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Then I saw her. Chelsea Campbell.My date.
She stood in the doorway, scanning the busy restaurant. I watched her dark eyes dance around the room while she gnawed at her lip, almost like she was hoping I wouldn’t be here. When her stare finally met mine, I waved casually, gesturing to the empty seat across from me.
I watched her lip fall from between her teeth as she said, “you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” I read her lips, but when the couples next to her turned in her direction, I could tell she had said it aloud.
Chelsea twitched, like she was debating turning and running out the door, but then she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and ran her hands over the black dress she wore. I followed the trail, pleased when she took a step towards me, followed by another. I stood up when she was only a couple steps away.
“You must be Chelsea,” I said, reaching for her hand. “You’re even more beautiful than your picture.”
She nodded like she didn’t buy the compliment. “I am.” Chelsea lifted a skeptical brow, and I chuckled. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”
“It’s a little early to be disappointed already, isn’t it?” I pulled her chair out, waving for her to take a seat. She did, and when she tossed her loose, wavy hair over her shoulder, I caught a floral scent—roses and some kind of fruit.Strawberry.
Chelsea scowled, watching me take the seat across from her. “I didn’t want to be here at all, if we’re being honest.”
I grabbed the bottle of wine I had already ordered, confident that it would help loosen us up. I poured her a glass and then filled my own, ruffling my brow. “Didn’t you enter the contest?”
“Absolutely not,” Chelsea groaned. “My love-story-obsessed best friend got this idea in her head that I haven’t been on a date in too long, and that the whole thing could beso romantic.”She made air quotes when she said it, rolling her eyes.
“You’re here, though,” I said, lifting my glass to her. “Cheers to giving me a chance, hmm?”
Chelsea eyed the glass in front of her for a moment before she gave in, lifting it and tapping it to mine. “Lucky you.” When a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, I relaxed.
“So if your best friend entered you in the contest, does that mean she is the one who answered the questionnaire?” She swirled the wine in front of her, watching the red liquid cling to the sides of the glass. “Are you really controlling?”
When she pursed her lips and scrunched her nose, I didn’t need to hear her answer. “Excuse me?” she asked, setting the glass down without taking a sip as she glared.
“One of the questions said to describe yourself in one word,” I explained while she stared at me through narrowed eyes. “Yousaid controlling.”
Chelsea gasped, looking appalled for a second before she cleared her throat and straightened her face. “I would rather call it organized,” she said, brushing her hands over the front of her dress to wipe away wrinkles that weren’t there.
“So, yes?” When I smirked at her, she blushed. The pink hue ran over her cheekbones and down her neck.
She chewed at the inside of her lip, releasing it from between her teeth to take a long gulp of wine. The glass was half-empty when she set it back down. “I guess so,” Chelsea said, shrugging.
“I bet I can get you to lighten up.” I grabbed my glass, holding it out to her. She huffed but mirrored the action, pinching the stem of the wineglass between her fingers and lifting it. “Cheers, Valentine.”
Chelsea tapped her glass to mine. “We’ll see about that.”
When the waiter came to take our order, she spoke up, ordering a pizza with Italian sausage and green peppers. I raised a single brow when she did it, cocking my head to the side. Sheblushed again, and I didn’t care about the way she had taken over the order when she did.
“So, tell me about yourself then.” She reached for the bottle, refilling her glass. “Since you apparently know so much about me.”
I laughed loudly enough to grab the attention of the couple enjoying a quiet meal next to us. “Well, all of the info about me was on my profile, but you wouldn’t know that, I guess.” She glared at me until I winked. “Okay, fine. I’ll bite. I grew up here in Hazy Cove. Right down the street from here, actually. I always said I’d get out, go somewhere exciting and start a fresh life, but then I started a business. Once I had clients, I couldn’t really leave.”
She nodded like she understood. “Do you regret staying?”
“Nah, I like Hazy Cove.” I rested my elbows on the table, leaning towards her. “You’re not from here, though.”
“How did you know?” She reared her head back, and she laughed the kind of laugh that echoed off the ceilings.
I grinned, drinking in the sound, and I shrugged. “Lucky guess. Where are you from?”
“I grew up in Chicago. My best friend, Bridget, got a job as an editor for the Misty Point Herald. She convinced me to move out here, and I’ve been in Misty Point since.” Chelsea looked thoughtful, tracing her finger around the rim of her glass. “I don’t miss the city. I worked hard for my reputation here. There, I was nobody.”
I had only known Chelsea for an hour, but I couldn’t imagine her ever being a nobody.
“So how about a night cap?” I asked when we left the restaurant. I put my arm around Chelsea to shield her from the wind, and she looked up at me. She was skeptical, but her eyes traced every detail of my face, starting with my eyes and ending with my lips. Then, she licked her own.
