He wouldn’t be surprised if he was tripping on some potent shit right now. How many times had he imagined taking her out on a date? They’d eaten together plenty of times, but it had never been a date. And a date was nothing like a meal with a friend.
Instead of talking comfortably with her and enjoying her company, he would have to worry about whether he was being the right amount of witty and intelligent—the wrong amount would make him look like an ass—and spend the whole dinner strategizing about the best ways to get a good-night kiss. And what if he got food stuck in his teeth? He should avoid ordering anything with green, leafy vegetables. At least they weren’t having Korean food for dinner. There was gochugaru in everything, and those fine, red pepper flakes were masters at sticking to otherwise sparkling white teeth.
He was being absurd. But he didn’t go on many dates, and none of them had mattered as much as this one. Unfortunately, that didn’t make him any less absurd. He didn’t have to worry about coming across as an ass. Lizzy already knew him. She might not think he was witty and intelligent, but she wouldn’t be friends with him if she thought he was an ass. And if he got food stuck in his teeth, she would just point it out to him and vice versa. They wouldn’t go the entire meal only to be horrified to discover later that they had a big chunk of something stuck in their teeth the entire night. Why was he obsessing over teeth anyway?
As for the good-night kiss… he couldn’t even think about that. Kissing her in the bookstore had been intoxicating and scorching hot. He couldn’t spend the entire dinner staring at her lips and drooling like some creep.You know what?He needed to take the whole good-night-kiss thing off the table for tonight. If he knew there wouldn’t be a kiss at the end of the date, then he wouldn’t have to worry about it. But he really wanted to kiss her again.… No. It was off the table. He didn’t want to weird her out on their first date.
After grabbing his phone, wallet, and keys, he headed out the door and drove into downtown Weldon. He pulled up in front of the flower shop and checked the clock. He still had plenty of time.
“Hey, Rosie.” He waved at the owner as he walked into the shop. “How’s it going?”
“Jack.” She came out from behind the counter. “I’m doing well. It’s hard to complain when I spend my day surrounded by beautiful flowers. You?”
“Same. Except I’m surrounded by exceptional beer.”
“You are indeed.” She smiled widely. “Can I help you with anything?”
“I wanted to bring my date some flowers.” He scratched theside of his neck. Sayingdateout loud made butterflies flutter in his stomach. “Nothing over the top. Just something pretty that aren’t clichéd like roses.”
“How about some dahlias?” She motioned for him to follow her. “The deep red ones are my favorite.”
“Nice. Can you make me a small bouquet with those?”
“Certainly. I’ll add a tiny bit of white and green to spruce it up a bit.”
“You’re the expert.” He cleared his throat. Why was he being so awkward?
Rosie didn’t seem to notice. “Give me ten minutes.”
“Take your time.”
He strolled around the store, too restless to stand still, and spotted a simple vase. She was staying in a vacation rental, so she probably didn’t have anywhere to put the flowers.
“Here it is.” Rosie held up the bouquet proudly.
“It looks great.” The spattering of white and green contrasted nicely with the red of the dahlia. He hoped Lizzy would like it. “Can you ring up this vase as well?”
“Oh, I love that one. I have several at home.” She took the vase from him and put it in a simple brown bag, tying a white ribbon around the handles to match the one on the bouquet. “Your date’s going to be very flattered.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it,” he said, his cheeks growing warm. Then sudden panic struck him. “Do these flowers have some kind of meaning?”
What if they meant undying love or soul mates or bountiful procreation? He couldn’t give away how he felt about Lizzy. The moment his true feelings came to light, their chances of going back to being friends would be blown. How would she be able to treat him the way she used to knowing that he was head over heels for her? No, she couldn’t find out.
“Don’t quote me on this, but I think it means strength and power,” Rosie said.
Sighing with relief, he paid for his purchases and headed to Sparrow Bookstore. He got there with three minutes to spare. If he took the stairs slowly, he would only be two minutes early. It wouldn’t be too rude.
Once he rounded the building and reached the staircase, he bounded up the steps, taking two at a time. He suddenly didn’t want to wait another minute to see her. He knocked on the red door and waited.
The door opened, and he forgot how to breathe. Lizzy stood just inside the doorway, wearing a shy smile and a fluttery yellow dress that fell to the top of her knees. She’d done something to her eyes to make them look wide and mesmerizing, and her lips were deep pink and glossy as though they’d been thoroughly kissed. It took him three tries to swallow.
“Here.” He stuck out both his arms, one with the bouquet and the other with the vase.
She drew back a little in surprise—Real smooth, Park—then raised her hands to accept his offerings.
“These are beautiful, Jack,” she said softly. She looked up from the flowers and beamed at him. “Thank you.”
“You—” he wheezed. He coughed into his fist. “You’re welcome.”
