She tilted her head from side to side and narrowed her eyes. “That one will be more difficult, but I will give it a go. What’s your last rule?”
“No talking about the loan or my investment. We can talk about work, because, well that is normal getting to know you know dating conversation. But no talking about my involvement in your business.”
Maggie nodded at me. “Okay, I accept your rules. Now, can you tell me where we’re going?”
“Not a chance.” I smiled, but kept my eyes on the road. “It's a surprise.”
We made small talk for the rest of the drive. With all our friends either deployed or working out of town, we caught up on the gossip we’d managed to find out from each of them.
Maggie shifted in her seat to partially face me. “I still haven’t managed to find out from Cat what had happened to Holden last year.”
Aah, she was fishing. Hoping I’d share anything Holden might’ve told me. The truth was I didn’t know much more than her. All I could figure out was that Holden and his SEAL team had been on a mission with the Duke of Wiltshire and that they were captured. Holden never spoke about what happened. Cat was part of the team sent in to rescue them. She maintained that the mission was classified, and the parts she could share were not her story to tell.
“You know there is not much he can share with us.” I pulled off the main road and drove in the direction of the beach.
She narrowed her eyes, likely assessing how much she could push the subject. “Yeah, I get that. But he went through hell, he needs to talk to someone.”
“Hopefully, Holden is talking to someone about it.” I gave her a quick glance. “We’re here.”
As I pulled into a spot overlooking the ocean, I could feel Maggie’s frown burning at my temple. “Theo, did you bring me to a make-out spot?”
“You do realize this is also parking for people taking a walk on the beach?” I didn’t say more than that. I got out of the driver’s seat and before I could make my way around, she stepped out of the passenger’s side. “Maggie, if you want to bewooed you need to allow a gentleman to woo you. You wait in the car until I come around to open the door for you.”
She rolled her eyes at me and I raised a brow. We stood staring at each other for a good few seconds before she relented. “Fine. Next time I’ll wait.”
The quick flash of defiance and that reluctant surrender was so intoxicating, I’d be happy to chase that high for the rest of my life.
“Come.” I took her hand and led her down the path toward the beach.
The sun was just beginning to set, casting a deep purple and orange over our surroundings. Even though both of us had walked that path often over the years, I would bet that, like me, she didn’t do it as often as we used to. I took her hand once again, savoring the current flowing between our palms.
Her voice was an adorable mix of curiosity and annoyance. “Theo, where are we going? My outfit might be cute and layered, but it's not suitable for hiking all the way to the beach.”
“Patience, love. We’re almost there.” A smile tugged at my lips as I guided her over a rocky section.
We rounded the last bend and the path opened to a familiar clearing. A secluded cove, hidden away from the main beach we claimed as our own as teenagers.
“Wow, Theo.” Her eyes wandered around the space our friends hung out at regularly as kids. “How did you do all this?”
She took in the temporary picnic table set with a blue gingham table cloth and two settings of proper china and silverware. Candles lit up the cove since it would get completely dark at night. A chef, fully dressed in coat and hat, stood to the side in front of portable catering heaters and coolers ready to serve our meal.
I smiled at her, holding her closer. “With the right amount of money, most things are possible.” I didn’t want to mentionthat anything was possible. That would be bordering on banned conversation. “I knew a fancy restaurant would not impress you. But that didn’t mean I didn’t want to spoil you.”
“This is perfect.” Her mouth lifted into that beautiful smile. The one that warmed my heart and made the rest of the world disappear. And a shot of triumph raced through me.
For the next two hours all we did was talk. Sure, we teased each other and flirted a bit. Neither of us mentioned our jobs or responsibilities. No talk of psycho exes or secrets. We were two adults enjoying our time together. She learned that I still played chess online with our friend who was in the Navy. I learned her dream was still to build an empire. Preferably in the hospitality industry.
As she spoke, hands moving around wildly, a tightness in my chest slowly loosened. Since my father’s death my life had been a revolving door of responsibility and obligation. For the first time in years, I felt my age. I was just a guy, nearing thirty, trying to get the girl.
She balked at my distaste for pineapple on pizza and I made fun of her fear of frogs. In the candlelight, with every emotion playing across her face, it was hard to miss that she had a tendency for hyperbole and melodrama. Something I always knew but it looked different when it was aimed at me. This was what I wanted. She was what I wanted. And I had a shot. I would do everything in my power not to lose it.
The drive home was quiet and comfortable. I walked her to the front door minutes before Zoe’s eleven o'clock curfew.
She looked up at me. “Theo that was…”
Her voice trailed off as she tried to find the words.
“The best first date ever.” I finished for her, a roughness I hadn’t heard before in my voice.
