“I need to tell you something,” we both say at the same time.
Despite everything, we both wheeze nervous laughter.
“You first,” I say.
“No, you.”
“Patton—”
He takes a breath. “The bet was real. My crew challenged me about not arguing with you during Ball planning.”
I nod, waiting.
“It was a mistake. I wanted to tell you so many times because …” He rubs the stubble on his jaw.
“When?”
“The squirrel incident. Maybe before.” He meets my eyes. “I started noticing things about you, like the way you organize with sticky notes, how you listen to everyone who comes into your office with genuine interest, that you sneak Oreo treats … And I couldn’t stop noticing. Didn’t want to stop.”
My heart pounds against my ribs.
“I told myself I was just being curious, so I could anticipate your moves, stay one step ahead. Win the bet. But I was falling for you.”
The silence stretches. His eyes search mine.
I gather a deep breath. “My turn.”
He nods, bracing himself.
“Mindy, Thomas, and Pauline bet me I couldn’t make you smile and have fun at the Ball. They dubbed it ‘Operation Make Maverick Smile.’” I wince at how ridiculous it sounds now. “I took it because I thought we hated each other. Because I’m competitive and stubborn, and I really needed the money, but even though I love my job, I also really didn’t want to go to the Parks and Recreation Regional Convention.” I tell him about the mascot dance and how selfish and guilty I feel.
The corner of his mouth twitches.
“But then I got to know you. The real you. Not the arrogant, grouchy firefighter I perceived you to be.”
“We made a lousy first impression on each other, huh?”
Biting my lip, I nod.
“In reality, I saw someone protective and kind and quietly amazing. Someone who fixes things because he cares, not because he expects anything in return. Someone who carries too much weight alone because he thinks asking for help makes him weak.”
Patton steps closer, and I don’t move away.
I continue, “I was going to tell you about the bet. That’s what I wanted to talk about before the Ball. I even drafted a text, but then my brother called about the restaurant and I accidentally deleted it, and—” I’m rambling.
“Same. I tried and failed so many times.”
Having this out there doesn’t form a wall between us as I feared. Rather, it clears the air.
“Yet here we are.”
“Winnie, I think you’re an amazing, beautiful, generous, kind, smart, hardworking, beautiful?—”
“You said that.”
“You’re really beautiful, Winnie.” He smooths a loose piece of my hair between his fingers.
I feel all glowy inside, but I’m not done with my apology. “I knew it was wrong to keep the bet secret. I won’t do anything like that ever again.”
