Page 44

“Yeah. It’s in my room. C’mon.” He gestures with his hand as he guides me to his hotel room next door, then points to the brown shopping bag on his king-size bed. “It’s in there.”

I cross the room to pull out the garment, but I find a few different pieces in the bag. There’s a beautiful purple long-sleeve dress—two of them.

I glance over at Calvin, and he shrugs. “I didn’t know your size. Did I at least get one right?”

I grab the tag, and the first one is the size below mine, but the second one is right on the money. I pull out the other clothes and sneak a look at the tags, and there are duplicates of all the clothes, with every outfit having my correct size.

“You did well,” I praise.

He rewards me with the sweetest smile in return.

I peruse through the options, and I honestly love them all, but my eyes keep returning to the deep purple dress. I lift ‌the dress toward Calvin. “Can I?”

“Yeah, of course. You can change here if you want, or you can go back to your room. Whatever you prefer.”

I slip into his bathroom and then into my new long-sleeve dress. I take in my reflection in the mirror. It fits perfectly. I fix and fluff my hair, and take an extra minute before returning to Cal and our date.

My very first date.

“Ready?” he asks, doing a double take as I exit the bathroom and grab my purse.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Calvin

My heart is racing, and my palms are sweaty under the dining table.

Is it hot in here, or is it just me?

I stare at the beautiful woman in purple sitting across from me. Her strawberry-blonde hair is down and glowing with matching freckles covering her bare face.

A slight smile touches her lips. “You are staring.”

“I can’t help it. You are so beautiful.”

She rolls her eyes.

“You are,” I say solemnly. “You better believe me. If not, I’m going to tell you several times a day.”

“We don’t even see each other that much.”

“There’s this thing called a cellphone, and you can even send messages.”

“Oh, I think I’ve heard of it. Is there a block button by chance, too?”

“You wouldn’t dare,” I joke.

She shrugs in return, but there’s a playful light in her eyes that I don’t often see.

“Another glass of wine?” A server appears out of nowhere.

I default to Scarlett for an answer, and she agrees. “Yeah, sure.”

“Me too.” I can’t let her drink alone.

There were not too many dining options near the inn that we haven’t eaten at yet. This restaurant was just around the corner from the inn, and I discovered it when I was walking past it earlier, trying to find some clothing options. I guess I could have done a rideshare or cab or whatever option they have down on Cape Cod, but I kind of enjoy this small town and this cozy block we are situated on.