Heat rose in her cheeks, and she folded her arms like that could hide the fact she’d answered the door half dressed. “You’re early.”
He glanced at his watch. “Actually, I’m right on time.”
Goodness. The image of him standing there like that could have been captured and put on a magazine cover.
River gave him a look. “What happened to being fashionably late?”
Mathew stepped a fraction closer, close enough that she caught the clean scent of him, close enough that her pulse did something inconvenient. For a heartbeat she thought he might kiss her.
Instead, he lifted his hand and traced a light knuckle along her jaw—barely there, but it lit up her nerves anyway.
“I didn’t want to waste a single minute of our time together,” he said, with the most genuine tone she’d ever heard.
The words landed harder than they should’ve. No teasing. No charm for show. Just an honest from-the-heart statement.
River swallowed, forcing air back into her lungs. “Lucky for you, I’ll be ready in five.”
That’s when she noticed what he was holding…flowers, cradled carefully in one hand.
He followed her gaze, then looked back at her, almost cautious. “I’ll set these inside. If you don’t have a vase, I’ll find something else to put them in while you finish getting ready.”
River nodded, too quickly, and stepped back to let him in before she did something ridiculous like stare at him all night.
Then she turned and hurried to her room, her heart thudding like she was falling in love.
They pulledup in front of the country club. River knew it also housed the best restaurant in town. She’d put on her nicest outfit, but sitting here in the passenger seat, it still didn’t feel like enough.
Before Mathew could climb out, she caught his hand.
He looked down at her fingers wrapped around his, then lifted his gaze. “Something wrong?”
She swallowed. “This is… a lot.”
His brows drew together. “A lot how?”
“The dinner. The flowers. All of it.” She made a small, helpless gesture toward the building. “You don’t have to do this.”
Mathew turned toward her fully, his gaze locking with hers. Instead of arguing, he brought his hand to her cheek, which completely threw off her train of thought.
“River,” he said softly, “I know I don’thaveto do this. But I want to.” His thumb brushed once along her cheekbone. “I asked you out because I wanted to spend time with you. I wanted to take you out and do something nice.”
Her throat tightened. “But it costs?—”
“I can handle dinner.” His mouth curved in a boyish grin. “And after it’s over, if it still feels like too much, you tell me.We can do coffee next time. Or burgers. Or anything else you’d rather do.”
Something in her chest loosened at that, at the way he offered her an out without making her feel small for needing one.
She nodded, once. “Okay.”
Mathew slid out first, then came around to her side. When she stepped onto the pavement, he offered his arm.
River hesitated for a heartbeat before hooking her hand into the crook of his elbow.
It felt… unreal. Like someone had plucked her from reality and dropped her in the middle of a fairy tale. This wasn’t the life she’d ever pictured herself living. Mathew was practically Prince Charming, and she was the poor girl in town who didn’t have a penny or a family to her name.
It wasn’t that this whole situation made her feel uncomfortable. She was flexible. There had been plenty of times in her life when she’d had to make adjustments to the way she viewed the world. And right now, it seemed like Mathew wanted to pull her into his orbit.
If anything, it was thrilling. So maybe she should just relax and enjoy the moment.
