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He grinned. “Nah, nothing so dramatic. Why don’t you open it and see?”
She hesitated, lifted the lid, and—
“How…what…how?” Chloe glanced between him and the box. She reached in and grabbed the stack of inserts from the newspaper. At least twenty copies of the anniversary article.
“This has been out of print for at least a few days…” She couldn’t believe it—not only did she have more copies than she’d ever need, but the papers were brand new. A stack of starched, pressed, crisp inserts. How?
Gage shrugged. “Had a chat with the head of the paper.”
Her eyes widened. “What, you walked in and—”
“It took some persuading, but this is what you wanted, right?”
She looked at the stack. He hadn’t just found her a copy. He’d found her twenty.
“Yes,” she whispered. After everything, Gage had come in and saved the day.
And that reality hit a spot between her ribs that made her heart soften for him.
He ran a hand along the back of his neck. “I thought maybe some extras would be smart, so you could give them out or scrapbook them or something…”
Was Gage actually…nervous? Like he was worried about whether she would be happy with his gift. The need to hug him came flooding back double time. Not to mention—he thought she scrapbooked? Adorable.
“Thank you.” She ran her palm over the stack again. “This is really amazing.”
He shrugged but leveled his intense gaze on her. “It’s my job to find things, sweetheart. Making you happy is a bonus.” He patted the counter and turned to leave.
“Gage?”
He glanced back.
Chloe bit her lip. She could do this. Deep breaths. “Would you, um, want to have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
Gage’s eyes widened and his eyebrows arched. “Are you asking me on a date?”
“Yes…looks like I am.”
He smiled. “I’d love to.”
Chapter Seven
Chloe knocked on Gage’s door, her heart hammering in her chest. She ran her palms down her simple blue dress and waited. Usually, Gage had stayed in a hotel for the times he’d come to town previously, but that was a weekend at a time. This time he’d rented a studio apartment overlooking the water.
She was on a date. Again. And this time, it’d been her idea. But he’d been way too thoughtful—romantic even—for her to let him walk away with nothing. And now she had to figure out how to get through tonight with her panties intact.
Gage opened the door, and her breath caught. Even in a simple white button-up with rolled-up sleeves, dark jeans and barefoot, he was stunning.
She frowned at his feet. “Are you ready?”
He opened his door wide and spread an arm to invite her in. “I’m ready for our date, but I thought the location could be here tonight.”
She bit the inside of her cheek. “So we’re going to be alone in your house for our date?”
A few days ago, she’d have killed to be alone with him in his house. But that had been when she thought alone in Gage’s house meant no clothes and lots of sex. Now it meant more. Now it meant acknowledging that she felt the things for him that she’d promised never to feel.
He nodded. “Yep. And you look beautiful.”
She stayed near the front door as he closed it behind her. “Well, per your conditions of romance before sex, I brought my chastity belt.”
