Meant To Be (Coming Home To The Grove 2)

I can’t keep the smile off my face if I tried. “Really?”

He nods and laughs. “I had to dance. That was the only way I was going to get your attention.”

Stunned, it seems like everything is happening so fast. Before I realize it, we’re on my road, and I tell him I’m the third house on the right.

“Well, thank you for tonight. And the ride home,” I tell him, reaching for the door.

“Wait!” he says, putting his hand on my arm. “I don’t want to kiss you.”

Stunned, I pull back like he’s smacked me in the face. “Okay—”

He touches his hand to his head. “Heck, I’m doing this all wrong. I mean, I want to kiss you. But I know you’ve been drinking. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

I bite my lip in confusion. “What? You do want to kiss me?”

“More than anything.”

“But you’re not going to?” I ask him with bated breath.

He looks for a second like he might, but then he shakes his head. “No, I’m not. Let me walk you to your door.”

He opens the door and helps me from the car, walking me up to the porch. I try not to let my spirits fall that he’s not going to kiss me goodnight. Scott was clearly raised to be a gentleman.

I unlock the door and remember that I still have his jacket on. “Why don’t you step inside out of the wind, and I’ll give you your coat back.”

I shut the door behind him as he follows me in, and I take off the coat, wishing I didn’t have to.

I hand it to him, and just as I’m about to tell him goodnight, I hear the familiar rhythm of my mom’s footsteps down the stairs. I’m almost pushing Scott out the door. “Thanks for a fun evening. I’ll see you later.”

But I’m not fast enough. My mom joins us in the foyer and is all smiles, completely unaware of the fact that I’m not happy to see her.

“You’ll never guess what I managed to do for you. Never! Go ahead, guess.”

“Get me fired?” I deadpan.

My mom doesn’t catch the sarcasm or warning in my tone. “No. But that’s not a bad idea. I got you a date!”

Shoot me now. I’m so done. Does she not see Scott standing right here?

“It’s to the charity event coming up. Those tickets are sold out, you know. He’s a cousin of my friend Hilda’s and she said that he isn’t put off at all by frumpy girls, so you don’t have to worry that he’ll regret the blind date.”

“Excuse me,” Scott says, and I clench my eyes shut tightly. He’s clearly witnessed enough for one day and must be dying to escape. “Carrie’s already agreed to attend the charity ball with me as my date, so you’ll have to tell Hilda’s cousin he’s out of luck.”

My eyes pop open, and I’m all smiles, so grateful that he rescued me from what sounds like a horrible blind date.ScottCarrie is surprised, but I pull her to me affectionately, hoping her mother doesn’t notice. I take great pleasure in stopping her mother from her toxic way of speaking to Carrie, even more in swiping Carrie as my own date. The smile she gives me is even better than when she laughs. She’s too beautiful not to kiss, and I figure she’ll forgive me for it since it’s in front of her meddling mother.

“Thanks for going out with me tonight,” I say to Carrie as I slide my hand to the small of her waist. I tip her chin with my other hand and kiss her briefly, cutting it off before I let myself get carried away but definitely enjoying the chance to hold her close and taste her lips.

She looks a little dazed when she pulls back.

Her mother’s mouth is hanging open.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see you then,” she says, touching her fingers to her lips.

I’m smiling with every step back to my car, and I figure it will stay there the rest of the night.14CarrieHe kissed me. That is the thought that went through my head all night as I tossed and turned and then as I stumbled out of bed early this morning to get to work.

There’s a tremor of excitement happening, and I am a bundle of nerves as I open the bakery and wait to see if he shows up this morning.

And he doesn’t disappoint. He’s my first customer of the day.

Before he can get a word out, I have his coffee set in front of him and I’m thanking him. “Thank you for your help last night, but I don’t expect you to go on the date with me.”

All night I wondered why he did it, and I figure the best way to find out is to give him an out.