“So, Ethan,” Logan crosses his arms. He nods to the pool table with his head. “Something wrong with the felt?” Kelsey looks terrified. “You didn’t get anything on it, did you? By accident of course.” He laughs and walks away.
It’s hard not to laugh with him. Logan is smart and he put two and two together. But he was only messing with her.
Kelsey stands with her hands locked behind her back and stares down at her feet. How can she be nervous after what we did last night? Is she embarrassed like she was when I kissed her all those years ago?
“I meant everything I told you last night. I want to give us a real shot,” I say.
Her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink and she nods.
“Okay. Let’s go on a date then.”
“Tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up at six.”
“I work tomorrow.”
“Not anymore.” I give her a wink.
“You can’t just change the schedule like that, Ethan. It’s not fair to anyone else who works here.”
“I can if I want. I haven’t been this happy since I came here—you can ask anyone here and I guarantee, if it puts me in a better mood, they’d be more than willing to work for you tomorrow night.”
I look over my shoulder for Beth or Abby. Either of them would love to help. Lucky for me, Beth is headed our way and I also know she isn’t on the schedule for tomorrow.
“Beth, want to work tomorrow night?” I ask.
She pauses, her eyes flickering between Kelsey and me. “Is this a trick question?”
“Don’t listen to him, Beth. He’s still learning how to manage this place,” Kelsey says with a cheery tone.
Beth’s eyes go wide as she presses her lips together.
“I’m actually doing just fine, Kelsey, thank you.” I give her a playful grin. “I asked Kelsey out on a date, but she’s working and needs someone to cover her shift.”
“Wait, so like, you’d be gone too?” Beth asks.
I nod.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll totally work for you, Kelsey.”
I ignore the excitement in her voice and instead focus on Kelsey. It goes without question that she makes me want to be a better person and her presence always puts me in a good mood. I am determined to make this dinner perfect.
I flash Kelsey one last grin and catch the sight of her smile before I head for the office.
I close the door as my cellphone vibrates inside my pants pocket. All the happiness I’m feeling fades when I see my father’s name on the phone.
“Sir,” I answer and take a seat behind the desk.
“You haven’t called me with an update. I can’t decide whether or not that means things are going in my favor or if you’re not getting the job done. Your behavior is really starting to piss me off, and you’re about out of second chances.” His criticizing voice is firm. His mind is already made up. He just wants to test me.
“I still haven’t found anything that will lead me to the account numbers you want, but I think I’m on to something. I just need a little more time,” I lie to him. If I convince him to believe me, I can buy more time until I tell Kelsey what’s been going on. A first date isn’t the right time to drop this sort of information. A few days are all I need. She’ll believe me and trust me. I know she will.
Chapter Nineteen
Ethan
I really don’t have to pick Kelsey up considering she’s right across the street, but I pull my bike into her driveway anyway and swing my leg over, a bouquet full of lilies in my hand. My nerves are running through my body in a hurry. I stop in front of her door, attempting to collect myself. I hold the flowers tightly as I smooth out the nonexistent wrinkles on my light blue button-down shirt.
I can do this. It’s no different than anyone else. Except, it is different. This means something. Kelsey means something.
I knock twice on the door and she opens it right away as if she were waiting on the other side.
“Hi.” She smiles at me and I’m at a loss for words. She’s breathtaking. “Are those for me?” She points to the flowers in my hand.
“Yes,” I say, almost shoving them in her face.
“Come in,” she says, stepping inside. “I just need to put them in water before we go.”
I wait in the doorway.
“You don’t have to just stand there,” she hollers, and I hear her laugh fade as she steps into the kitchen.
Kelsey reaches for a vase on the top shelf of a cabinet, the same one from the first time I bought her flowers. Her arms are stretched high and she’s on her tiptoes. Her shirt hangs just above her hip, giving me a glimpse of her smooth skin.
“Do you think you could reach this for me?” she asks, her head cocked to the side. I step around the counter, reaching for the vase and never taking my eyes off of her. I grab it, setting it on the counter.
“Here,” I say, but she just stares at me. Her hand touches my chest and she curls her fingers against it. Then she pulls me in and kisses me.
I kiss her back, grabbing her hips and moving her between me and the counter. I pin her there as I bring our bodies closer together. Her tongue slips into my mouth and she deepens the kiss. At this rate, we’ll never make it to dinner.
“We should probably get going,” she says between kisses, and I regrettably step away. She puts the flowers in water and I take her hand, pulling her next to me as we walk to my bike. “We’re not seriously riding that, are we?” she asks with a panicked look on her face.
“We are. Is this okay?”
“Yeah, I just – I’ve never been on the back of one of these before,” she says and I catch the small blush that fills her cheeks. I hand her a helmet and then help her put it on before doing the same for myself.
“Just hold on tight,” I say as I back the bike out of her driveway.
I made plans for us to go to Italios Pasta House for dinner and then walk downtown and talk. I’m following Sara’s advice to get to know her. It’s a little late, but we’re going to have plenty of time together to make up for that. I haven’t told Kelsey any of this, but I have a feeling she will enjoy it.
“Don’t you want to know where I’m taking you for our date?” I ask.
“Nope. I trust you.” She says it like it’s that simple. If she only knew what I came here to do for my father. I would lose her trust the moment I earned it.
I start the bike, its engine roaring as we pull out of the driveway. The last girl I had on my bike tried to talk the entire time. It was hard to hear her, and by the time we got off she was mad and claimed I was ignoring her. With Kelsey it’s nothing but peaceful. Her arms are wrapped around me and I can feel her chest against my back as she rests against me. Everything with Kelsey is easy and feels perfect.
I pull into the parking lot and hear her clapping behind me. When I glance back she has a giant grin on her face.
“How did you know this was my favorite place?”
I shrug and turn off the engine. “When I would visit in the summers, we always came here for your birthday.”
“You remember that?”
“I remember everything. Even the part where I was only invited because Sara’s mom made her invite me.” I laugh. “But I was happy either way. I got to see you. That was the only reason I kept coming back.”
“Oh,” she says and looks away as her cheeks turn a light shade of pink. She blushes more than anyone I know, but she looks damn adorable every time.
I hold the bike steady as she gets off and then I hold her hand as we walk inside. The smell of pasta and fresh bread fill the restaurant and my stomach growls.
“Two?” the young boy behind the wooden stand asks.
“Yes. It should be under Connelly.” He scans the paper in front of him with his index finger and then taps it against the stand.