Page 66 of Once Smitten, Twice Shy

I smile up at him. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Definitely not what I had in mind for a third date,” he says, “but then again, real life is like that, right? Unexpected twists. It’s good practice, figuring out how to roll with it.”

The reminder—that this is practice, that all of this is, makes my smile slip, just for a moment, before I manage to tack it back up and meet Will’s eyes.

He’s watching me, his gaze intent. “I really like your parents.”

“They’re a lot,” I tell him.

He shrugs. “So are mine. Well, my dad, not so much. He’sgenerally pretty chill and quiet, but get a couple whiskeys in him”—he snaps his fingers—“he’s the life of the party.”

I laugh. “He sounds fun.”

“He is,” Will says. “You’d like him.” He pauses, then says, “He’d like you, too.”

“Yeah?”

“Mm-hmm.” Will grins. Then he blows out a breath. “I don’t thinkyourdad hates me. Which is nice.”

I bite my lip. Will doesn’t have to care what my dad thinks of him, but he does. I find it impossibly sweet. “You kidding me? You took him on a deep dive through the history of whiskey distillation. You answered every question he had about your electrical truck. Headoresyou.”

“We might have swapped numbers,” Will admits.

My mouth drops open. “Seriously?”

Will grimaces. “He asked! I couldn’t say no. Plus…I like the guy.”

“Juliet!” Mom calls from inside, her footsteps sounding as she walks closer. “Don’t let that beau of yours leave without taking some dessert!”

“You hear that?” Will wiggles his eyebrows. “I’m your beau.”

I groan, mortified. “I swear I told her eight times we’re just friends.”

Mom pops her head out, holding a container of trifle filled with summer berries. Will takes it, then says, “Thank you very much, Mrs. Wilmot. I appreciate it.”

Mom’s cheeks turn pink. “Please, I told you to call me Maureen! And it’s no trouble. Now, you drive home safe and give Isla and Grant a big hug for me, you hear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Mom clutches her chest and sighs. “So polite.”

“Get back inside, would you?” I gently nudge her in, pulling the door shut, before I turn back to Will. “You’ve got my mom wrapped around your finger, too.”

Will smiles, and there it is, wide and rare, revealing his straight white teeth, setting the handsome crinkles in his eyes.

“What are you grinning about, huh?” I poke him in the chest, a smile breaking across my face, too.

Will clasps my fingers and holds them against his heart as he peers down at me, his smile fading to something soft, something that seems…almost tender. “I had a great time tonight.”

“I did, too,” I tell him.

Gently, he lets go of my hand and takes a step back, then another, before he turns and jogs down the steps.

“Text me when you’re home safe?” I yell.

“Will do!” he calls over his shoulder.

“And make it flirty!” I hiss-whisper, loud enough that I hope he can hear.

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