Sofia rolled her eyes. “It wasn’thours. Forty-five minutes, tops.” She took another bite then narrowed her eyes as the rest of his words hit her. “A candy shop?”
“I don’t know. It’s like floral and spicy.” Isaiah couldn’t help teasing her. That kind of interaction was so much easier than facing what was going on between them, and he wanted to hold on to those feelings as long as possible.
Sofia’s cheeks reddened slightly, but she ignored him and resumed eating, letting her eyes wander to the television. He had the feeling she was purposefully ignoring his gaze. Something had changed while she took that marathon shower, but he didn’t push her to find out what it was. He wasn’t sure he was going to like whatever she had decided.
“Hey, turn that up,” Sofia said suddenly, putting the take-out box back on the coffee table. Isaiah picked up the remote and increased the volume.
“Tulips in Emerald Hollow have been blooming out of control early in the season. Tonight, we interview local Oregon master gardener Tom Maryland, who tries to explain the phenomenon.”
“Wow, Emerald Hollow made the news,” Isaiah said, watching as images of the brilliant tulip blooms were spread across the screen.
“There’s my house!” Sofia squeaked when a tiny, quaint home bursting with tulips all around the front yard appeared on the screen.
Isaiah’s chest squeezed when he saw it. They’d spent so much time together the past few months, but he had never been to her house. He couldn’t imagine anything that suited her more perfectly.
She pulled out her phone—he assumed to take a picture—but the image changed before she could capture it.
“Holy smokes! I didn’t realize we were making regional news.”
“So, this really is that unusual?” Isaiah asked.
“I’ve never witnessed anything like it. Maybe that master gardener will be able to explain it. The snow melting so suddenly then the tulips popping up and bloomingeverywhere. I have never seen so many. It’s like someone planted a bunch of extra bulbs last year without telling anyone.”
“Weird,” Isaiah said, but his mind wandered from the tulips to whatever was going on in her head.Is her mind fully made up, or do I still have the opportunity to sway her?No matter what she had decided, and despite that he couldn’t make any guarantees about who he’d been before arriving in Emerald Hollow, he was going to make his intentions about who he was and what he wanted perfectly clear.
“So, I was thinking I should take you on an official first date. Tomorrow? Before we head back to Emerald Hollow?”
He watched her expression carefully, and a shadow passed across her face. His stomach sank. Even though he’d been prepared for it, he was hoping for a different outcome.
She pushed a wet curl behind her ear. “About that… I was thinking we should set some ground rules.”
“Ground rules?” Isaiah asked, keeping his voice even. “Like we’re baseball players?” He tried to joke, but he didn’t think he’d pulled it off.Where is she going with this?
“It’s just that we still don’t know who you are, where you’re from, or who you might have… waiting back home.”
Isaiah sat forward. “We’ve been through this. I’m not in a relationship. I would feel it if I were, just like with all the other things I instinctively know.”
“But we can’t know for sure. Maybe in your real life, you don’t even like women like me.”
“Women like you?” His heart melted, and he scooted closer so that their knees were touching. Again, he sensed that her insecurity went deeper than what was going on between them. Someone had hurt her. Something flared in him then, and he had to take a deep breath to ensure he didn’t sound angry when he spoke. He wasn’t angry with her. But he did want to tackle whoever had made her feel she wasn’t good enough. He was angry atthem. “What do you mean by that?”
Sofia pulled back, breaking their contact. “I just mean that none of this can be real until we know who you are.”
Isaiah could tell there was more that she wasn’t saying, but he didn’t push. “So where does that leave us?”
“We’re just going to keep things friendly. Like we have been.”
“Sooo, friendly includes what? Hand holding? Kissing? Dates?” He didn’t know how far to push it, but he didn’t want to completely let her off the hook. He had a feeling fear was operating more than logic.
“Just friend dates and no kissing, just in case…”
Isaiah knew he could never fully convince her of his sincerity until he got his memories back. If she’d been hurt, he could understand why she didn’t want to commit.
But what if I never get my memories back? As far as I’m concerned, this is my life now.And Sofia was an integral part of it. He studied her face, sensing all the conflicting emotions that were warring there. Something stirred in his chest.
Isaiah made his own decision then. He couldn’t give her the assurance of a complete history of his old life. But he could show her who he was currently. He could prove that he wasn’t the kind of guy who would ever hurt her. And he wanted her to know that she had power in the situation, and he wasn’t going to take it from her, no matter what she had experienced before.
“Okay, then. We remain…” He seized on the word she had used. “Friendly. But I want you to know that when you’re ready, it’s all or nothing for me. I’m not a half-in, casual kind of guy. The next move is on you, Wrecker.”
