Page 75 of Until Then

She wets her lips with a subtle swipe of her tongue. “Like… a date?”

Straightening, I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, my fingers lingering longer than necessary on her soft cheek. “Do you want it to be a date?”

Head dropped back, she lets out a huff. She moves to getoff me, but I grab her hips and hold her in place. “Where do you think you’re going? What’s wrong?”

When she pins me with a glare, her eyes swim with hurt. “If you have to ask me if I want it to be a date, it’s not a date, Derrick.”

Normally, I love when she says my name, but for the first time, it sounds wrong on her tongue.

“I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. I’m not good at this. It’s been…” I blow out a breath. “A long time. Forgive me, please?” I cup her cheeks in my hands, rubbing my thumbs over her smooth skin. I could kick myself for framing it the way I did. She’s right, it’s definitely not a date if I ask her that way. “Will you go on a date with me? A real one?”

She dips her chin in answer, eyes bright. “Yes.”

I get ready,then sneak out of the house to let her do the same. To make it feel more real, I’ll come back when it’s time to pick her up.

With the radio playing softly, I drive into town and park my truck on the street.

It’s been so long since I’ve been on a real date.

It’s laughable, honestly, because my last real date was with her sister. The irony isn’t lost on me.

The flower shop is at the end of the street, the bouquets displayed outside creating a riot of color. There are a few tourists milling around on the sidewalk, looking over the options. Rather than stopping there, I head inside.

Gloria looks up from behind the counter, a fake smile plastered on her face, but when she recognizes me, it morphs into a real one.

“Hey, Gloria.” The old wood floors groan beneath my feet as I approach her. She had me renovate the shop about ten years ago, but we agreed that the original hardwood floors needed to stay.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes.” She looks me up and down, eyes crinkling at the corners. They glimmer with amusement. “What brings you in?”

Gloria and I went to school together, though we weren’t much more than acquaintances.

“I need some flowers.”

“You’ve come to the right place.” She comes around the front of the counter. “Who are they for?”

“My… I have a date.”

“Ooh.” She shimmies her shoulders. “Tell me more.”

Heart thumping, I go ahead and put it out there. No use hiding. Once we’re seen out tonight, the whole town will know. “It’s Izzy.”

Her jaw drops open. She snaps it closed, only to open it again and sputter, “Your son’s girlfriend’s little sister?”

My shoulders rise to my ears. “Why’d you have to say it like that?”

“Dirty, dirty, dirty Derrick.” She clucks her tongue, smiling again. “You dirty dog.”

I scrub a hand over my face, the stubble on my cheeks rasping against my palm. “I know. Whatever you’re thinking, I know. Believe me.”

She squeezes my arm. “I kid.” Then she’s sashaying past me and plucking a spiky-looking blue flower from a bunch. She flits around the shop, putting together a bouquet while humming.

“Do you think I’m crazy?” I finally ask her.

She pauses what she’s doing, turns, and assesses me. “Fordating? Derrick, if anyone deserves someone who treats them well, it’syou.”

I shove my hands in my pockets. “The age difference isn’t weird?”

“Let me ask you this.” She picks through a basket of wispy looking yellow flowers. “Do you like herbecauseshe’s young, or do you just likeher? There’s a difference.”

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