“For what it’s worth,” he says quietly, “I really do hope you stay. And I’m going to do everything I can to show you why Copper Creek is worth choosing, why this life right here is worth choosing.”
“That’s a lot of pressure.”
“I know, but I’m willing to take the risk if you are.”
I squeeze his hand. “I’m willing.”
“Okay then.” He stands, pulling me up with him. “So, dinner tonight. Seven o’clock. I’ll pick you up, take you somewhere nice, and we’ll have an actual first date like normal people.”
“I don’t think either of us has probably ever been normal.”
“Well, then we’ll fake it.”
He’s standing close now, close enough that I can see flecks of gold in the middle of his blue eyes. For a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me anyway, but he doesn’t. He just reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering for a second. It’s becoming a pattern, and I love it.
“Seven o’clock,” he repeats.
“I’ll be ready.”
After he leaves, I lean against the closed door, touching the spot behind my ear where his fingers were. This is torture, sweet, exquisite torture. But he’s right. If we’re going to do this, we need to do it right. I need to figure out what I want before I risk his heart along with mine.
I just hope I can figure that out before it’s too late.
CHAPTER 13
I spend the rest of the day in a weird haze of nervous energy. I try to do my paperwork, but I just can’t focus. I fiddle around in the storage area, even though Presley already organized it perfectly. I polish the bar top until it gleams. Dolly arrives for her shift around three and takes a look at me.
“Well, you’re fidgety today.”
“I am not fidgety.”
“Sugar, you’ve wiped down that same section of the bar four times in the last five minutes. What in the world is going on?”
“Wyatt and I are going on a date tonight.”
Her face lights up. “Finally. About time you two stopped dancing around each other.”
“We’re taking it slow.”
“Uh-huh.” She doesn’t seem convinced.
“We are. We had a whole conversation about it. About how we’re gonna be smart and not rush into anything and make sure we know what we want before we complicate things.”
“And how do you think that’s working out for you?”
“Terrible so far. I’m a nervous wreck.”
She laughs. “Well, that’s because you like him. Really, really like him. And that’s scary when you don’t know what’s coming next.”
“So how did you get so wise?”
“Honey, I’ve been watching people fall in love in this bar for many, many years. You pick up a few things.” She starts slicing lemons. “Can I give you some advice?”
“Please.”
“Stop trying to figure out what you’re gonna do in October right now. You’ve still got months. That’s a lot of time. You just focus on tonight, on getting to know him, on seeing if this thing between you is real or if it’s just proximity and loneliness.”
“Proximity? You think it could just be proximity?”
