Page 38 of Her Surprise Vacation Date

“My pleasure.”

“So, you didn’t lose your luggage?” Amelia asks, confused.

“I did. But God also brought it back to me.”

“Like He did with me,” Shane boldly adds. He bumps my knee with his, then shoots me a heartfelt wink that makes my cheeks warm.

“Yep. There were quite a few surprises on this trip.” I smile at him before turning back to Ames. “The only downside is that I lost the things that were in my luggage. Including your birthday gift that I spent months working on.”

Amelia gives me a quick hug. “You are so sweet, Hope. Just tell me what you got; that’ll be enough for me.”

“Well, originally, I got you thirty candles in your favorite scents.”

“Thirty?! And you put them all in your luggage? That must’ve weighed a ton!”

“Not quite a ton.” I chuckle, remembering my clever workaround to that situation. “You would’ve loved them, Ames. There were fruity scents, floral ones, and everything in between. There was even one that smelled like angel food cake.”

“Yum! That sounds so good now that I can eat again. I can’t wait to visit the bakeries here. You’ll have to take me to get an Æbleskiver later today.”

“For sure. I’m sure Shaney would like another ball of fried dough,” I tease him.

“Whatever you wish, my love.”

I swoon a bit inside. If Ames wasn’t sitting beside us, I’d be covering his face with kisses right now, but for her sake, I hold back. Instead, I try a move from the historical romances I’ve read and inch my hand closer to Shane’s until they’re side by side. I brush my pinky against his and tingles travel up my finger at the contact. In response, Shane flexes his hand, à la Mr. Darcy, and we share a secret smile.

“Ahem!” Amelia clears her throat. “Should we get those Æbleskivers now since you guys seem to be in the mood for something sweet?”

I offer Ames a sheepish smile before telling her, “I actually have a replacement gift for you. It’s not as fragrant as the candles, but hopefully you’ll like it. It’s not quite your birthday yet, but do you want it now?”

“Hope spent a lot of our vacation shopping for it,” Shane informs Amelia.

“Yourvacation?” she balks. “You mean Hope’s and my vacation.”

“Hope’s, your,andmy vacation,” he replies with a cheeky grin.

“Humph! You should be grateful I’m willing to share my best friend with you, little brother.”

“I’m more than happy to share my girlfriend with you, big sis.”

“Just remember she wasmyfriend first!”

“But we’ve known her the same amount of time.”

“All right, guys, we get the point!” I jump up off the bench, then look from one person to the other. “No more arguing! I love both of you guys!”

Amelia quirks a brow. “But who do you love mo?—”

“I’m going to get your gift, Ames!” I head into the room to retrieve the large bag I’d put all the items in and also grab a pair of socks for my cold feet, before taking my seat on the bench again. “Happy birthday, Ames! It’s missing one more thing, but we literally went to every store in town, and I couldn’t find what I wanted, so you’ll have to take a raincheck for the last item.”

“This is more than enough!” She tucks her curly brown hair behind her ears, then proceeds to take the items out one by one. After unwrapping each one, she takes a moment tooohandahhand laugh when appropriate. Her face lights up as she shows off the various items. By the time she’s emptied the bag, her entire lap, along with Shane’s and mine are full of gifts. “Thank you, Hope. I love them all so much. I always said you’re the best gift giver I know.”

I receive her hug with open arms. “I’m so glad you like them. It was like a wild goose hunt trying to find them all. I’ll give you the thirtieth item as soon as I can.”

She shakes her head. “No, Hope, you don’t need to give me anything else. I have my last gift already.”

“Where? What are you talking about?”

“It’s you guys,” she says, gesturing to Shane and me. “Seeing you and my little brother happy together, as weird as it is, makes me happy. I’m glad you guys found each other again after all these years apart.”

---