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Nope.
Brady—with his precise timing—would be there to pick me up in five minutes.
Okay, so… whatever. There wasn’t time to change, and even if there had been, I had pretty much exhausted every option my closet contained. How I was dressed right at that moment was just going to have to be… good enough.
Besides, it wasn’t like Brady hadn’t seen me looking rough at seven-thirty in the morning.
I grinned.
What was I even so nervous about? Bradyhadseen me looking worse, and still—defying all reason andallthe odds—had asked me out on a date anyway.
That thought helped to soothe my nerves a little. Maybe I would be able to calm down and actually enjoy the evening. I didn’t doubt that I’d have an amazing time with Brady, as long as I remembered to stay out of my own head.
Just have fun.Go with the flow.
The loud knock on the front door echoed through the empty house and made me jump, a surprised squeak escaping my throat as I frantically dashed around to grab my keys and wallet and…
Oh, God, what was I forgetting?
Right. The door.
Suddenly, the pep-talk I’d given myself just moments ago was completely forgotten as a new wave of nerves washed over me.
“One second,” I called down the hallway, not wanting to keep Brady waiting but still needing one last look in the mirror. “I’ll be right there.”
I poked my head back into the bathroom and looked into the mirror.
Yep. Still the same reflection it had been five minutes ago.
Okay. Breathe. You’ve got this.
I nodded to myself in the mirror, letting the affirmation take hold. It was going to be a fun night. Iwasn’tgoing to be a nervous wreck the whole time.
Not the most thorough round of affirmations, but they were going to have to work. I didn’t want to spend the night talking to myself in the mirror while the real-life man of my dreams was waiting at the door.
At least my mom was working late, or she would have no doubt already answered the door, eager to play twenty questions with Brady about our date.
Thank God for small favors.
And withthatthought, I hurried down the hallway to the front door, taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the butterflies that were rampaging through my stomach.
I opened the door, my face immediately breaking into a smile when I saw Brady standing there, hands behind his back and looking sexier than I had ever seen him, in starched button-down shirt and slacks that clung to his muscled legs better than any pair of jeans could.
“Hi,” I said, feeling my cheeks flush hot at the sight of him smiling back at me. “You’re really here.”
He cocked his head to the side, his smile widening, and I winced as I realized the inane words that had tumbled out of my mouth.
Way to go, Captain Obvious. Maybe for your next trick, you can tell Brady how the sky is blue, and the grass is green.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” he said, his sparkling eyes and big grin looking like he really meant it. “I got these for you.”
Brady pulled his hands from behind his back, and I sucked in a sharp breath as the most beautiful bouquet of pink orchids I’d ever seen came into view.
“I, um, wasn’t sure if you’d have a vase, so I ordered one that I hope kind of matches the flowers? I mean, it’s sort of more purple-ish, maybe, but—”
“No, it’s beautiful. They’re all…beautiful,” I interrupted, eyes wide as Brady handed over the flowers in the delicate but surprisingly heavy vase. It wasn’t one of the kitschy little vases we had sitting around everywhere at the shop. It was clear he had put a lot of thought into the whole thing.
In fact, even the orchids were different from the select few we had in stock at the shop. I had never even seen orchids so bright and perfect before.
