“Ahhh.” My mind scrambles for something,anything,to cover up my blunder. “My doll,” I blurt. “I still have my favorite doll from when I was little.”
He smiles. “I think a lot of people keep their favorite childhood comfort items. Even I have a box full of toys in storage at the farm that I always thought I’d pass on to my children. Seems kind of silly to have hung onto them now though.”
“You don’t see yourself having kids anymore?”
We stop beside his truck and his brows lift while he unlocks the doors. “At my age? I don’t know I’d be much of a father anymore.”
“I think you’d make a wonderful father, Theo. You’ve got so much life experience, lots of patience, and a ton of exciting stories to tell. Which is kind of what has surprised me about you. I misjudged you at the wedding. I thought you were stuck up and felt yourself too worldly for a smalltown girl like me.”
Placing his hand against the side of the truck right over my shoulder, I feel the heat of his body as he dips his head toward mine. I hold my breath.Is he going to kiss me?
“I’m genuinely sorry I didn’t dance with you that night, Spot,” he whispers, the rough edge to his voice doing delightful things to my insides. “I wanted to. I just…”
“Also didn’t want to?” I finish, trying to make a joke, but also revealing my fear that even now, even with him this close and so obviously flirting with me, that maybe I won’t be enough. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard the line, ‘I like you but…”
“No,” he murmurs, his other hand ghosting down my forearm until he reaches my hand and links our fingers. “I did want to. I just couldn’t.”
“Why?” I blurt, searching his eyes for some understanding when his only answer is a small smile.
“Let’s get you home,” he says, shifting back from the truck and pulling open the passenger door. He keeps a hold of my hand until I’ve climbed into my seat, and he even makes sure I have my safety belt buckled securely. And with every touch, every brush of our bodies, my skin alights on fire. I have no idea what Theo wants from me, or where this is going to end up. But I do know is that I want him all over me. I want him to touch me and kiss me in a way that no other man has before. I want him to want me in the same way I want him.
“Wait. We should be driving back to the shop to pick up my car,” I say, when he starts driving in the direction of the vineyard instead of the garage. “I need it to get to work in the morning.”
“I’ll drive you,” he says quickly, and the implications of the simple comment have me turning toward the window while I fight a grin.Does this mean he wants to stay over?
Oh my!
“You know, for a guy who doesn’t dance much, you were pretty good at it tonight.”
“That’s because I had a great partner,” he shoots back, flashing me a grin while still focusing on the road.
I twist and tangle my fingers in my lap, so nervous but also excited. And I try my best to keep my cool about this situation, but it’s a solid twenty-minute drive, and my mind won’t stop racing. I need to know what this is.
“What’s going on here, Theo?” I quickly ask. “I mean, forgive me if I’ve read this all way wrong, but it feels like you’ve been flirting with me all night. You know, complementing me, dancing with me, touching me when you can. I just…I need to know if you mean all those things, or if maybe you’re just playing with me. And it’s OK if you are—playing with me, I mean. I’m a big girl and I can handle rejection. But I just really,reallyneed to know if something is happening here. I don’t want to get my hopes up and then suddenly feel foolish when it turns out this was all just a tease, you know?”
He glances at me and frowns. “People tease you like that?”
“I’ve been big and a little awkward all my life, Theo. Of course I’ve been teased.”
The furrow in his brow deepens as he slows to turn into my driveway. “I’m not teasin’, Dottie,” he says the moment he pulls his truck to a stop outside the farmhouse. “I’d never do something like that.”
I bite the inside of my lip to keep from smiling too wide. “So that means you really were flirting with me all night? This was a—”
“A date, yeah.”
Dropping my face because I can’t fight the smile anymore, I draw in a slow breath as my skin turns from warm to hot. “Does that mean you’re gonna walk me to my door?”
All my life, I’ve watched movies and read books where the girl gets walked to her door at the end of the date. It’s this intense moment when she finds out if the boy—or man in my case—likes her enough to kiss her.And maybe more…
“You wait right there, Dottie Fox. Not only and I gonna walk you to your door, but I’m gonna open the car door like a gentleman for you too.”
“OK,” I say, swallowing hard so I don’t squeal out my excitement. This is seriously the best night ever! I had all but given up on ever feeling romanced. But then Theo wanders into town and suddenly I’m living the dreams of teenage me in high definition. I’m sure this seems silly to some. But to me, it’s like being treated like a princess. Big girls deserve to be princesses too.
“My lady,” Theo says, opening my door with a dramatic bow and making me laugh as he holds out his hand and helps me down.
“This has been really fun, Theo,” I whisper when we reach my door. My heart thunders in my ears and I wonder if he can hear it too. The night is so quiet that I wouldn’t be surprised. But what can I say? I’m excited. I’m about to have my firstreal,meaningful kiss.
“I have enjoyed every second of your company, Spot.”
