Page 12 of Make Me Swoon

My heart kicks in my chest and I’m so tired of pushing this guy away. I hate turning him down, seeing that flicker of disappointment on his face before he masks it. He’s been so nice about his car and he didn’t have to be. Maybe I should just give him a chance. With my track record, I’ll have ruined things and we’ll be over before we ever begin.

Is that why I’ve been turning him down? Because I don’t want it to be over? Because if I ruin things with him, then I’ll miss out on the notes and feeling his eyes on me every time I pass.

I shouldn’t be letting that dictate things. I make a split-second decision, shifting the groceries in my hands.

“Hey, I know that it’s super short notice, but the girls, Teller, Flynn, and I are going up to Honey Peak tonight. There’s some new bar up there that everyone wants to try. The Honey Bee Bar. Why don’t you join us?” I offer and his mouth drops open in surprise before he recovers, the dimple in his cheek popping out as he grins at me.

“I’m in. I’ll drive us.”

“I can drive,” I offer and he shakes his head.

“I don’t mind.”

“More like you don’t trust me,” I joke and he grins wider.

“Just want to make sure that we all get there in one piece without any other fender benders.”

I laugh as we head up the stairs to my apartment and he sets the bags down on the kitchen counter, looking around my place.

It’s a large one-bedroom apartment with windows lining one whole wall overlooking Main Street, the lighthouse, Mackinaw Bridge, and lake. I never added curtains, wanting to see that view every day.

I don’t have that much stuff since I was traveling, so there’s only a TV, couch, and coffee table in the living room. The kitchen is the same way with just the essentials and a few stray papers on the counter. My dirty dishes are in the sink from this morning and I left the empty cereal box on the counter.

“I like how you decorated it,” he compliments and I stare at him like he’s crazy.

My place is filled with hand-me-downs and furniture that I pulled in off of the curb before trash day. I didn’t have money to furnish it and this was supposed to be temporary, so there wasn’t much point in buying new stuff.

“I’m serious. It’s inviting and comfortable. It just seems like you. It suits you.”

I look around the living room, trying to see it the way that he does. I guess there is a certain kind of charm to the eclectic design.

“What time tonight?” he asks.

“Uh, we’re leaving here at about seven-thirty and meeting at the bar around eight.”

“Let’s leave at seven. We can grab food first.”

I look over to the clock seeing that it’s already after six.

“Okay, I’ll get ready and meet you downstairs at seven,” I say and he nods, grinning at me as he turns to head for the door.

He gives me one last smile as he closes the door after him, and I bite my lip after he’s gone. I wonder if dinner and the bar tonight is a good idea. I guess either way, it’s done and there’s no going back now.

Still, I can’t help but wonder why it feels like I’m balancing on the edge of something important.

FIVE

I finish applying another coat of mascara, looking at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. I look pretty good considering that I didn’t have that much time to shower and get ready, so I just applied a new layer of deodorant and perfume and tugged on a dress.

The bar is supposed to be casual so I didn’t apply too much makeup. I tug my hair up into a messy bun and grab my wedge sandals before I head out to the living room. I still have a few minutes before I need to be downstairs but I don’t want Hudson to have to wait for me. I stuff my phone and keys in my purse before I head for the door.

I open it, startling when I almost run right into Hudson.

“Hey, I thought maybe we could just eat here,” he says, holding up the two plates in his hands.

I can tell from the plates that they’re from Prim + Proper and it smells delicious. My stomach growls and Hudson frowns. I don’t want to turn him down after he went through all of the trouble, so I open the door, letting him carry everything into the kitchen.

He sets the plates down at the counter in front of the barstools and grabs the bottle of wine that I didn’t notice under his arm.

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