Page 19 of Finding Happily Ever After
Her eyebrows shot up and Natalie put the drink down before she could spill it. “What?”
“You are going to Birchwood tomorrow night?” Sarah asked with a sly smile. “On a date, right?”
Natalie looked between the other women. “How…but…”
“How did I know?”
“Yes? How did you know? I mean…” It was only a few hours ago that she’d even asked him. How was it possible that people—people she didn’t even know—knew about herdate?
“Small town.” Katie laughed.
“And, my husband is Brody,” Sarah said with a shake of her head. “He’s the owner at Birchwood and, we’re renting his house to Aiden.”
“Oh, that…doesn’t help.” Natalie laughed a little, still confused. Maybe she’d have to get used to the whole living in a small town, where everyone knew everyone’s business thing. But this was fast, even for a small town.
“Well, to be fair,” Sarah added, “Aiden called Brody a few hours ago and asked to reserve the best table.” Sarah clawed a hand over her mouth. “Which I probably shouldn’t be telling you because it’s supposed to be a surprise.” Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d done. “I’m so sorry, Natalie. I—”
“It’s fine. Besides, I asked him out—shouldn’t I be making the reservations?” She hadn’t even thought about that, and secretly she was glad that Aiden had taken charge if it meant getting a good table at the best restaurant in town.
“Well, either way, you’re going on a date with that sexy teacher.” Katie wiggled her shoulders in a little dance. “And really, that man issointo you, Nat.” She turned to Sarah. “You should see it, Sarah. Their connection isfire.I mean, really. He looks at her like he’s going to eat her up. It’s awesome.”
Eat her up?Katie was just being dramatic, but still, it had put an image in Natalie’s head that she wasn’t sure she wanted to let go of. Was their attraction to each other really that obvious? Was Aidenreallythat in to her?
He’d been about to kiss her earlier, hadn’t he?
A shiver ran through her. The idea of kissing him or eventually doing more with Aiden both excited her, and terrified her.Would she know what to do? What if she did it wrong?It was ludicrous that an almost twenty-eight-year-old woman didn’t know how to kiss a man. She looked at the other women, who had dissolved into an easy conversation about their husbands.
Should she tell the truth to her new friends? Would they have some good advice for her?
Could she trust them?
That was the real question. It had been averylong time since Natalie had female friends. Not good ones, anyway. And definitely not the type of friends who she would admit such a thing to. But Sarah and Katie were different.
Still, the last thing she wanted was for them to make fun of her or think she was a weirdo because she was still a virgin and had never even had a real kiss. But even more powerful was her desire to not screw things up with Aiden. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get a little female advice.
“Hey,” she spoke up, interrupting them. “Can I tell you guys—”
“Ladies! I made it.”
Before Natalie could admit her secret, they were joined at the table by Faith Langdon and her cell phone. “And look who I brought.” Faith took a seat. “Sort of.”
“Hi, ladies.” Stephanie Starz waved from the screen. “I wish I could be there with you all.”
Faith moved the phone around so they could all say hi in turn.
When it was Natalie’s turn, she lifted her fingers in a shy wave, doubtful that Stephanie even knew who she was.
“Stop!” Stephanie commanded from the phone. “Natalie? Is that you?”
ChapterSeven
She would way rather be therein person, but through the power of technology, Steph would settle for a virtual girls night, even if it made Faith crazy. Her poor sister had been putting up with her for over an hour already, as their video chat had started at Ever After Ranch and a visit with Hope and the baby, who had just come home. When Steph heard that Cole was given the green light to go home with an oxygen tank, she’d almost flown home at once to be there for the occasion.
It was her agent Lewis who talked sense into her. Shooting on her new film,Bombshell, had just begun. She was needed on set every day for the next week at least. And then, if it all went well, she’d get a small break to fly home and finally cuddle her nephew in her arms.
But until then, she had her other sister, who she was going to owe big time after all of Faith’s indulging in Steph’s video chatting.
“Natalie?” The moment the phone panned over to the blonde at the end of the table, Steph shrieked, unable to contain her excitement. “Is that you?”
