She nearly fainted, but opted to sit in a chair instead.
“Hi there,” she replied, managing to keep her cool.
“How are you feeling this morning?”
She let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Uh, I’m a little woozy, but I’m good. I’m really sorry if I made a fool of myself last night.”
“You didn’t. You were a delight. I had a great time.”
Samantha grinned stupidly. “So did I.”
“You know, Samantha,” he went on. “I was actually feeling a little bad about everything.”
“Really? Why?”
“Well, I’m not very good at dates.”
She giggled again. “You mentioned that.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. I was wondering if I could try again. Maybe take you to do something that didn’t involve alcohol and was a little more romantic.”
“That sounds nice.”
“It’s a little unorthodox for a second date.”
“So what is it?”
“Well, I’ve got this major food critic coming this week. It’s been a bit stressful trying to prepare, and I was planning to drive out to Big Bend on Thursday to go camping. You know sort of unwind from everything. I wasn’t sure what your work schedule was like, but I was wondering if you’d be interested in joining me.”
He’s inviting you to cuddle.
Samantha threw a hand over her mouth and managed to stop an explosion of giggles.
She cleared her throat. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds awesome. And I’m the manager so I can give myself the day off on Thursday and Friday.”
“Excellent,” Nick replied, sounding pleased. “It’s kind of a long drive out there. We’d have to leave early. That okay?”
“Of course.”
“Want to meet me at REI a little later to get you outfitted? Then maybe grab lunch?”
“That sounds perfect.”
“Great. Meet me there around one thirty and we’ll get you all set.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.”
“All right. Bye, beautiful.”
“Bye.”
She instantly flopped backward against the chair.
Oh my God, I’m in love.
* * *
Samantha turned in front of the mirror to assess the fit of the pants, then looked over her shoulder at Nick, who was leaned against a wall, holding his chin. He appeared a bit mischievous.
