Page 19 of Her Surprise Vacation Date

She still has it—that beautiful sparkle in her blue eyes when she smiles. And when she chooses to share that smile with me, I feel like everything that she says I am—gorgeous, cute, sweet, hilarious, and wise. Just call me Super-Shaney ’cause I feel as strong as Superman, as noble as Captain America,and as brainy as Iron Man. Being around Hope makes me so ready to swoop in and save the day!

I immediately spot my first rescue mission just inches away. Motioning to Hope’s mouth, I say, “You have some powdered sugar right there.”

“I knew that would happen,” she replies with a groan. “Where did I put those napkins? I know they’re here somewhere.” As she searches her pockets, she struggles to keep the boat tray steady and the shopping bags from slipping off her shoulder.

“Here, let me help you?—”

“No!” Hope practically shouts before she gives me a sheepish grin. “I mean, no, thank you. Sorry, I didn’t mean to overreact.”

I eye her warily. Forget about being a superhero, I think I just turned into the villain. “I was just going to offer to hold your Æbleskivers.”

“Oh! I mean, of course you were. I knew that.”

“Did you? Because the way you reacted makes me wonder if you thought I was going to eat them, too.” I hold my free hand up in surrender. “I don’t like themthatmuch. I’ll take steak and potatoes over these any day.”

Hope laughs. “I believe you. I feel so silly now. You’re going to think I’m out of my mind when I tell you what I was really thinking.”

I shrug. “If I told you I just called myself Super-Shaney in my head, would that make you feel better?”

“What? Why?”

“It’s a long story. But back to yours. What were you thinking about?”

She scrunches up her nose as she looks everywhere but my face. “That you were going to be like one of the guys in theromance books I read who offers to wipe the sugar off my lip with…”

Her voice is so soft, I barely hear the end of her sentence. “A napkin?”

Shaking her head, she murmurs, “Your thumb.”

“My thumb?”

She cringes. “Crazy, right? It’s just that after the leaning thing you did and everything you’ve said—you remind me so much of the male characters I read about, so my head just automatically went there.”

“And this kind of stuff happens in those stories? Where the girl gets sugar on her mouth and the guy helps her wipe it off?”

“Yes! It doesn’t have to be sugar though. It can be anything from whipped cream or chocolate or crumbs, but not huge crumbs, just small ones so the girl still looks cute. Wow, the more I listen to myself, the wackier I sound.” She slumps against the wall of the store and squeezes her eyes shut. “I need to start reading a different genre. Something more realistic, so I can get all these wild ideas out of my head. Maybe true crime?”

I can’t help chuckling. “You’re the walking definition of adorable, you know that?”

Her eyes fly open. “You’re not helping, Shaney. You’re supposed to tell me my expectations are over the top and to face reality.”

“And what’s that? What’s reality to you?”

Hope sighs. “That you’re my best friend’s brother who’s been kind enough to hang out with me all day.”

“Is that all?”

“I suppose you’re my friend, too. But that’s all we can be, Shaney, just friends.”

The waver in her voice does little to convince me of whatshe’s saying. I can sense her resolve breaking. Leaning in closer, I ask, “Do you want to know what my reality is?”

“Wh-what?”

“That I like you, and I think you like me, too. And if you give me a chance, I can be your very own book character who wipes sugar off your mouth, and so much more.”

And with that promise, I reach over and glide the pad of my thumb across her lower lip. It’s softer than I expect and so warm to the touch. Heat rushes up my skin and sets my insides on fire. As soon as the sugar is gone, I drop my hand.

The moment is over faster than I like, but the desire in Hope’s eyes makes me believe there will be more like this to come.

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