Page 25 of Finally Moore

I chuckle. “Great minds.”

“Huh?” His emerald eyes meet mine.

“I’ve been debating on the same two dishes as well. The reviews rave about the short rib—the biggest complaint I’ve seen is that they sell out of them nightly. But the truffle mash sounds just as amazing.” An idea pops into my head, and before I know what I’m doing, I say, “Hey, what if…” Then quickly stop myself. “Sorry, never mind.”

“What?” he asks earnestly.

“What if one of us orders the ribeye and the other gets the ribs, then we could share?” I wince at the question. Kasey used to get annoyed when I couldn’t decide.

Whenever we went out to eat together, I would order several small plates and pick off each. My ex never had that problem, always knew exactly what he wanted when it came toeverything. Which was basically the same three dishes no matter where it was we went. I understood a lot of the time he was on strict diets to keep screen-ready, but still, it just would’ve been nice to cut loose now and then.

“I love that idea.” Scott smiles, his face filled with excitement. I know everyone says that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. But with Scott Moore, it seems to be theonlyway. Not that I want to get to his heart…

At least I don’t think I do.

No, the throbbing organ I’m interested in is located farther south. The guy might be a catch, but I’ve already learned the hard way that the only good boyfriend is fictional. Even if they’re great at playing them on the screen, it never translates to real life.

“Yes, just water for me, but she’ll have a Cabernet Sauvignon,” Scott says to our server, who (based on all the closed and piled-up menus) must’ve been here long enough to take everyone else’s orders. Scott then proceeds to tell her what we’re having for dinner. “Sorry,” he whispers as the server leaves the table. “I shouldn’t have ordered for you without asking...”

I smile. “Thank you, but I don’t mind. Especially since you got me exactly what I wanted.”

“You two are just adorable,” my mom coos from the other side of the table. “Okay, I’m dying to hear it.”

“Hear what?” I turn to her, confused.

“The story,” she says as if it should be obvious.

“Story?” Scott chokes out.

“Yes, I want to know everything about this blossoming love that my daughter has chosen to keep hidden from me until now.”

“Oh, well…” Scott tugs at his collar. It’s clear that acting isn’t his forte.

I lace my fingers with his. “It’s just one of those things. We’ve been hanging around each other for the last year. A glance here, a smile there.”

My mom rests her face in her hands, enthralled by what little information I’m providing. Even Brittany appears to be listening intently, while my stepsister and ex seem extremely uncomfortable with the topic. They should be. Although my story might be made-up, at least it isn’t as tainted as theirs.

I clear my throat before continuing. “There was a Halloween party at the bar in town. We were both there alone and quickly gravitated towards each other. At the end of the night, like the gentleman he is, Scott walked me home to make sure I got there safely. Then there was this moment at the door… You know the one where you’re supposed to go but your legs can’t seem to work, almost like there’s this magnetic pull between you that you’re hopeless to ignore. Before either of us knew what was happening, we were kissing and…” I remember that my niece is here, and that the PG-version of this story is necessary. “…as they say, the rest is history.”

“And the engagement?” My mom doesn’t let up.

“Oh, that was—”

“No, I want to hear it from Scott,” my mom interrupts. We didn’t craft this part of our tale, and given Scott’s improv skills the other day, we’re as dead as a Tuesday afternoon matinee at the local theatre. “I love a good proposal story. All the planning, the nerves, the anticipation…”

“There wasn’t any,” he says, and my mom quirks a brow. My ex and sister also seem more interested in this tale. “I mean, I had been thinking about it. But we’d only been officially dating for a month, so I kept telling myself it was too soon to even consider marriage. Terrified I’d scare her away by moving too fast. However, it was Thanksgiving, and one moment, we were enjoying this obnoxiously large dinner I prepared with my ever-expanding family; then, the next, my sister-in-law’s water broke and we were rushing her to the hospital. I was sitting there, looking at my siblings, thinking about how crazy all their love stories were. I realized it wasn’t important how their relationships started, because it got them all to where they were—are. Happy with their soul mates. It was in that instant that I knew it didn’t matter if it was too fast, too crazy, or too unconventional, because all that mattered was that I loved this girl, and I didn’t want to waste another second delaying the inevitable. So right there, in that waiting room, I dropped to one knee in front of Scarlett and proposed.”

Mom fans herself. “Oh, that’s so romantic.”

“Would you mind if I pitched that to some of the guys I know?” Kasey asks as Trisha nudges him. “What? Your mother’s right. Out of all the movies I’ve been in, that’s still the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.” My stepsister shoots him a nasty glare. He ignores her and continues, “Heck, your entire town is the perfect place for this project my buddy has lined up. Think Hallmark: a small-town, Christmas love story. Tral Lake is exactly what he’s been looking for.”

“Honey,” Trisha urges. “You know it’s not polite to discuss business at the dinner table.”

“Really?” Scott says, his excitement palpable as he talks over her. “That would be awesome. My sister’s on the town’s business and tourism committee. She could help pitch the idea and garner support. Oh, and my best friend—well, her husband and now my brother-in-law—he’s an amazing photographer and knows the area like the back of his hand. He could take you around and capture some onsite shots for your presentation.”

“He’s the one who helped me with the new images of the inn,” I add.

“No shit,” Kasey says. “If he has time.”

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