“I don’t know. When Wilder handed me the questionnaire, I froze. I had no idea how to answer the questions. I found myself answering them like you would have.” Dawson rambled on about how he doesn’t want to hurt Lainey’s feelings by canceling their date, but he doesn’t want to hurt Esme’s feelings any more than he already has.
“I’ll do it,” I say, causing Dawson to pause in the middle of his sentence, blinking in confusion but not saying a word. “I said I’ll do it--I’ll take your place and go on your date tonight with Lainey.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to interrupt your plans for tonight. Dash said you asked him to work for you tonight.” The relieved expression on Dawson’s face betrays his concern for my nonexistent plans for tonight.
“I’m sure Jameson won’t mind if I cancel our plans for tonight.” I shift my gaze to the bottle of Irish whiskey sitting on the table next to me.
Dawson shrugs his shoulders, not understanding my little joke, “Here, you can take her the roses I bought.” He picks up the bouquet of red roses from the coffee table and hands them to me.
“No, red roses are too predictable for Lainey.” I hold my hand up and shake my head. “I have a better idea of what to get her.” I don’t mention that I need to talk with Esme at the flower shop because I’m pretty sure, judging by Dawson’s behavior, he didn’t explain anything to her.
“Thank you, brother.” Dawson exhales deeply. “I owe you big time.”
“You don’t owe me anything.” It’s about time I pulled my head out of my ass and claimed Lainey as my own.
six
Lainey
My phone buzzes withan incoming message from my group chat with Marigold, Esme, and Ruby.
Esme:Has he shown up yet?
It’s hard to tell from a text whether she’s happy or upset at the thought of Dawson showing up for our date.
Me:Not yet. He’s already ten minutes late, so I might just call it a night and go home.
Esme:You can’t. I mean, he’s expecting you. You can’t just walk out on your date.
Marigold:Esme’s right--it wouldn’t be polite to leave. If anything, take a few turns on the ice. I know how much you love ice skating.
She’s not wrong. Most of my childhood was spent in Minnesota, where if you didn’t know how to ice skate or snowmobile by the time you were five, you weren’t a true Minnesotan. Luckily, all my foster parents believed that, and I was given ice skates whenever my feet outgrew the last pair. They might have been hand-me-downs or from the secondhand store, but I still loved the freedom of skating across the ice, as free as a bird with no worries in the world.
Ruby:I feel like I missed something.
Marigold:Maybe if you’d unlock lips with your boss for five seconds, you’d know what’s going on.
Once again, Marigold isn’t wrong—ever since Ruby got her Galentine’s Day wish, she and her boss have been inseparable. Who would have guessed that celebrating being single the day before Valentine’s Day would lead to those two finally revealing their feelings for each other?
Lucky bitch.
Esme:Long story short, Lainey and Dean made out in his office last night. Wilder and Aspen accidentally interrupted. Dean told Lainey it would never happen again. Lainey was matched with Dean’s brother, Dawson, through Aspen’s mail-order bride dating service, and they’re going on a date tonight.
Ruby:Wow, okay, you’re right—I do need to be more on top of things.
Marigold:Speaking of being on top of things... Is Dawson there yet?
Esme:Why don’t you worry about who Warren’s on top of? I heard he’s looking for a date for Wilder and Aspen’s wedding.
Marigold:Son of a bitch, he better be asking me.
Me:Or you could ask him first.
Marigold:That’s not a bad idea.
Done with this conversation, I text my goodbyes and decide to take their advice and do a few laps around the skating rink since it’s not very crowded tonight.
I tighten the laces on my brand-new ice skates—a rare splurge for me, but I needed something to make this night special. They are exactly like the ones I always dreamed of owning, a pale blue with white fur at the top. Too bad that man by my side tonight won’t be the one I dream of every night.
