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“Yes. Yelp review me.” He could take it. Hopefully, she wouldn’t dock him for his use of the word “corny” or his unimaginative date suggestion.

She looked as though she were thinking for a long moment. “Um…I’d say it was a solid eight.”

“Eight.” He nodded slowly. Not bad. Not a ten. “What could have I done for a better score?”

Jessica’s cheeks flushed slightly as she stared at their joined hands between the seats. “I docked you two points because you are a limited-time offer.”

He swallowed hard. So, she was looking for something a little more serious in a guy. Normally that response would have him doing the logical, responsible thing—breaking it off before the woman got too invested or got her feelings hurt. So far, he’d been honest and clear in his intentions. Saying good night and thanking her for a fun evening was the way to play this.

But he really wanted to see her again. More than he’d wanted a second date with a woman in a long time. He didn’t want to see her get hurt, of course, but maybe they could take things casually and see what happened.

All he knew was he’d been dreading this time in his hometown. Dreading the downtime, the holidays with his family, being in one place for too long…but Jessica was already helping him cope.

“Sorry if that put any pressure on,” she said.

He squeezed her hand. “Maybe I like the pressure.”

She smiled shyly as she pointed to a small bungalow on the right. “That one’s mine.”

He pulled into her driveway and cut the engine. “Is it too old-fashioned of me to walk you to your door?”

She shook her head. “It just might earn you another half point.”

“Eight and a half. I’ll take it,” he said, opening the door and climbing out. He quickly made his way to the passenger side and opened her door for her. Then, taking her hand in his again, he walked her up the walkway and to the door.

He scanned the front yard and nodded toward the Santa on a Surfboard inflatable she had displayed. “Cute.” Other than the white and blue lights lining her roof, it was the only visible holiday decoration. It was a relief that she wasn’t as Christmas-focused as his mom.

“It was a gift from Sarah,” she said. “She found it in a surf shop in L.A. last Christmas and had to have it, but she didn’t have anywhere to put it when she lived in an apartment building, so she gifted it to me.”

“Dove’s Nest owner, Sarah?”

“That’s the one,” Jessica said, reaching her front door and fumbling with her keys.

Key fumbling was also supposed to be a sign of a kiss being welcome. Procrastinating meant prolonging the good night. But unfortunately, he couldn’t place his fate of another date in the hands of a secondhandCosmomagazine. He cleared his throat. “I had a great time…both yesterday and tonight.”

“Me too.” Her dark brown eyes reflecting the glow of the holiday lights were warm and inviting, and as much as he knew he should walk away before things had a chance to get complicated, he wasn’t sure he’d survive the holidays in his hometown without spending time with her again. A lot.

And it was totally arrogant and presumptuous of him to think she’d fall for him in a few weeks anyway.

“I have two questions,” he said. He had to go for it. If she rejected him, it was better than not even trying.

“Okay…”

“Can I kiss you, and can I take you out again?” Blurting them both out wasn’t exactly smooth, but he was rusty with this whole dating thing.

Jessica smiled as she hesitated, contemplating.

He held his breath.

“No to the kiss.” She paused. “But yes to the second date.”

Thank God. Out of the two options, at least she’d said yes to one. The most important one. He brought her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her palm. “I can definitely live with that. ’Night Jess,” he said.

“Good night, Mitch.”

He waited until she’d unlocked the door and gone inside, but then high-fived himself on the way back to the car.

Chapter Five

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