Page 28 of Pour Decisions
Brie huffed, the sound a cross between a laugh and something of disgust. “What were you playing at back there?”
I answered her question with one of my own. “Remember lastMemorial Day, when I forced Amara and Cal into making out in front of all of us with that dare?”
“Yes…”
I shrugged. “This is your dare.”
While she was momentarily struck dumb and silent, I left her standing in the lobby of the winery, making my escape before she could regain her bearings. She might not like me very much right now, but I had a feeling she’d thank me for meddling one day.
“Hey, Delia!”
I paused my exit from my final festival meeting of the day, spinning to face the man hurrying after me.
“Hey, TJ.”
TJ smiled warmly, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he came to a stop in front of me. “You ready for another year of madness?” he asked, inclining his head to the group exiting the community center behind us.
I nodded. “This is always my favorite time of year around here,” I said. “Fall is so…romantic.”
“I never thought of it like that,” he said. “I’ve always been a summer guy, so the weather changing always makes me a little mournful.”
“Oh, I love summer too, don’t get me wrong. Hard not to when you live in a place like this.”
TJ chuckled lightly, then locked his eyes on mine. “So look, romance is kind of why I wanted to talk to you just now.”
I narrowed my eyes, equal parts concerned and intrigued. “Yes?”
“I was curious if you’d be interested in going on a date with me some time,” he said, his gaze locked on mine and voice never wavering. “Even if it’s just coffee or something.”
Slowly, I blinked, allowing my eyes to sweep TJ’s figure. He was probably only an inch or two taller than me with floppy brown hair the same color as his dark eyes. Physically, he was a little more wiry than I typically preferred my men. A few years older than me in school, he’d left for college and come back. Now he owned and operated one of the gift shops in town. In the slow season, he supplemented his income by picking up shifts at Granny’s or doing odd jobs around town for other locals. I’d never heard anyone utter a bad word about him. He was nice. Probably too nice for me. And while my blood didn’t heat at the sight of him, my proverbial dance card was doing nothing but gathering dust these days. What was wrong with one date?
Lately, I’d definitely been thinking about how nice it would be to share my life with someone. Owen was obviously not in the running, but spending so much time with a man had ideas of filling my house with a husband and children running through my mind. Seeing my two older sisters finding their soulmates and starting their families gave me a bit of FOMO. I’d never begrudge either of them their happiness—god knew they both deserved to have men like Logan and Cal worshiping them—but I wanted that life for myself. I wanted to be the one to tell my parents they were getting a grandchild, to have a ring on my finger, to change my last name.
I loved being a Delatou, obviously. But I wanted to be more than that—wanted what Mom and Dad had, a lifetime of upsand downs with my one perfect person at my side. I wanted to be a wife and a mother as well as a badass business woman.
Now here I was, being presented with the opportunity to potentially make that dream a reality.
“Sure,” I said at last. “When are you thinking?”
“How about tomorrow? What’s your schedule look like? Maybe we can do dinner at Granny’s?”
“Tomorrow is perfect.”
And so, the following evening, I found myself walking down the leaf littered streets in the direction of Granny’s. TJ had offered to pick me up when he called—not texted, an action I wasn’t sure I liked—earlier to confirm details. It wasn’t that I didn’t like talking on the phone so much as phone calls were far harder to ignore than texts, and I was a busy woman. Anyway, I’d brushed him off, telling him it was silly for either of us to drive when we both lived within walking distance of the restaurant.
The whole of Apple Blossom Bay lived within walking distance of Main Street.
When I pushed through the heavy wooden door, I squinted, giving myself a moment to adjust to the dim interior. I scanned the space for TJ and found him quickly, as he’d risen from his seat to wave at me.
As I reached the table, TJ leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek, surprising me.
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, gesturing to the booth bench across from him. “Couldn’t help myself.”
“It’s fine,” I said, hoping my smile was placating and not belyingmy discomfort at having my personal space breached without my consent.
A second after we’d settled in, Tanya appeared at our side, smiling brightly. “Hey, Delia. TJ. What brings you in tonight?”
“We’re on a date!” TJ said excitedly.
