“You look beautiful. Is your dress vintage?”
Of all the things I was expecting him to say, that was definitely not on my list. I’m pretty sure he’s not gay, not with the willpower it seemed to take him to avoid staring at my breasts, but why would he…
“My grandma loves to show off all her old photo albums, and this looks just like what she wore back then. Although you look way sexier than my grandma did. Not that she wasn’t sexy. I mean, she’s a beautiful woman. Well,Idon’t think she’s sexy, just objectively…”
The blush that had begun to creep up his neck is now in full force on his cheeks as he runs a hand through his hair. I wouldn’t have thought a man who looks likethiswould ever be nervous around women, but maybe he really likes me.Or maybe he justspends all day talking to computers and doesn’t get much human interaction.
“Thank you, you look very handsome yourself.” I grab the bucket from the back seat, and he immediately takes it from me so that I don’t have to carry it. He’s curious about the contents, but I’m keeping my secret for now. We start to head toward the beach, and he doesn’t have any picnic supplies, but maybe he wants us to walk a bit first before we eat. “I’ll show you the secrets of the bucket in a bit. To answer your question, itisvintage inspired. You have a good eye.”
His bashful smile is so cute that I don’t realize where he’s leading me until we’re almost there. He runs his hand through his hair again, which I can already surmise is his favorite nervous tell. Not that he needs one, with how readily he blushes. Before I can feel self-conscious about how nervous I’m making him, I see where he’s led me. Just a little way down the beach from the parking lot is the reason his feet were already bare and sand-covered when he met me.
Teddy has set up some sort of…picnic showroom? There are three distinct areas, each with a blanket down and various items already set up. The sun is just starting to set, and flameless candles of various sizes are placed on and around each blanket, along with lanterns.
The picnic closest to us is the simplest, with a red-and-white gingham blanket as the base. A simple wicker basket and cooler sit atop it, with paper plates and cutlery alongside plastic cups and tealights. I raise an eyebrow at Teddy, but he just shrugs.
“This one is pub subs and chips, with soda and beer in the cooler. I figured a true beach picnic might be up your alley, so—”
“How do you know what pub subs are?” Publix is a Floridian institution, and while they’ve expanded across the country, I’m not sure the tradition of grabbing subs from the deli and spending the day at the beach is well-known.
“One of my te…coworkers has put me onto them. Delicious, and he told me they’re perfect for the beach.”
“This is a strong contender, Teddy. I feel like Goldilocks, with so many choices. What’s that one?” I nod my head at the next setup, and he leads me over with an infectious excitement.
“So option two is a little more activity-based. I brought a charcuterie board—full disclosure, I bought it, I’m not talented enough to balance the flavors—and some games. One of them is a really fun icebreaker game we played at work. I added some different prompts to get to know each other. Another is Candyland, which was my favorite as a kid. Just in case you wanted to have something to do with your hands while we ate. Although, based on the secret bucket you’ve been carrying, you might have the activity portion down.”
He’s on a roll now, seeing that I’m not totally turned off by his enthusiasm and moving me toward the final section. “This is the fancy picnic that’s barely a picnic.”
What he says is “barely a picnic” looks more like a romantic beach dinner at an all-inclusive resort. A pergola supports flowy fabric tied to each beam, and a table is set with real cutlery and a white tablecloth. Tall candelabras hold tapered flameless candles, and silver domes cover several dishes set on a sideboard just beside the table.
“It’s steak, chicken, and fish with a Greek salad and vegetable sides. Plus champagne. In case you didn’t feel like eating on theground, or you were wearing something as gorgeous as you are and didn’t want to risk getting dirty.”
He’s waiting for me to choose between the three perfect dates he’s planned and set up, and my heart melts as he gives me a soft smile.
“I don’t think I can choose. What do you say we grab those pub subs, the game you mentioned, and sit at the table and nibble on a bit of everything? They’re all perfect, though. You could have gone to one-third of the effort, and I would’ve been thrilled.”
He furrows his brows at me and fixes me with a look that makes me shiver. “I haven’t planned a first date in a long time. This can be your new setpoint for the bare minimum. I don’t anticipate ever putting in any less effort for you than this.”
Well, damn.I really don’t have anything to say to that, so I smile and gather my choices from each blanket before we make our way to the pergola. I open the jar with icebreaker prompts, but I can’t read a word on them.
“Did you handwrite these? Is this English or hieroglyphics?”
With a good-natured eye roll, he pops the champagne and pours us each a generous glass. “Very funny. It’s English, although I’ll have you know I did multiple school projects about Egypt as a child…”
Two hours later, the sun has fully set, we’ve eaten our way through all three of the picnics, and my stomach hurts from laughing. Teddy has been a consummate gentleman all evening, catering to my every whim and even wrapping a shawl he bought for me around my shoulders when I got chilly. He’s complimented me all evening in soft ways that aren’t about my looks, including how impressive it was that I finished off my whole steak. When he said he loved that I enjoyed food, and I told him to just waituntil I made him homemade pasta, his eyes lit up with a hunger that I swear wasn’t just for my spaghetti.
Our icebreaker game was light and fun, yet still allowed us to talk about our childhoods, pet peeves, and even a brief political discussion. We’re clicking so well that I’m almost afraid I’m about to be pranked. Or that he will utterly hate my surprise. Once we’ve finished dessert, I decide to make my move. My supply bucket is beside my chair, so I stand and start digging for the flashlights.
“Have you ever seen crabs on the beach?”
Damn, where are the flashlights?It’s been a while since I’ve gone crab hunting, and it seems my bucket has gathered non-crab-related paraphernalia, including at least one hockey puck from my messy brothers throwing their belongings around and using my bucket for their activities.
Even though I can’t see him, Teddy’s confusion is clear from his tone. “Have I ever seen…crabs?”
“Yeah, you know. Out on the beach late at night, fooling around, then bam! A crab!”
Chapter 7
“Yeah, you know.Out on the beach late at night, fooling around, then bam! A crab!”
