Page 13 of Choosing Happily Ever After

“Not like, out-out.” He held up his hands in a weak effort to keep her from running away. “I mean like out with friends, out. Logan, Katie, and I were going to go into town tonight for Musical Bingo at the Knot.”

“Musical Bingo?”

“You’ve heard of it?”

She shook her head.

“How is that?” He pretended to look shocked. “I’m told it’s the place to be on Wednesday nights. Apparently there’s some killer drink specials, too.”

“I don’t get out much.”

“Then we should change that.”

She tilted her head and eyed him suspiciously.

“I’m not saying a date,” he reassured her, despite the fact that a date was exactly what he wanted. The impact of that thought hit him square in the gut. Dammit. Hedidwant a date. Hell, he wanted a whole lot more when it came to Hope. It had only been a few days since he’d been back in town, but he didn’t need any longer to know what he had never forgotten.

He loved Hope Turner.

Levi swallowed hard. Something told him that declaring that love for her at that precise moment would not have the desired effect. He smiled his biggest, most charming smile. “I’m just saying it would be a fun night out with friends. Katie and Logan assure me that it’s hilarious and full of all the classic sing-alongs from our youth.”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head and started to back away, but he stopped her.

“Hey, you haven’t seen my surprise yet.”

Levi was well aware that he’d already put a bit of a stipulation on the surprise he wanted to show her and that probably wasn’t fair, but screw it. He didn’t want to be fair. Not if it meant having a chance to get Hope away from the ranch and see her having a bit of fun that didn’t include work. He may not have been back in town long, but it wasn’t hard to see that she needed a break and she was definitely long overdue for having some fun.

She sighed, obviously torn between wanting to see what he was hiding and getting out of the possibility of going out to Musical Bingo. “Okay, fine,” she said, surprising them both.

“Fine?”

She nodded. “Fine. It’s a deal. If I like whatever it is you’re hiding out there, I’ll go to bingo. But not before I have a nap.”

“Deal.” He wasn’t about to argue those terms. Before she could change her mind, he spun around and with a big push, shoved the barn door to the side to reveal what he’d been working on.

Levi didn’t even have to turn around to know she liked it. A lot.

Behind him, Hope gasped. A moment later, she walked past him, toward the surprise, and held her hand out.

The other day, he’d been flipping through her master binder. Of course, he’d been impressed with her organization, but that was nothing new. Hope always was super organized with things. But more than that, he’d been impressed with the lists he’d found at the back. Pages filled with her plans to improve things and added features that she could offer couples. One of those things had been the arch he’d been working on. The arch she was currently speechless over.

“How did you…it’s…you did this?” She ran her hand down the smooth wood and walked through it as she examined every inch of it. “Levi, it’s…wow.” Finally, Hope turned to look at him. “My binder,” she said with a nod. “You looked at my lists.”

“I did.” He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest to keep from reaching out to her. “I hope that’s okay. I just really wanted to make sure you didn’t regret your decision to hire me on and…well, I really want to help, Hope.”

For a moment, she looked as if she might cry. “I see that.” She blinked hard and laughed, the emotional moment gone. “Okay, you win. What time do we leave?”

Hope

“Ohh, ohh, that’s ‘Wild Thing’!” Hope raised her dauber marker in the air for a moment before quickly pressing it down on the appropriate square.

Across the table, Katie waved her arms in the air and sang along with the song. It only took a moment before Hope joined her with the chorus.

They broke out in laughter and Hope reached for her beer. As she lifted it to her lips, she met Levi’s eyes. He watched her with a grin on his face, so Hope winked and took a sip of her beer.

She had to admit, she was having a good time. Musical Bingo turned out to be a blast and was without a doubt the most fun she’d had at a bar in years.

Not that she spent much time in bars. And not that the Knot was really a traditional bar. It was Glacier Fall’s only pub and one of the only places to eat. Hope had been there plenty of times, but she couldn’t honestly remember the last time she’d been there later than the dinner hour.

---