Page 37 of A Fall to Remember

“California cold hits different,” he said with a wink. Then he pointed to his place card. “So this is us? Any notes for me? How should we play this? Should I lean in and give you my best smoldering look?” He pretended to give her his sexiest gaze. It wasn’t hard, and it wasn’t pretending. His breath caught in his chest as he stared into her eyes. God, she was gorgeous.

Shelby laughed and patted his arm, making his stomach drop. “I think just be yourself.”

Great.

She isn’t into this.

This was a one-way flirtation.

He needed to chill—now.

A staff member passed by with a tray of drinks. He reached for a glass of red wine and took a long, slow drink, trying to regain control of his emotions. No one had made him feel like this for a long time. He was seriously crushing.

Maybe pretending to be on a date was a bad idea after all.

Thank goodness Mom was a theater junkie and had encouraged him to take acting classes in high school. He needed to tap into his days in the high school gym, where they rehearsed Our Town, because they had to share the stage with the orchestra and band.

Pete, she’s not into you.

This is her job.

Stop trying to make something happen.

“Everyone, we’re going to be getting started with the first course in just a few minutes,” the organizer said on the microphone. “Feel free to mingle, grab a drink, and then find your seats. Our chef will share notes about each of the courses, and then we have some fun fall surprises in store for you tonight.” She paused and swept her hand toward the sky. “As you can see, the weather couldn’t be better. We’re in for a stunning sunset. Once the sun does go down, we’ll light the portable heaters, and we have extra blankets on hand. For those of you visiting Half Moon Bay for the first time, it can get chilly, so please let us know if you need anything. We want you to be comfortable and enjoy a delectable farm meal with us. Cheers.”

People clapped and raised their glasses. “See, it’s not just me,” Pete said to Shelby.

“I never doubted your weather prowess.” She reached for her phone. “Turn around. Let’s take a pre-dinner selfie.”

Pete’s muscles stiffened as Shelby leaned in close enough that he could smell her lotion—it was coconutty and almost tropical. She pressed her cheek toward his and clicked a photo. He didn’t want to pull away. If they could just stay like this all night that would be fine with him.

“Perfect.” Shelby pulled away from him, completely unfazed.

It was obviously just him, feeling an internal swirl of dizziness.

“Should we sit?” Shelby gestured to their chairs.

Pete was about to pull out her chair for her. Mom had taught him that, among about a million other things, from how to sew a button or hem a pant leg to the best way to boil pasta, and the importance of showing up for himself and those around him.

Elise interrupted them. “Hey, hold up, you two. We’ve got a plot twist!”

“What kind of twist?” Shelby frowned.

Pete could already tell from spending the day with her that she was the kind of person who liked and expected everything to go according to her plan. It was cute. Mom had always encouraged Pete, in her words, to “go with the flow” and stay flexible.

He did for the most part, but he also appreciated that Shelby knew what she wanted and went after it without being even the slightest bit apologetic. Maybe that’s one of the reasons he had agreed to this whole “Find Pete a Date” thing. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his life. He did. He was happy, but something had been missing for a while. Or maybe, someone.

Shelby had sparked an internal desire. It was like she’d ignited a flame inside him and now he couldn’t put it out.

“I found you a real date, Pete!” Elise held her phone in her left hand and tapped the screen with her right finger. “Remember Lacy? The woman who keeps coming into the store whenever you’re not there?”

“Isn’t Lacy the woman from the FaceTime call?” Shelby asked.

“That’s right.” Elise beamed. “She slid into my DMs. She’s seen the video, and she totally wants to meet you.”

“Great,” Pete muttered through a clenched smile.

“The best part is, she already had a ticket for tonight.” Elise pointed to the table with her hand. Her many rings caught the candlelight and reflected it out from their gemstones. “We’ve been exchanging messages. She’s parking right now and is all in for being your date.”