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I was more nervous than I had been for our first two dates. When he came inside, it was only the two of us. Inviting him over had been a spontaneous decision, and I hadn’t really stopped to think about the lack of distractions until now.

“These are for you.” He handed me a small white bag.

I peered inside, and my eyes widened. “You brought me black truffles?”

“Since you seemed to enjoy the edible flowers so much, I decided to go with something else you can use in the kitchen.”

“You’re very good at giving gifts,” I murmured as I shut the door behind him.

“Hopefully, I haven’t set a precedent that I won’t be able to meet in the future,” he joked.

I led him into the kitchen. “You don’t need to bring me something when we go out. Just yourself.”

“I know. That’s exactly why I like finding things you’ll enjoy.” He lifted my hand and brushed a kiss against my knuckles, sending a spark of awareness all the way up my arm. “You appreciate them.”

“I appreciate you,” I corrected, emphasizing the last word.

“Because you’re a very special woman.”

My nose wrinkled. “That makes me wonder who you’ve been dating lately.”

“Nobody serious, until you.” Still holding my hand, he brushed his lips against mine. “And I haven’t bought gifts for another woman except my mother or daughter in longer than I can remember.”

“Then I guess you’re right about me being special.” Because Julian made me feel that way. “But you are too.”

His blue gaze took in the food staged on my counter. “You’re certainly treating me like I am with all this.”

“I wanted to do something on the lighter side that would go well with the tiramisu that I promised you.”

“Scallops and risotto are impressive.”

“Don’t forget the salad,” I teased. “But really, it’s one of my favorite pairings.”

“Need any help?”

I shook my head. “Everything’s ready. I just need to sear the scallops, which will take only a couple of minutes per side. The pan is already hot.”

Julian leaned against the counter while I finished the meal. And just as I was plating everything for us, I thought about the gift he brought tonight.

Reaching into the bag, I pulled out the black truffle and got my mandoline to shave some onto the risotto. “The rice will gently warm the truffle, which will be balanced out by the Parmigiano Reggiano I used.”

He looked down at the plates, his smile widening when he spotted the violas I’d garnished the scallops with. “You used both my gifts.”

“As I said, you’re very good at giving them.”

I carried the meal over to the table, which Megan had set for me. Glancing over my shoulder, I asked, “Can you grab the wine?”

He took the open bottle and brought it over. “Want me to pour?”

“Yes, please.”

He filled the glasses halfway, then set the bottle aside so it wouldn’t block our view of each other as we sat down at my small table. Then he lifted his glass and tipped the rim slightly toward me. “To dinner with the chef who’s already outdone the fantastic meals on our first two dates.”

“You haven’t taken a single bite yet.”

“I can tell you put a lot of thought into what you’re serving me tonight. Then you made it pretty enough that my daughter would take a photo of her plate to post to social media. And to top it all off, you put my gifts to good use, which makes me feel like I contributed to this meal.” He set his glass down and reached over to hold my hand. “That makes tonight special in a way dinner reservations can’t be. No matter how good the restaurant is.”

Julian’s gratitude meant the world to me because I knew he truly appreciated my efforts. But before I got teary-eyed over it, I lightened the mood. “Be warned, I might want delivery pizza for our next date.”