“Uh-huh.” Preston studied me. “Taking it slow is important. I agree.” He paused. “You know, sometimes I get all up in my little brother’s business, telling him what he’s doing wrong. I point out where he could be better. And then I end up seeing myself doing the same exact thing I’ve just been griping to him about.” He picked up a dish towel and tossed it over his shoulder. “Throws me a digit when that happens. You know?”
I had a feeling that Preston wasn’t just sharing a folksy sibling story for kicks here, and I even had a hunch I knew the moral of the tale. But I wasn’t in the mood to deconstruct it at the moment.
“Sure, Preston. I get it.” I stood up. “I’m going to head out. I’ve got a shift in an hour, and I want to confirm with Faith Two for tomorrow. Catch you later.”
“See you later, Harry. Good luck with Faith Two. Be sure to take it slow.”
I cast him a suspicious look over my shoulder, expecting to see irony in his expression, but he only smiled and waved as I left.
* * *
“Harry, this is so beautiful.” Faith leaned forward, her hands folded beneath her chin as she smiled at me across the small table. “It’s been the perfect evening. Thank you so much.”
“It’s not over yet,” I reminded her. “We just got here.”
“Yeah, I know.” She tilted her head. “But I wanted to make sure I said that now. I’ve never been on a date where a guy made me feel so special. I appreciate it.”
Deep in my chest, my heart glowed warmly. I had tried to go the extra mile tonight, and the fact that Faith saw that made all the difference. “You’re worth it.”
“I mean, meeting me at my car with flowers and a manual on auto repair . . . that was so sweet! Walking along the avenue here, taking me to all those quirky little antique stores . . . and now sunset at this bar, on this deck.” She closed her eyes as the last rays of the day’s sunlight brushed over her face. “I thought romance was dead. Turned out it’s just that you’ve been hoarding it all until now.”
“Ah.” I chuckled. “I’m not sure I can take all the credit. But I’m glad you’re enjoying tonight.”
“I am.” She reached for her glass of wine, taking a sip. “It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it? I mean, the day my battery died, I thought it was the end of the world. I was going to be late to class, and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my car . . . but then you came along and saved me. Now I’m kind of glad I was irresponsible enough to let my battery go that long.”
“I can’t believe we never met before, with as much as we both climb.” I grinned. “So it must have been fate finally bringing us together that day.”
“I like fate,” she murmured. She hesitated a beat and then spoke again. “I have a confession to make. I’ve never really dated before. I mean, I’ve been on dates here and there, but never anything serious. I’m so buried in school and then getting my career started that I’ve avoided commitment. All of this romance is new to me.”
“I hope that doesn’t mean you won’t want to see me again.” I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. “Because I’m willing to be flexible. I don’t mind coming in second to your schoolwork. But I’d be disappointed if this turned out to be our only date.”
Faith blinked rapidly. “I think I would be, too,” she murmured.
We watched the sun sink lower in the sky, enjoying our wine and the comfortable silence between us. As darkness fell, a cool breeze blew, and Faith shivered.
“Are you chilly?” I reached into my backpack. “I have a hoodie in here, if you’d like to borrow it.”
“That’s so thoughtful.” She took the sweatshirt from my hands and pulled it deftly over her head. “Perfect.”
And when she thought I wasn’t looking, I spied her surreptitiously sniffing the sleeve. Had I sprayed a little extra of my cologne on the hoodie so that it smelled more like me? I’d never tell.
(I totally had.)
For the first time since this whole cuffing season deal had begun, I felt hopeful. I’d actually met the perfect yee, and not only that, I was out with her on the perfect date. After we finished our wine, I planned to walk with Faith down the street a little further to wander around my favorite bookstore. In the courtyard outside that shop, there were usually musicians busking, jamming casually together for whatever people tossed in their guitar or horn cases. In my mind, I could see myself with one arm around Faith, pulling her into an impromptu dance while the guitars softly strummed . . .
* * *
“ . . . and that was exactly what happened.” I sat back in my chair, folding my arms over my chest as I grinned at my friends. We were sitting in the coffee shop, which was empty at this point in the afternoon. Sophia’s shift didn’t start for another thirty minutes.
“We danced there in the moonlight—I kid you not, it was like a scene from a movie. It was so freakin’ romantic.” I thought about what had happened after the dance when I’d pulled Faith Two closer and gone for the kiss. That had been the most magical moment of the entire evening, hands down.
“You are my hero.” Preston raised and lowered his arms in pretended worship. “All hail the lord of the cuffing season, our own Harry Davis.”
Sophia was quiet at first. “That’s great, Harry,” she said finally. “I’m happy for you. She sounds like a nice woman, and I’m sure I’ll like her.”
I was surprised into silence. “Uh, thanks, Soph. I hope you will.”
“Are you inviting her to Friendsgiving?” Preston took a big gulp of his coffee. “Because I’ve been thinking of asking Amber to come.”
