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He just stands there in shock with the paintbrush in his hand. “Wait. What?!”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Dane

I’ve been on dates before.

Plenty of them.

But none where I’ve spent twenty minutes deciding which fucking shirt to wear.

I changed three times before Travis finally looked up from his guitar and asked if I was going to dinner or posing for a department store catalog.

Kendall said it would be after midnight before I finally settled on an outfit.

I rolled my eyes and changed again.

Now, I’m sitting across from Ivy at Jack Jameson’s Bar & Grill, and I’m glad I did because every time those blue eyes slide over me, I feel like I made the right choice.

She obviously looks stunning tonight. She always looks stunning, but tonight is on a whole other level.

Her lips are all shiny and keep stealing my focus. I can’t stop thinking about her, obsessing over her, desperate to kiss her again. Every time she wraps those sexy lips around her straw and takes a sip, I want to throw her over my shoulder and carry her to my bedroom.

Would it be bad to ask for a kiss on a first date before the appetizers show up? Because it’s all I can think about.

Her blonde hair is down tonight, falling in loose waves over a fitted cream sweater that is showing no cleavage, but somehow that’s even sexier. She’s wearing dark jeans that hug her curves and when I first saw her stepping out of her car I audibly groaned. An older couple nearby looked at me funny, but I couldn’t help it. She’s fucking beautiful.

“So, what are you going to do here now that you own it?” she asks, looking around the lively restaurant. The booths are full, the music is good, and a young waitress walks by with a sizzling plate of fajitas, steam trailing behind her. “I can see you as a cook with a tight white shirt, pack of Marlboros in your rolled-up sleeve.”

I laugh. “Do you have a thing for cooks?”

“I have a thing for any man who brings me food, regardless of who made it.”

I like her. I love how passionate she is and how she’s always joking around. She’s the type of girl who would make a long car ride fly by. Who would be fun to grocery shop with. Who would fit in with my siblings and always keep me on my toes.

She’s wife material.

She’s soulmate material.

A woman sitting at a table across the dining room catches my eye. We smile at each other. Her name is Heather Whitaker and she’s the town’s Planning Director. She excuses herself from her husband and comes over.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she says. “Hi, Ivy.”

“Hey, Heather,” Ivy says with a warm smile.

Heather turns back to me. “Dane, I never got the chance to thank you for the donation. We’re all so excited for next summer. With the new pavilion we’ll be able to have live music every Saturday night. We’ll bring in food trucks and set up a dance floor. I can’t wait.”

“New pavilion?” Ivy asks, tilting her head.

“It’s going to be wonderful,” Heather says, lighting up. “The old one was too expensive to repair and we were going to have to tear it down. Dane has generously offered to donate a new one, bigger than before. I can’t thank you enough, Dane.”

“It’s my pleasure,” I say. “This town was built by people who cared about it. I may be new here, but I want to do my part to keep it special.”

I catch Ivy looking at me with those gorgeous blue eyes. There’s something softer in them now. Warmer.

I think I’m starting to grow on her.

“Well, it’s going to be so much fun,” Heather says. “Enjoy your meal, you two. And I must say, I’m loving this. You two are so cute together!”