“It would make meal planning easy.”Zach tended to eat out when he wasn’t on duty.And when he was at the station and it was his turn to cook, his go-to’s were either lasagna or enchiladas.It was easy to make big batches of them, and they weren’t too difficult to prepare.
“Oh, this is cozy,” Tilly exclaimed as they walked through to the living room.“And the Christmas tree looks perfect.Aren’t you glad you got one now?”
Once again her excitement was infectious, and he felt himself grinning like a fool along with her.“I am.Why don’t you take a seat, and I’ll bring out the food?”
“Do you need any help?”
Her immediate response wasn’t a surprise.He’d been expecting it.
“Nope, I have it all under control.Would you like a drink?I got a bottle of your favorite white wine.”He’d taken note of the wine one night he’d been with her.
“You did?”Her face lit up with a happy smile.Had none of the guys she’d ever dated done something nice like that for her?“Thank you.I’ll have a glass if you’re going to have one.”
“I will.”Zach shook his head.“Does this conversation seem awfully formal after the kiss we just shared?”
Tilly laughed.“It does.I’m not sure how that happened.”
She looked around the area, and he could see what she was seeing.He had made an effort, and his earlier thought that it was very romantic came back to him.
“I wanted to do something nice for you.You’ve been so generous with me,” he said quietly.
“Oh, Zach, you’ve been such a big help to me.It’s nothing to feed you when you come over.But,”—she waved her hand around the room—“this is beautiful, and I love that you’ve done this for me.”
She came up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, and he returned the embrace.
“Is it a bit much, though?”
Tilly leaned back, her hazel eyes bright with happiness.“No, it’s not.But what does it mean?”
“It means that I like you and spending time with you is the highlight of my days.Even when I’m working, you know when to text.When I need a pick-me-up, there you are.I want to get to know you better.I want to spend more time with you after the Nativity play is over.When the lights are all taken down and the excitement of the contest is gone.The question is, do you want to spend more time with me?”
Zach held his breath, waiting for her answer, knowing that he’d dumped a lot of information on her.Knowing that taking this step would drag her into his messy life.Knowing that no matter how many times he told himself he shouldn’t, Tilly’s pull was too hard to resist.
And he didn’t want to resist any longer.After all he’d been through, he deserved to have his own chance at joy and happiness.
If she didn’t want to, as hard as it would be, he’d walk away after the event was over.
“Yes, Zach, I would like that very much.”
Chapter Fourteen
Is this reallyhappening?
Tilly pressed her heel against the top of her ankle, feeling the pinch of pain.Nope, she wasn’t dreaming.She was finally having a date with Zach.The food had been delicious and now she was waiting for dessert.She had no idea what it was, but if it tasted half as good as the spaghetti and meatballs, then she would be in heaven.
The only thing that would make this evening even more memorable would be a response from any one of the stars she’d contacted, saying that they would love to be a part of the show.
She’d even accept someone who was trying to make their way into the acting world.Someone who’d appeared in a movie or television show but wasn’t the main star.Any exposure for them would be good.
“Here you go,” he said and placed a bowl with a large slice of pie topped with whipped cream in front of her.“Now I have to confess that I didn’t make this cherry pie.I got it from the Main Street Diner.”
“Oh, that’s my favorite!How did you know?”Had she mentioned during one of their many conversations that when it came to pies, there was only one for her—cherry?
“I can’t lie.I was going to get apple, but Flo said that she had a couple of fresh cherry pies and that I should take one of those instead.”
“Did you tell her we were having dinner?”That was the only reason that Flo would suggest to Zach to not get apple.
“Nope.I just said that I wanted a pie.”
