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Carrying their plates, he guided her down a short hallway to the back of the cabin, turned, and backed his way out the door to the back porch.
“I’d be happy to help with that, ya know,” Meg offered.
“Nope. I’m good.”
She stepped out onto the porch after him and her mouth fell open. A small café table sat in the corner of the porch, adorned with a red linen tablecloth. In front of each chair was a full placesetting, complete with matching napkins. Three tall candles flickered at the center of the table, adding to the shimmer she felt inside. Tall heaters flanked the table, adding a warm glow to the atmosphere, and music floated from a small speaker on the ground to complete the mood.
Chet set down both plates and looked at her. “Dinner is served. I hope you’ll be warm enough. If not, we’ve got those.” He pointed to a stack of blankets on a chair. “We can also move inside if you get cold.”
Meg struggled to find words. She sat in the chair Chet pulled out for her. He placed a hand on her shoulder for a moment before taking the seat across from her, the warmth of his touch not lost on her.
“This is so perfect. I cannot believe you did all this.”
A sheepish grin crossed his face. “Well, I have to admit I had help.”
“Let me guess. Baylee.”
“And Eva. They loaned me the table and chairs from the bakery, along with the tablecloth and nice china.”
“Is this where you admit they cooked the food as well and dropped it off just in time to make it look like you made it?” she teased.
He laughed. “No. I am actually quite proud of the fact that the meal was all my doing.”
“Well, the whole thing is quite impressive. I can’t believe you did all this for me.”
He leaned forward; his gaze intense. “You are worth every bit of this and more, Meg.”
Her heart did a little flip. She smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Thank you.”
A loud groan came from Dottie, lounging on an enormous pillow on the other side of the porch. Meg laughed. “She looks comfy out here.”
“I believe that awful sound was to make sure I tell you that she was a part of this plan as well. I can’t go without giving her some credit.”
“Of course. She helped you ask me to dinner.”
“Yes, she did.”
The food was delicious. Not only had Chet cooked, but he’d cooked well.
“Tell me more about your family,” Meg asked. “You’ve said you have three siblings but what else? Did you always want to be a firefighter?
Chet set his fork down and sat back. “Not necessarily. I knew I wanted to be in a profession where I helped people, but I didn’t exactly land on fireman until I moved to Silver Bay.”
“And what spurred that decision?” Meg relaxed as well; her wine glass settled in her hands. The warmth of the heater above her wrapped around her like a blanket, keeping the cool air at bay.
He shrugged. “I was curious about living in a small town. I wanted to do something different. Live somewhere different.”
“Was your family supportive?” Meg noticed a slight twitch in his jaw when she asked the question.
“I wouldn’t say theyweren’tsupportive. Maybe just didn’t totally understand it?”
From the ease with which he spoke of his family, Meg sensed that they got along well and maybe would even be considered close, but she’d touched on something by asking him about moving away.
Meg took a sip of wine and looked around the place Chet called home. It hadn’t been lost on her when she arrived that when Baylee had talked of a white picket fence with a dog in the yard, Meg had imagined a cabin and a Great Dane, instead. Rather than making her want to turn and run, she had a strange feeling of coming home.
She looked across the table to see Chet watching her.
“Sometimes,” she said, “I get the feeling you’re studying me.”
