Page 10 of A Night With You

I smile back at him, feeling my face settle into an expression that's more want than grin. "It's a date."

BENNET

Steve didn't just give me the night off from the bar. He let me borrow his truck, too, since I don't have a vehicle of my own quite yet. I didn't need one in the city, and I haven't had time to find one, and…

All this is a distraction from my nervousness.

I couldn't figure out what the hell to wear or where to go. I'm more nervous for this date than I've ever been for anything else in all my life. My heart has been practically jumping out of my chest since Aubrey walked out of the bar earlier today.

If I'm honest, it's been causing a ruckus in my chest since I saw her last night. I couldn't sleep, thinking of her. I thought of a hundred different scenarios for how we might meet again since I didn’t ask for her number. What I'd say if she showed up at the bar with her friends. What I'd say if we ran into each other at the grocery store. What I'd say if I went to her house and knocked on the door and told her I wanted a repeat of what happened at the bar.

In the end, none of them happened, because she walked into the bar, sat down across from me, and stole my heart.

If I'm honest…

I think she stole it a long time ago. I'm not sure why it took so long for me to notice, but that's the only explanation for how I feel about this date. Almost like it's already happened, and we're just catching up to how things are supposed to be.

I blow out a breath and try my damndest not to get ahead of myself.

I just want tonight to be perfect. That's what this is.

I can't even bring myself to mind that Steve and Sarah are in over their heads, because in a way, they gave us a nudge. Steve looked so pathetic sitting across the bar from me that it's no wonder Aubrey agreed to a date.

Though…

She didn't look like she needed much encouragement. If Steve hadn't been there, we might have ended up having the same conversation.

And I'd have ended up here, behind the wheel of the truck in my own driveway, losing my shit over a first date.

My phone pings.

It's a text from my dad. I unhook my hands from the wheel and pick up the phone to read it.

Dad: So, Aubrey Peters and you? You better be treating that girl right.

Word really does travel fast in a small town. I roll my eyes. What I do with Aubrey is none of anybody's business. I drop the phone back into my cupholder and ignore the text. Damn, this town is something else. I loved growing up in a small town, but I had to leave after high school.

Partly because there was one girl I couldn't stop thinking about. Days. Nights. Weeks. Months. Years. I thought about her constantly. And back then Aubrey never looked twice at me. After all, I had dated one of her good friends and broke her heart. Aubrey never knew but it was because I couldn’t stop thinking of her. It wasn’t right to her friend, who’s long gone and living her happily ever after on the other side of the country.

My phone pings again.

Dad: P.S. I heard she likes peonies. Heard it from Dale at the flower shop.

I pause, cocking my head and deciding small town gossip is good for something after all.

Okay. I have one stop to make before I pick up Aubrey. Good thing I got ready way too early, so there's plenty of extra time.

The flower shop isn't too far away from the bar. It's a little white storefront with three parking spots in front. I pull in less than five minutes later and jump out of the truck, my muscles aching like I've been sitting for days.

It's only been fifteen minutes, tops, but I'm so wound up about this date that I feel like I've been trapped in a chair for a day's worth of classes or meetings or anything that keeps me away from Aubrey.

The bells above the door chime as I go into the flower shop. It's crowded with plants in different arrangements. I make my way around them to the counter in the back, where Dale is waiting with his wife.

The guy looks way too casual. His glasses perch on his dark hair, and he peers down at the cash register with a careful look on his face, like he's trying to hide that my dad clearly talked to him about me. His wife stands at his side, beaming. She's not doing a damn thing to hide how excited she is. As I get closer, she nudges Dale with her elbow.

He does the fakest startle I've ever seen and clears his throat. "Bennet! What can I get for you?"

"Mind if I take a look at your bouquets?"