Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
LOUISA
I pull into the parking lot of Penelope’s Apple Orchard. It was a 30-minute drive from my apartment, giving me plenty of time to freak out. I almost turned around three times, but my curiosity about this man kept me driving.
Sam and I finally exchanged cell phone numbers. It’s been a lot easier than messaging on the app. I was tired of getting notifications from other guys and getting my hopes up that it was Sam.
Lou
Just got here. I’m the brunette standing by the entrance.
Sam
Be right there. I’ll be the guy looking for the cute brunette.
My heart races, and even though it’s a crisp fall day, I’m starting to sweat. Shit, there he is! Breathe, Lou. As soon as he spots me, a big smile stretches across his face.
“Hey, Lou. ”
“Hi, Sam.”
As he walks up to me, he stretches out his arms and wraps me in a hug. I’m completely swallowed up by this man. And god, he smells so good. His grip on me loosens, and I step back, taking in the sight before me. How is he even hotter in person?
He’s wearing a green long-sleeve shirt and over it a lightweight wool jacket in a tan color. His dark jeans hug his muscular thighs. And his stylish white sneakers round out the outfit to make him look like an Abercrombie model.
“Thank you for not being a catfish.”
He laughs and rubs his hand down his cheek and jaw. “Same. You look great.” That smile still hasn’t left his face, so I believe him. “Wanna go in?”
When I turn and walk through the gate, I feel him gently place his hand on the small of my back. He’s so calm, cool, and collected. It makes me less anxious than I was two minutes ago.
SAM
She’s just as beautiful as she was in her photos, if not better. Those eyes, though darker in color, sparkle when she smiles. Her outfit shows off her figure, especially her butt, which looks amazing in those jeans. She’s wearing boots that add a little bit to her height, but I still tower over her.
We start off by going into the gift shop to get a drink. I buy myself a hot chocolate, and she orders a hot apple cider, which I pay for, despite her protest. It was my idea to come here, so I’m going to use that as my excuse to treat her to everything today if she tries to put up a fight. Actually, it was Quinn’s idea, but I won’t bring that up unless she does.
“So what made you choose this place? Have you been here before?”
Busted. “Actually, it was Quinn’s suggestion. He gets out a lot more than I do. When I told him I wanted to take you out on a date, he suggested this place.”
“You were talking about me to your brother?”
“Ummm, yeah.” I’m a little nervous, so I rub the back of my neck. “We pretty much talk about everything. We’re really close.”
“That’s sweet. Are you as close with your older brother? Was it…Jacob?”
“Yeah, Jacob. And no, we aren’t as close. Quinn gets himself involved with everyone’s business, and Jacob mostly keeps to himself.”
“B and Quinn sound like they would get along well. But boy, would they cause trouble.” She laughs. “Does Quinn have a girlfriend?”
“Women aren’t Quinn’s type. But no, he’s single.”
“Got it.” She nods with no hint of judgment on her face. Not that I would expect it from her anyway.
We’re walking around the orchard, talking, when we come across a maze. It's made out of rectangular hay bales stacked high enough where even I can't see over them.
"Wanna try it?"
She looks little nervous. "Sure."
"We don't have to if you don't want to."
"No, I want to."
We toss our empty cups in the trash and walk to the starting entrance.
"Have you done one of these before?"
As we start the maze, she walks a little closer to me, her arm brushing up against mine. I use it as an opportunity to take her hand in mine. She doesn't look up at me, but I can see she's smiling now.
"Yeah, they always have one at the county fair near my hometown."
"Makes sense. I forget you're from a small town."
We continue chatting as we walk. She tells me all about her small town and how even though she loved her childhood, she never wants to move back there. I start to notice that the further we get into the maze, the less talkative she gets. Ten minutes later, Lou grabs my arm with her other hand that isn't locked in mine.
“Are we lost?”
“No, I’m pretty sure we just reached the center of the maze,” I reassure her.
“I was not expecting it to be this big. It’s going to take us 20 minutes to get out of here.” Her breathing becomes quick and shallow, her eyes darting around us in every direction.
I turn towards her and cup her chin in my fingers. I tilt her head up to look me in the eyes. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.” She does her best to fake a casual smile.
Her breathing slows a bit, but I’m not quite convinced. I drop my hand from her chin and slide it to the side of her neck. My thumb swipes back and forth on her cheek and she leans into it.
"You seem a little stressed."
"I got lost in one of these as a kid. Haven't done one since."
I let go of her face and turn around to assess the options, keeping my fingers on my other hand laced with hers. I guide us out of the center circle toward where I’m pretty sure one of the exits is .
After several twists and turns as well as a couple dead ends, we finally see the exit. I can see her sigh with relief as soon as we turn the corner. She picks up the pace of her strides and I follow suit.
Once we get out, she’s still holding my hand, and I’m not going to be the one to break the contact. She turns towards me, looking up.
“Okay, I lied; I was very anxious back in the middle."
"I know."
"It's dumb, I know. But all of a sudden I was 8-year-old Louisa stuck in the corn maze at the county fair, screaming for my mom. Oh god, this is so embarrassing. Please just forget that that ever happened. I would love it if–”
She stops mid-sentence when I reach my free hand up to tuck a loose piece of hair behind her ear.
She swallows, hard. “What I mean to say is thank you for being so calm.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I could tell you were nervous; I just didn’t want to make a big deal of it.”
We’re still facing each other, and I can feel my heart beating against my chest. I know I want to kiss her, but I’m frozen. I really don’t want to screw this up. There’s still a piece of me that thinks she’s way out of my league and that any wrong step will scare her away.
After a long pause of silence where we just stare at each other, she asks, “Do you want to come back to my place?”
Thank god. I would invite her back to my house, but it’s a bit of a construction zone right now with all the renovations I’m doing. Not that I’m embarrassed by that, but it’s not the most romantic setting.
“I’d love to. But…I’m starving. Would it be okay if I ordered takeout and picked it up on my way over?”
She gives me a soft smile and nods. “That would be perfect.”