Halloween was just a few days away and I’d gotten tickets a few weeks ago for Sophie and I to go on a haunted Trolley Tour. Unfortunately, Sophie had an out-of-town emergency and said she wouldn’t be able to make it back in time. She even had to ditch her last class of the day for whatever it was, so no carpool. I had an extra ticket, and I was determined to woman up and ask Sam to go with me.
Class let out a little later than usual, so as soon as we were dismissed, I took off like a bat out of hell. There were a few yells from the people I shoved out of my way, but I didn’t look back. I wanted to get toSinsational Sweetsbefore Sam closed for the night.
My Jeep was waiting for me in the parking garage, as bright red as my hair. My dad had insisted when he bought it for me that it had to match. I’d had it since I was sixteen and it was a great vehicle, though I wasn’t sure how much of that was craftsmanship and how much was Loki’s magic. I threw my bag into the back and drove the half-mile to the shop.
The dessert rush was in full-swing when I pulled in, and I suddenly felt stupid for hurrying there. I didn’t want to do it in front of an audience, and there was no way I could pull him from the crowd. Instead, I sat in the Jeep and watched and waited. I didn’t get to watch him up front often since I was usually in the back, but his customer interactions had changed a bit since I started.
Was he taking whatever we had seriously?
Heat flooded my chest and Sam looked around, impossibly meeting my eyes across the parking lot. I’d been working on reeling my magic in ever since he told me I was essentially a damn beacon, but it was like hovering over a chair without sitting down—fucking hard. His face transformed in a genuine smile, and I could see an instant change in the customers’ demeanors, everyone relaxing a bit more.
At six, once he’d gotten rid of the last man, he held the door open for me. I got out of the Jeep, nervous, excited. Butterflies appeared out of thin air to flap around my head, mimicking the ones in my stomach. I thought I heard Sam laugh, but when I looked, his face was straight with only the barest hint of a smile. Waving them away, I stepped inside.
“You missed me so much, you just couldn’t stay away on your day off?” he asked.
I wasn’t about to admit how close to the truth that was. He circled the counter and pressed his palms to the surface, leaning toward me. I smiled and buried myself in my acting skills, mimicking the charm he always carried with him. When my face neared his, his eyelids grew heavy.
“What would it take, Mr. Rivers, to talk you into picking me up for a haunted Trolley Tour tomorrow night?”
“I’d say maybe—” He paused, eyes widening as a grin stretched across his face. “Are you asking me out for a third date?”
I bit my lip, but nodded, trying to hang onto that persona as the lights flickered overhead. “I happen to have an extra ticket with your name on it, if you’re interested.”
Sam brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, the simple touch electrifying, and gently guided my face closer. “What’s the catch, Miss Sutton?”
“That you’ll prove me wrong,” I murmured against the brush of his lips.
The sexy growl he emitted when he kissed me threw my anxiety right out the window and replaced it with inappropriate thoughts.
***
Twenty-four hours was a long time to be nervous about a date. I went in circles during my shift at the bakery, talking myself out of the date, then back into it. Bad idea? No, good idea. Regardless of what happened, I’d be stuck in limbo if I didn’t dosomething.
I prayed to anyone who would listen that things would turn out okay. My third date curse needed to end with Sam or that would be my last attempt. And I meant it this time. After my shift, I hopped into the shower and tried to think peaceful thoughts while I scrubbed flour and sugar residue from my skin.
It didn’t help. I was still a nervous wreck when I got out and Sophie wasn’t there to calm me down. The lights flickered through the apartment, and I had a weird feeling it was happening all through the building. Just what I needed, a power surge shutting down all my neighbors. Shaking my hands out, I sat down at the desk in my room trying to think of a way to head off the oncoming panic attack.
In a spare notebook I had laying around, I started making a list. Maybe if I could figure out the numerous ways the night could go wrong, then I could be prepared to stop something. The sound of scribbling surrounded me as I filled another page, then another.
Four pages in, my pen ran out of ink.
“Shit!” I yelled, throwing the pen across the room.
Every toilet in the apartment building flushed at the Sophiee time. I laid my head on the desk and focused on deep breathing and calming thoughts. If I was this panicky before the date even started, it was going to be a long night.
Right at seven, there was a knock on my door. I jumped up hurriedly, peeling off the sheet of paper stuck to my forehead, and ran to answer it. Sam stood there, dressed as casually as I’d ever seen him in dark jeans and a green t-shirt that made his eyes look more blue than teal. He had a leather jacket slung over his shoulder, but we both knew we wouldn’t need one.
“Well, aren’t you the coolest kid on the block?” I joked, letting him in.
He folded his jacket over his arm and went straight for the kitchen while I slipped my boots on. I heard the faucet and glanced over to see him wetting a paper towel. Did he spill something?
Then he approached me with it, his face expressionless except for the lines around his eyes that gave away his amusement. “Hold still.”
“Why? What are you doing?”
Gripping my chin between his fingers, he swiped it across my forehead. “Wiping your notes off your face,” he said. A touch of a smile broke through.
I snorted, then burst out laughing. “We’re off to a good start, then.”
