Kelsi thanked him and moved to the door. Sheridan stopped her again by grabbing her hand lightly. He released her quickly when she stopped and turned back to face him, question in her eyes. He looked slightly nervous as his eyes flicked back and forth between hers.
“I was, er, wondering if you might like to get dinner with me sometime?” He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, a slight flush creeping up toward his ears.
Kelsi froze, not sure how to proceed. She hadn’t been on a date since she and Tom had broken up, and while Sheridan was definitely attractive in that golden-boy, was-probably-the-popular-high-school-quarterback kind of way, she wasn’t sure if it was too soon after the engagement to be going out with anyone new. Kelsi was quiet for a long moment, and Sheridan’s eyes betrayed his worry that she was going to reject him.
“Look,” he said, “I would be lying if I said I’m not interested and hope you would be too, but I also haven’t been here in this town long and don’t know too many people our age yet. So, if we go out and there isn’t any kind of romantic connection, it would still be a great night out with a new friend. No pressure, okay?”
She hesitated a little longer. She didn’t want to lead the man on, but she was in a funk. Kelsi thought back to what Abby had said—she needed to get back out there. There had to be a baby step (or a belly flop) into the deep end. She thought of Dylan, of seeing him and remembering the good and the bad and the in between, and knew she needed to do this for herself. She needed a sexy distraction from the man who made her forget herself, no matter that the thought made her slightly sick to her stomach.
“Okay, one dinner. And no pressure, okay?”
He beamed at her. “Deal.”
He passed his phone to her, and she typed in her number, calling herself so she had his number too.
She walked out of the station and only made it a few steps before her phone rang in her hand. Picking up, she said, laughing, “Haven’t you ever heard of playing it cool?”
Sheridan chuckled and said, “If you see something you like, why pretend you don’t?”
She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the way her stomach swooped at the line. No man had spoken to her that way before.
“Anyway, are you free tonight?”
Kelsi paused, wanting for a second to say no and forget about the whole thing, but Abby’s voice in her head screamed,The only way to get over a man is to get under one!
“Yeah, tonight’s good for me.”
She could hear his smile through the phone as he said, “Great! Does the Silver Dollar work? I can pick you up around seven?”
The Silver Dollar was the best spot in town for seafood, and she was genuinely excited about going. Her stomach growled at the thought of it. She glanced at the time on her phone, seeing that it was still only four o’clock, so she had plenty of time to go home and get ready.
“The Silver Dollar is perfect, but I’ll meet you there instead. Plan for seven still?” It was a first date. Her first in a long time. If it was terrible, she needed some way to escape halfway through.
“Sure, no problem. I’ll make a reservation.” He paused, then drawled in a low tone, “Looking forward to it.”
She winced, feeling a pit in her stomach. She wasn’t looking forward to their date nearly as much as Sheridan seemed to be.
CHAPTER 14
Kelsi
19 Days to Trial
Two hours later,Kelsi smoothed the satin skirt of her dress across her thighs, her palms sweaty and leaving faint marks on the fabric. The dress was a rich sapphire blue that complimented her auburn hair, with a cowl neck that emphasized her hourglass figure. Her hair she had swept up into a sleek ponytail, and her makeup was done naturally, with a swipe of light-pink gloss on her lips.
The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy. She couldn’t decide if it was the idea of going on a date with someone new or the idea of a date itself that was making her more nervous. She regretted agreeing to the date, but she did need to take that first step in putting herself back out there and Tom—and Dylan—behind her. Maybe this would be the plunge she needed.
Staring resolutely at her reflection in the mirror mounted on the wall next to the front door, she told herself, “You can do this.”
She grabbed her keys and, giving herself a final once-over, slung her purse over her right shoulder. Kelsi locked the door behind her and climbed in her car. Driving in heels was never fun, but she figured she would be fine for the ten-minute driveon the country roads. As she took the blind curves slowly, her mind drifted to Dylan.
There was something so tortured about his eyes, and she wondered what he’d seen in his life since law school. The two of them were completely different people now than they were all those years ago.
Lost in thought, she felt like the drive took no time at all, and soon she found herself parking in the small lot behind the restaurant. It was an adorable old cottage that had been renovated and remodeled to house a small seafood restaurant, and it was hands down the best place in town. She caught sight of a group of women walking in that she recognized from the Sunday services her mom dragged her to. The downside to it being the best restaurant in a small town on a Friday night? It was full of people who were guaranteed to gossip about her being on a date.
Kelsi gave herself one moment to lean her forehead onto the steering wheel and wish to be anywhere and anyoneelse before her phone rang. Grateful for the interruption, she answered without checking the caller ID.
“You’re sitting in your car right now, scared to go inside, aren’t you?” Abby’s voice came through the car’s speakers.
