Page 5 of Made for the Mountain Man

The second I did, my heart dropped.

Looking forward to dinner tomorrow night. Wear something that will make it hard for me to stand up in public.

We hadn't set firm boundaries or expectations that we wouldn't be dating other people. However, what made me sick to my stomach was that she'd named the person "Free Dinner 2."

I joinedMountain Matesa few weeks later and never took Cassie out again.

She smirks when I don't respond right away, thinking I'm considering her half-assed attempt at a quid pro quo arrangement.

I see red. "Cassie," I grit out through clenched teeth. "You'll have to find anotherfree dinnertonight. Get out of my shop before you hurt yourself parading around in those ridiculous shoes."

Her mouth drops open, gaping at my blunt response.

I refuse to back down. "You have ten seconds before I turn the machine back on," I say, dropping my helmet and returning to my piece.

"One, two, three..." Veronica counts.

I chuckle as Cassie storms out in an irritated huff. The overwhelming smell of her perfume instantly lessens once she's gone, and I release a breath. Veronica winks at me before following Cassie into the hallway.

I work a little longer before hitting a stopping point on the piece. Cleaning up, I head back to my office, stretching my backand wondering if I have time for a run tonight before it gets too dark.

I try to force myself not to check my phone for at least ten minutes, but I last less than ten seconds.

Violet

Let's do it. I can be there on Saturday. Dinner?

My heart soars. I'm going to meet the love of my life in a few days.

Oh, God. A pit drops in my stomach, and I'm ready to make an excuse. Put off the meet-up as long as possible until she can't help but be in love with me before we meet.

I'm terrible at dating. Everyone around here will notice I'm on a date. If she hates me, I'll never hear the end of it. The little old ladies of Duhring Park will try to set me up with their granddaughters, nieces, or the friendly woman they met at the grocery store.

Flowers. I'll get her flowers. I'm the co-owner of a flower shop, for God's sake. I can do that. One step at a time.

Buy flowers.

Book a reservation.

Meet my soulmate.

As terrified as I am, I can't keep the grin off my face for the rest of the night. Because I feel it deep in my bones.

Fate. Future. Love.

Saturday, I'm meeting my future wife.

Chapter 3

Violet

Breathe in, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four.

"Violet, please say something."

In two, three, four. Out, two, three, four.

"Vi, I'm sorry you're mad or freaked out or whatever this is. But we can't let you lose out on a guy like Brooks, who is clearly in love with you."

---