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He swallowed, then leaned back in his chair. “That,” he said, pointing at the sandwich, “might just be the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had.”

I snorted, picking up my own. “You’re such a liar.”

He shook his head, completely serious. “Nope. Perfectly crispy, the right amount of cheese… I don’t know, Rose, you might’ve just found your true calling.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped. “Well, if all else fails, at least I know I can survive on grilled cheese.”

He took another bite, grinning at me. “Hey, if you ever want to open a grilled cheese food truck, I’d be your first customer.”

I smirked, shaking my head as I took a bite. “Good to know I’ve got at least one guaranteed sale.”

Wells’ usual relaxed posture made it hard not to smile.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” he said between bites. “You didn’t get to do much today. How about after dinner tonight, we go out somewhere else? You said you enjoyed hanging out with friends back in Seattle. I’m thinking we could do something like that.”

I raised a brow. “Are you sure this isn’t a date?”

He gave me a half-smirk, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Just asking you to hang out. Not everything has to be a date, you know.”

I rolled my eyes playfully, trying not to laugh. “Oh sure, because asking me out for drinks and a good time isn’t a date.”

“Consider it a night of fun and freedom,” he said with a shrug.

I couldn’t help but feel a little more at ease hearing him say that. I wasn’t the only one noticing how hard I’d been working lately. “Okay, okay,” I said with a nod. “I’ll go along with it. But only because you’re buying the drinks.”

He chuckled, and I felt a little flutter in my chest at how easy it was to be around him. How simple it was, even with all the chaos of the farm and the busy days.

“Deal,” Wells said, finishing his sandwich and standing up. “I’m going to go finish up outside and then we can start getting ready for tonight.” He placed his plate in the dishwasher and paused at the door. “Thanks again for lunch.”

After cleaning up from lunch, I grabbed my book from my room and curled up on the couch, letting the quiet afternoon settle around me. The sound of the wind outside, the faint creaks of the old house, and the comforting weight of the book in my hands made it easy to lose track of time.

I was deep in my story when the door opened, and Wells stepped inside, smelling like sun and fresh air. He ran a hand through his hair, shaking off the last bit of the afternoon chill.

“Hey, Sunshine.”

I glanced up, tucking my bookmark between the pages. “Hi.”

He leaned against the doorway, his easy grin in place. “I’m gonna shower and start getting ready. We’ve got about three hours until our reservation.”

I blinked. “You made us reservations?”

His lips twitched. “You’ve been to Wippowa before—you know how packed downtown gets on a Friday.”

“Fair enough.”

He tilted his head. “How long will it take you to get ready?”

I set my book on the coffee table and stretched. “Well, that depends… You still haven’t told me where we’re going.” A small smile played on my lips.

His grin widened like he was enjoying having the upper hand. “Guess you’ll just have to trust me.”

Wells shot me a wink before disappearing down the hall, leaving me with a mix of curiosity and anticipation. I sat there for a moment, staring at the space where he’d just been, before shaking my head and heading upstairs to get ready.

Even though I didn’t know where we were going, I figured a Friday night in downtown Wippowa called for something a little nicer than my usual jeans and T-shirt. I settled on a soft sweater and a pair of fitted jeans, something comfortable but still put together. I took my time fixing my hair, letting it fall in loose waves, and swiped on a little mascara and lip gloss before stepping back to check my reflection.

Not bad.

Just as I was slipping on my heels, I heard Wells’ footsteps in the hallway. A second later, there was a light knock on my door.