Scott walked me to his car and opened the door, helping me in. He rushed around and climbed in his side.
I tucked my hair behind my right ear. “Sorry about Nan.”
“Don’t be. I love her spunk.” Scott put the car into drive and turned down his talk radio. It made sense that Scott listened to talk radio. All practical and serious. I smiled. “What, not wanting to listen to a fiscally-responsible and maze strategy podcast?”
Scott shook his head. “I already listened to this week’s episode.”
Wait, was he serious? Was there a podcast about that?
He chuckled.
I grinned and smacked his arm. “Ha ha. What’s the plan for tonight?” I shifted in my leather seat to see him better.
Scott shrugged. “Movie and dinner? Figured we could talk about what you want to do in London on the drive.” He looked nervous. “Is that too boring?” His lips pulled down in a frown.
“Nope. Sounds fun. What movie?”
Scott’s shoulders relaxed, and he nodded to the sticky notenear the glove compartment. “There is a list of movies and times. I thought you might like to pick. I’m fine with anything.” It did not surprise me he was thoroughly prepared. I looked through the list.
“Oh, this one is a romcom, and I saw the trailer last week. It looks fun.”
Scott grinned and nodded. “Sounds great.”
It sounded great. Dinner and a movie with Scott sounded really great. Is that bad? How serious are things? Do I need to tell him about the no-babies thing? That seemed a little premature. Right? Or I could go with“Hey, I know we kissed one time, and this may or may not be our first date, so you’re obviously thinking about what it would be like to marry me.”
I looked out the window and watched the sagebrush hills. A tightness in my stomach tried to grow, but I reminded myself to take a slow breath. I didn’t need to rush anything. We kissed, sure, but we haven’t talked anything long-term. Dates with Scott before we both went our separate ways sounded fun. Fun wasn’t serious.
“Is a romcom with dinner too much of a date?” I glanced in his direction.
Scott glanced my way. “Would it bother you if it was?”
My stomach erupted in a volcano of butterflies. I pulled on my undershirt. I wanted this.
Scott glanced over at me as he passed a tractor with flashing lights making its way to another field to harvest. “I know you have rules . . . but I would?—”
“I may reconsider those rules.” At the moment, I was reconsidering everything. From thoughts of returning to Hillsdale and running the B&B, to the no-date rules . . . everything felt new. Exciting and scary.
Scott grinned. “Perfect. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you restructure the rules because I would love this to be a date.”
My hand started shaking. Whew. Okay. Date. I mean, I alreadykissed the man. Why does a date seem scary? “What about the London trip?”
I couldn’t stop myself from asking. Would it ruin the moment?
“I won’t stop you if that is what you want, and I’ll still help you plan it. I have no intention of getting between you and your happiness.” He was serious. This wasn’t just about me. He had a future that didn’t include me either.
“What about your plan? Penthouse suite and all that. I didn’t see this on that dream board,” I gestured to me.
Scott chuckled and shifted his arm closer to me. “We could take everything one day at a time. No need to ‘ruin it all with logic’, as you like to say.” He winked at me.
I loved his smile. Oh my, I was not prepared for this version of Scott. It shouldn’t surprise me. He was fully committed to everything he did.How would it feel if that was all pointed at me?
I slid my arm to the center console until it brushed against Scott’s.
“Let’s call it a date then,” I grinned.
“Perfect.” Scott reached over and laced his hand in mine. “Let’s go to the movie first, then dinner, because we can make the earlier showing.” Scott looked at me. “Is that okay with you?” His eyes locked with mine and I had to remind myself to breathe. I could only grin and nod.
Throughout the rest of the drive, each time Scott rubbed his thumb along the length of the back of my hand, tingles rushed through my veins like miniature energy shots. We walked into the theater hand-in-hand, and he let me pick the seats. Scott asked if I wanted any popcorn, but my stomach wasn’t ready for food.
