while we ate. The evening felt both new and familiar at once. Conversation came as easily between us as it always had, but there was an electric undercurrent that thrilled me. Each brush of our hands or graze of our legs sparked a longing for more, and I knew I wasn’t the only one affected. Our glances caught frequently, and a sizzling tension seemed to zing between us. When I reached for the cupcake at the same time he did, our fingertips connected and our gazes locked. I felt frosting squish beneath my thumb, and I raised it to my mouth and licked it clean, still holding his gaze.
Nate’s eyes flared hot, then he cleared his throat. “That’s it. We’re going home.”
39
NATE
We trippedthrough the front door, separating briefly for me to kick my shoes off and for Grace to unzip her boots, then we came together again, our mouths clashing. I backed Grace against a wall, hardly able to believe it was her lithe body against mine, her long leg hitched around my hip.
