Page 83 of Even Beneath the Stars

"Why yes." I grin back. "I sure did."

He laughs, and it's a sound I really like, I realize. A mix of rugged and refined, just like him. Deep and a little rough. And just the thing to ease any of the awkwardness.

We talk about our day as we drive. Mine was pretty boring. Xave's was a little more exciting. Seb apparently "borrowed" their rival school's mascot costumelast night—a ridiculous giant eagle—which he wore at lunch, making squawking noises and dramatically challenging students to arm-wrestling matches.

We pull up to a large, fancy-looking cedar-shingled building with navy lettering above the double-wide main entrance.

I lean forward, reading the inscription. "You're taking me to… the Sandy Haven town hall?"

"Yup." He pops the 'p', grinning over slyly at me as he puts the car in park.

"Okaaaaay… Weird."

"Bit of a stretch, coming from the girl wearing a sweater made of pipe-cleaners."

I laugh. "It's faux fur."

"Exactly." He unfolds his tall body from the car and steps outside, leaning in to look back at me. "C'mon. Let's go."

I'm not going to lie—I am intrigued. Also, a little giddy. I was a teeny tiny bit worried that he was going to take me somewhere predictable. A coffee shop or something. Which would have been fine—just not… intriguing the way this is.

He places his hand against the small of my back when I round the car, looking down at me with a grin that's a little smug and a lot sexy.

"You're not taking me to sign a marriage certificate, are you?" I give him an exaggerated side-eye. "Because I'm not going to dissolve the three dates kissing rule, or sleep with you or something… just because we're husband and wife."

"Well, Christ." He throws his head back, then looks back down at me. "What's it gonna take with you?" But he's still wearing that same grin. Only possibly more irresistible, because there's an added spark of laughter in his eyes.

"Well, a kick-ass honeymoon, for starters," I quip.

"Shit. You'resonot the easy date I was expecting…" He shakes his head. "Because I gotta be honest, your outfit was screaming 'sure thing'."

"It's the green faux fur and yellow boot combo… I get it." I sigh dramatically. "Well, let this be your lesson not to make judgment calls about women based on the way they dress."

He chuckles. "Newsflash, Maggs, if I was the kind of guy who made judgment calls about women based on the way they dress, I'd have assumed you were trying toseduce me into buying handcrafted soap from an underground Etsy commune."

My mouth drops open. "Wow… Harsh, Rockwell."

He laughs, holding the door open for me and motioning me forward.

I step into a high-ceilinged lobby, lined on one side with a couple of doors bracketing a long reception desk behind a wide window.

A short-haired woman with heavily blushed cheeks looks up when we walk in and her eyes stretch a little wider when they land on Xavier. "Xavier…" she says. "Rockwell." She clears her throat. "Well, good afternoon. What can I do for you this afternoon?"

"Nothing, thanks." He gives her a brief smile. "Just here to show a friend some of our town's unique history."

But I already know exactly what we're here for, because while he was talking to rouge-cheek lady, I've been checking out what's behind the long glass display cabinet along the other wall of the lobby.

"Holy guacamole." I stride closer to the glass until my nose is practically touching it. "Xavier, this is… it's insane. This is so. Freaking. Cool." I squint at the display in front of me—a detailed and expansive miniature diorama spanning almost the entire wall. "The texturing is so impressive… And the detail is just…wow."

"You like it?"

"I love it!" I study the size of the people. "Is it one-twenty scale?"

Xavier laughs. "Are you seriously asking me?"

I glance up at him, and like he thinks I might still be waiting for an answer, he adds, "I have no idea what that even means."

"Wait…" I peer closer at the focal point of the diorama. "Is that… a giantfloating pumpkin?"

---