AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Me: You’re too sweet.
The thought of Preston Bradford falling in love with me made me a little giddy. Was it possible? I was just a small-town girl. What could a guy like him possibly see in me?
I looked myself up and down in the mirror. Well, I felt great in my outfit, so that was a start. Whether or not something was going to happen between me and Preston remained to be seen.
But the red lipstick and sexy heels couldn’t hurt.
Audrey and I texted back and forth a few more times and she wished me a great night. I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high, but I had a feeling it wasn’t just going to be great—it was going to be magical.
I wasn’t one to believe in things like fate, but there had to be something to how Preston and I had met. It had been such a long time since I’d met anyone new. It was like the storm had blown him into my life.
There was a knock on my door, so with one last look in the mirror, I tucked my lipstick and phone into my clutch and went to greet my date.
He stood on my doorstep in a full suit, tailored to perfection. Not a hair was out of place and his stubble was neat, but he didn’t look like he’d fussed over his appearance either. He was drop dead gorgeous and he made it look absolutely effortless.
His eyes swept over me, taking me in before looking straight into my eyes. “Wow. You look incredible.”
My cheeks warmed. “Thank you. So do you.”
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
I grabbed my wool trench coat and before I could put it on, Preston was there to hold it for me while I slid my arms in. His closeness was intoxicating, especially when I caught a whiff of his scent. I didn’t know what cologne he was wearing, but it was warm and masculine, making my insides swirl.
Taking a second to blink away the effects of his manliness, I made sure I had everything before shutting and locking the door behind me.
With a light touch on my back, Preston led me to the passenger side of his black Audi. He opened the door for me, offered his hand to help me in, and closed it when I was seated.
How did he know how much I loved all those gentlemanly gestures? We’d only just met, he couldn’t have known ahead of time.
Which meant it must have been normal for him.
Swoon!
He got in and flashed me a dimpled smile. “I was thinking, there aren’t a lot of good restaurant options here in town. Are you up for something a little more adventurous?”
“Sure, adventurous sounds fun.”
His eyes swept up and down again, making me feel as if he liked what he saw. “Good.”
My stomach tingled with anticipation as we drove through town. What did something a little more adventurous mean? Where were we going?
We made light small talk and I noticed he was good at keeping the conversation going. He turned down a road I didn’t take very often. There wasn’t much out that way except a small, rural airport. There was a restaurant at the airport, but it didn’t seem like the sort of place Preston Bradford would take a date.
Then again, maybe he would. The food was good and it was fun to watch the planes take off. I’d had lunch there with Annika and Isabelle and their kids a few times. The kids certainly loved it. Maybe I’d been expecting too much—something too fancy—and I needed to bring my imagination back down to earth.
When he turned into the parking lot of the small airport, I was a mix of confused and curious. He didn’t offer an explanation, just came around to my side of the car, opened the door, and offered his hand to help me out—all with a little knowing smile.
“What do you have up your sleeve, Mr. Bradford?”
His smile grew, puckering his dimples. “You’ll see.”
He offered his arm and we headed toward the main building.
The airport was so small, it didn’t have an actual terminal. There were no commercial flights coming in or out, just private planes. He led me inside and walked right past the bar and grill with a view of the runway. At a door on the far side, he pulled a card out of his inside jacket pocket and swiped it to gain access.
I had so many questions, but I pressed my lips together. He obviously had a plan and I wanted to see how it would play out. Were we going flying? Was he a pilot? I was pinging with excitement and a little bit of fear. I’d never been in a small plane before.
