Page 78 of The Heart Shot
Me
You ready for tonight? : )
A few seconds later a response popped onto the screen.
Elsie
I guess so. What are we doing?
I arched a brow at her lack of enthusiasm.I guess so?I thought I was finally making progress with her, that her walls were beginning to crumble, but this felt cold and closed off. Grumpy.
That was okay. I liked a challenge.
Me
It’s a surprise : )
Elsie
[skeptical GIF]
Me
[GIF of raccoon rubbing its hands together]
I’ll pick you up at six.
Originally, I had planned to drive us into the city, treat her to a nice restaurant, and we’d see where things went from there. But she wasn’t the type of girl who liked fancy restaurants or expensive evenings. She was a Chick-Fil-A cookies n’ cream shake, picnic on the beach, cuddling on the couch while watching Christmas movies type of girl. She preferred a quiet night at home to busy, loud places with lots of people.
Maybe her ex missed that bit about her.
But I didn’t.
So, instead of doing a typical “date” to try to impress her, I was going to keep it simple. We’d do something I hoped she’d enjoy and wouldn’t make her uncomfortable. Something that might bring out the smile that made my knees tremble and stomach clench. Something that let me wrap my arms around her and kiss her every chance I could get.
Me
Wear something you don’t mind getting dirty : )
Elsie
Should I be nervous?
Me
You never need to be nervous with me, sunshine.
But you might want to bring a spare change of clothes.
Just in case : )
Elsie
I’ll see you at six.
I blinked at her response. I was trying to be playful and make her smile, but she didn’t even attempt to flirt back.
Rubbing at my chin, I was overcome with anxiousness about tonight, even though I’d been looking forward to it for days. After a long week, I was excited to spend time, just the two of us, hopefully with lots of laughter and kisses involved, too.
