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“There’s a game of darts going on over there that I’m going to dominate,” she says, winking at me. I’m grateful for being left along with him but also anxious. I haven’t been able to get him off my mind, and here we are, face to face. My attraction to him is intense, and now our physical proximity is closer than we’ve ever been.
“She’s cool,” Tate says as Callie walks across the room.
“Sometimes she can be a little much, but that’s my best friend,” I tell him, tucking pieces of hair behind my ear.
“That’s wonderful. I wish that I had a best friend like that here.”
“You have a best friend though, right?” The question just slips out.
“Not really. I had some close friends back in Chicago, but no one I keep in touch with regularly. I never made close friends here because I’m not in town much.”
That sounds sad to me, but Tate doesn’t seem to care. He utters it as though it were merely a fact.
“It’s never too late to make friends,” I reply.
“True.”
“It’s funny—” we both say at the same time.
“I’m sorry,” Tate says.
“No, good ahead,” I reply. I can’t even remember what I was going to say.
“Well, I was going to say that it’s funny that you’re here tonight. I was thinking about you earlier,” Tate admits, and his words cause blood to pump faster through my body. I swallow hard, almost willing to admit I was thinking about him too, but decide not to.
“Really?” I ask, trying not to sound too excited.
“Well—” I have a feeling he’s choosing his words wisely. Tate laughs to himself, and he might be just as nervous as I am. “I don’t even know how to say this, so I’m just going to put it out there.”
“Okay.” I take a nervous sip of my beer.
“I have a proposition for you,” he says.
“A proposition for me?” I raise a brow, my curiosity piqued.
&n
bsp; He looks at me and the connection between us is undeniable. His gaze holds mine and when I lower my eyes and stare at his mouth, I catch him doing the same.
We both blink and swallow nervously.
“It sounds kinda crazy, but I have an event to go to, and I’m in need of a date,” he sheepishly explains.
I nearly fall off my barstool at his words. Is Tate asking me to be his date?
“What kind of event?” I ask, trying once again to contain my excitement.
“My grandparents are having a fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration. I received the invitation in the mail today.”
I can’t stop smiling. “Wow, fifty years. That’s crazy.”
“I know. It’s pretty amazing that that kind of relationship is still possible.” Our eyes meet, and I’m struck again by how gorgeous he is. Our forearms brush against one another’s, and even that simple touch makes me long for more of him.
“Why do you need a date to an anniversary party?” I ask, trying to keep the conversation casual, even though my feelings for Tate are far from casual.
“It’s difficult to explain,” he says, taking another swig of his beer. “But the long and short of it is…I can’t go alone. I have to be there but if I show up alone it won’t look good.”
It doesn’t explain why he can’t but I don’t push him on it either.
