Chapter 03 COLLIN
We stand there for a second as Sadie’s car disappears down the street, leaving us truly alone.
“So, uh… you doing anything right now?“
comes out of my mouth.
Eli looks at me, eyebrows lifting slightly. “Nope, no plans. Why?”
I shrug, trying to be casual as hope blooms in my chest. “Well, I haven’t been home in days, and my dog sitter’s probably ready to leave soon, but I’m also starving and there’s this little neighborhood bar near my house that has good food. I was gonna grab something before I went home.“
I pause, then add, “You should come.”
He tilts his head, smiling before offering his own shrug. “Yeah, I’m down. I’d love to.”
“Awesome, what’s your number? I’ll text you the address.”
He rattles off his number, and I send him the location.
“I’ll see you there,“
he promises.
When I get into my car, I check my phone more closely, but there’s still no response from my dog sitter, which is weird. She’s usually the kind of person who sends me hourly updates like ‘He pooped!’ with ten heart-eye emojis. I open my Ring app and see her car is still there, so I feel better knowing Bear isn’t alone.
I quickly type out another text that she can head out if she’d like, and that I’d be home to feed Bear dinner soon.
I toss my phone onto the passenger seat and start the engine, a little smile tugging at my mouth. My head’s still spinning from how fast this day’s gone from a delayed flight to kissing a firefighter in a photography studio.
The logical part of my brain keeps saying, it was just a photoshoot. But if it was just a photoshoot, then he wouldn’t have kissed me, and we wouldn’t be continuing this as a real date right now, the hopeless romantic part of me counters.
I’m also pretty sure he feels something because when I was bouncing on his lap, I swear he was hard. So if nothing else, he’s got to at least be somewhat attracted to me, and I couldn’t let him just disappear from my life after a session like that. The bar made the most sense, and if nothing else, I at least have his phone number now.
Traffic’s light, thank god. Halfway to the bar, I glance at my phone again at a red light. Still nothing from my dog sitter. I frown, but I’m sure it’s fine. Maybe she’s napping or on the phone. I’m not going to let it derail my great mood. Who knows, maybe I’ll be bringing Bear home a new daddy if this keeps going the way it’s going. The thought makes me snort out loud.
It’s been a while since I’ve felt this fluttery about anyone. My last few dating attempts fizzled out before they even had a chance to spark. Online, everyone has either wanted something casual or was looking for a third, and I’m not looking for either of those things right now. Plus, running the hardware store has been all-consuming over the last year, but I think I’m finally getting it down to a point where I can have a social life again.
I think somewhere along the line, I stopped expecting to feel this kind of pull, which is silly since I’m only thirty. It’s just that I used to get those kinds of butterflies all the time when I was younger. Every man who made me feel good about myself made me feel special. I liked being wanted, then I started wanting something real, and that’s where disappointment started popping up.
Maybe that’s why today hit so hard. Eli feels… responsible. Never did I think responsible would be that big of a turn on, but ever since my life shifted significantly at twenty-nine and I was thrown into a hell of a lot more responsibilities, it’s hot. And that quiet confidence? Yeah, it’s totally working for me. There’s just something about him, and I knew I’d be a fool if I didn’t explore it.
The closer I get to the bar, the more that weird mix of nerves and excitement is growing. I really hope this goes just as well now that we’re in a more classic date-type setting.
I turn down the block and pull into the parking lot. Eli’s truck slides into the spot beside mine, and my chest does this ridiculous little flutter at the sight of him. He climbs out first, pressing his door shut and walking toward me as I get out of my car.
Up close in the daylight, he somehow looks even better than in the studio.
“Hey,“
he says in a warm voice.
“Hey,“
I echo, and my tone already sounds embarrassingly fond. “You look…“
I start, then immediately regret having spoken because suddenly I’m at a loss for words, all of them apparently.
He quirks a brow, amused. “I look…?”
“Good,“
I blurt. “Distractingly good. That’s all I’ve got.”
His smile takes over his handsome face and he laughs. “You’re not so bad yourself, handsome. Ready?“
he asks, nodding toward the entrance.
“Yep.“
I don’t know why I’m suddenly so much more nervous than I was earlier when I literally rode his lap like we were in a damn rodeo. That felt like such a low-pressure environment compared to a restaurant for whatever reason.
Eli starts walking next to me, and it feels like he intentionally brushes his hand against mine. He smiles when he notices my panic that I’m not hiding well.
“Remember, I can do CPR, but I’d prefer to kiss you voluntarily rather than being forced to press my lips to yours if you pass out.”
“Damn, I must be so easy to read.“
I blush. “I don’t know why I’m so much more nervous, suddenly being here with you on a… date?”
“It’s a date, as long as you want it to be,“
Eli assures me.
Breathe, I remind myself. I just really want him to like me, to feel the level of hope and possibility that I’m feeling too.
Inside, the hostess greets us. There’s a bar behind her and tables on both sides of the bar.
“Two?“
the hostess asks.
“Yes.“
I smile as she leads us toward our table.
We get a booth near the window, and she lays down the menus and informs us that our waitress will be right over. Eli sits across from me, leaning forward, forearms on the table. “So,“
he says. “This is the part where we pretend we’re normal people who didn’t meet by straddling each other on a stranger’s bed.”
“That was definitely questionable,“
I say. “Fun, though.”
His eyebrow lifts. “Is fun really the right word?”
“Okay, fine,“
I admit, leaning in, already feeling more comfortable again. “It was very hot and I’m really glad I applied.”
“Good, me too,“
he murmurs. “Because I was starting to worry I imagined how intense that got.”
“Oh, you didn’t imagine anything,“
I assure him quickly, cheeks warming. “Trust me.“
We stare at each other for a moment, gazes dropping to each other’s mouths. I wish this table wasn’t between us. I desperately want to kiss him again—a normal kiss.
“Can I start you off with anything to drink besides water?“
the waitress asks, reminding me that we’re in public and that maybe I should learn a little more about this practical stranger before I think about kissing him again.
“Uh, I’ll have a Coke,“
I respond when I finally manage to tear my gaze from his face.
“Water is great,“
Eli answers.
“I’ll be right back with those,“
she replies with a big smile.
“I’m trying really hard to think about anything other than kissing you again,“
I admit after she walks away.
“Well, don’t try too hard because I’d really like that,“
he declares, making me laugh.
I love how confident he is, how easy everything is between us. “Oh, don’t worry, I plan to,“
I promise. “And that offer goes both ways.”
“I’ll definitely take you up on that,“
he says, somehow making my smile grow even more. My face hurts from all this smiling.
I obviously haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, and I love that we’ll have the picture to look back on such a perfect day. “I can’t wait to see the final shots.”
“Me too. I bet we go viral,“
he teases, obviously joking around.
The waitress comes back and sets our drinks down in front of us. “Are you ready to order?”
“Haven’t even looked at the menu,“
I tell her.
“No rush, I’ll be back in a bit,“
she says, walking away, but instead of looking at the menu, I look at Eli.
“I would like to know more about you, Eli. You said you’re new in town? Where are you from?”
He sits up a little straighter, as though his whole body is shifting to take this conversation more seriously even though his easy smile doesn’t falter. “Yeah, I’ve only been here for about a month now. I’m from Florida, lived there my entire life, and haven’t even really traveled much. But I’ve always loved the idea of packing up everything and moving somewhere totally new one day.”
“Wow, that’s brave to move so far north all on your own.”
“I think it was good for me. The last of my high school friends who was still in town got married about eight months ago, and a couple of months later, I was getting ready for work in the same apartment I’d lived in for years, about to go to another shift at the same job I’d had since I started my career. I realized I was really bored with my life and that I’d probably be doing the same thing in another ten years if I didn’t do something about it. So I spent all my downtime over the next few weeks looking for fire departments that were hiring and researching those towns. This one seemed as good a place as any. I’ve always wanted to live somewhere that gets snow, so here I am.”
“Well, I’m glad you picked here. And you’ll definitely get your fair share of snow in the winter. I’ve lived here my whole life, too, but I definitely wouldn’t say it’s boring,“
I say with a chuckle, thinking about how busy my life has been lately.
“Me too. So what do you do?“
he asks, then takes a sip of his drink.
“I guess I’m the owner of the hardware store.”
“You guess?”
“I am, it’s just still so weird to say that,“
I admit. “I’ve worked there for as long as I can remember, my cousins and brother too. It’s been in my family for generations. But it was always my grandpa’s store.“
My throat is too tight, but I push through it because I want to share things with Eli, to get to know each other. Our physical connection is obvious, but the fact that he agreed to come here with me instead of suggesting we immediately go somewhere more private has me hopeful that he wants this to be more than a one day thing, too.
“Oh,“
Eli says openly, waiting for me to continue.
“He was actually more like a dad to me,“
I share. It’s rare that I talk about my parents, especially with strangers I don’t really know. But Eli doesn’t feel like a stranger even though I just met him today. “My parents… they died in a car accident when I was young. My grandpa ended up taking me in.“
My lip trembles as I try to fight back the tears that are threatening to spill over.
“That must’ve been so hard. I’m glad you had your grandpa. It sounds like you were really close.”
“We were, and I feel so lucky to have had him,“
I say, thinking back about all the good times we had together. “He died last year, but I worked with him every day in that store. I think it’s why he left it to me.”
“I hate that you’ve already experienced so much loss,“
Eli says. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
I nod, and Eli reaches for my hand across the table. I take it, leaning into his touch and wiping my eyes with my other hand. It’s still hard to talk about it and be vulnerable like this in front of someone I’d just met, but as weird as it is to say, I feel like I trust him.
“Some days it feels like this amazing legacy that I’m honored to carry on for him, and other days it feels like I’m pretending to be a business owner and someone is going to come and kick the ladder out from under me and tell me to hand over the keys,” I admit.
“I mean, to be fair, owning a hardware store does sound like it would involve a lot of ladders.“
Eli grins, lip quirking up.
A quiet laugh slips out of me at this humor. “So many ladders. So much liability.”
His mouth tips up in response. “I like your laugh.”
Heat crawls up my neck at the compliment. I squeeze his fingers in my hands. “What about you?“
I ask, needing the focus off me. “Any tragic backstory I should know about? Or are you one of those well-adjusted people with no trauma I keep hearing rumors about?”
He laughs at that, but he doesn’t drop my hand. “Only sort of. Mostly just work-related stuff that keeps me up at night.”
“I’m sure you’ve seen some hard things too,” I say.
“Yeah,“
he admits. “Calls that stick with you. People you wish you could’ve helped more than you did.“
He shrugs, but it’s the kind of shrug people use when they try to make it seem like things aren’t as hard or bad as they are. I know, because I’ve done it plenty in the last year. “It’s part of the job. Doesn’t make it easier, but… you learn to handle it, lean on your crew, talk it out when you need to. Overall, I’m pretty lucky, honestly. I have a stable family, annoying siblings, and every child’s dream career. Very boring guy over here.”
“Boring is kind of refreshing.”
“You say that now,“
he teases, leaning in. “Wait until my routine literally bores you to death. It’s why I moved here in the first place, for a change of pace. I’m thirty-two going on sixty.”
“I think there’s a lot we could do that isn’t boring,“
I say, smiling, fully aware of how that sounds.
“Is that so?“
He smirks.
“I’m still thinking about that kiss. But I think Spider-Man got it wrong. Upside down kisses are hot, sure, but I couldn’t kiss you properly like that.”
He doesn’t break eye contact. “Well, I’m kind of hoping I get to do it again later.”
“Yeah,“
I whisper. “Me too.”
He grins. “Good. Then I’d say this date is going very, very well.”