He hands me the flowers. It’s a bouquet of sunflowers, which I remember telling him was my favorite at some point. I can’t believe he remembered that.
My mind is scrambling to remember the conversation. All I kept thinking about was Sam sitting in the booth behind him. Heat creeps up my cheeks.
“Wow, I’m sorry. I’m not even dressed yet. I just woke up.”
He grins. His eyes are bright, and he’s certainly dressed up for a date with jeans, boots, and a button-down shirt. “I don’t care. You’re gorgeous either way. Come on. I’ll take you to get some pancakes.”
The people pleaser in me is having a hard time saying no. He drove all the way down here, brought my favorite flowers, and even styled his hair in a way I’ve never seen him do it. It reminds me of someone, but I can’t place who.
“Well, I mean, I guess. If you’re okay with me going like this? Or I could take ten minutes to?—”
He shakes his head, grabbing my hand. “Nah, come on. Loretta’s Cafe is casual. You look perfect.”
I turn toward my dad. He seems to be engrossed in his own world, as usual.
“Let me just tell my dad so he doesn’t get confused.” I walk back up to the porch, leaning down to kiss Pops on the head. “I’m going to go to breakfast with Ben, okay? Can you let Holden or Rosie know when they come by? I might be back by then.”
He nods. “Sure, sugar. Have fun.”
“Do you want me to bring you some pancakes from Loretta’s?”
He shrugs. “Sure, I guess I’ll take some.”
I lean down and kiss him on the cheek. “Okay, bye. Love you.”
A pang of guilt stabs me in the stomach as I walk back to Ben’s truck. He’s smiling sweetly as he walks over to the passenger door to open it for me.
“Your truck is really nice.”
“She’s my pride and joy.” He shuts my door and walks around to the driver’s side.
“Sorry I’m underdressed and my hair is a mess.”
He climbs inside and places the flowers on the console between us. He puts on some rock music, which has to be my least favorite genre.
“Don’t be sorry. Loretta’s Café is the best in town, I’ve heard.”
I nod. “It’s really good.”
I realize after the first five minutes that I left my phone on the rocking chair on the front porch. I shut my eyes. I was caught up, running through all my conversations with Ropes to see similarities to Sam.
Aside from the fact that Sam ignores me half the time and stares at me for the rest of it, he and Ropes are extremely similar. Which makes sense as to how I could develop feelings for a man I’d never even seen a photo of his face.
This has to be a new level of pathetic childhood crush gone to the extreme. I need help. I need to call my therapist on Monday. And I need to stop leading on poor Ben.
He deserves to be on a date with someone who actually remembered it was happening. I should have told him back at the ranch, but now that we’re here, I’ll rip the Band-Aid off and be honest with him.
I have unresolved feelings for someone else. They’re not going away anytime soon, it would seem, and I don’t want to keep wasting his time.
He pulls into the café. I hope he didn’t try talking to me on the drive because my head has been lost in the clouds. He waits for me at the front of the truck, and I realize he’s not coming to open the door. I push it open and step out to join him, feeling naked without a phone or a purse.
His eyes rake over my chest as my nipples pucker in the cold. Again, the feeling that he looks familiar settles over me, but I shove it aside because I can’t place who it is that he looks like. He opens the door to the café, and we find a seat in a cracked leather booth.
A waitress approaches our table, smacking her gum. “Hey, honey. What can I get for you? Coffee, orange juice?”
“I’ll take a coffee, please.”
Ben nods. “Same here, coffee.”
