Page 66 of The Backup Bride Proposal

He walked over to Mae and they headed outside. When he held the car door for her, he inhaled her sweet, lemony scent. “You smell good, too.”

She reached for him, swiping her hand across his jaw. “Keep up that sweet talk and we’ll never make it to dinner.”

“I do know how to order in, ya know.”

She laughed. “Get in the car and drive.”

He’d already programmed the GPS for the location of the restaurant, so he started driving.

“How did the rest of filming go today?” Mae asked.

“Much easier than the earlier scene. Then I went to the gym and did a hard workout.”

“I’ll bet that felt good.”

“It did. Oh, and I got an email from my agent about upcoming projects.”

“Is that right? Anything good?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t look at any of his suggestions. I told him we’d regroup after the holiday season. I’m…busy right now.”

She was silent for a few minutes, then said, “Why do I get the feeling there’s more to it than just you being…busy right now?”

She was right, but since he couldn’t put his finger on why he’d hesitated on jumping on potential new projects, he couldn’t explain it. Not to Mae. Not to himself, either. Which was why it was the right call to back-burner it for now.

“Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve worked a lot over the past couple of years. I want some time to think about what’s next, and I’m not in the mood right now, if that makes sense.”

“Fair enough.”

He liked that she didn’t push him to talk about something when he wasn’t ready. He’d dated women before who were only interested in his career, in his celebrity. What was next for him. What exciting projects he had down the line. What famous people he knew. Mae didn’t seem the least bitinterested in that, but treated his work like his job. She asked him about his day, and if he wanted to talk about it, great. If he didn’t, that was fine, too.

It was so…normal.

He drove them to Redrock Canyon Grill, a restaurant that sat right on the edge of a nice lake. Even though it was dark, it was a clear night and the moon lit up the water.

“I’ll bet sunsets here are amazing in the summer,” he said as they made their way inside.

“They’re pretty spectacular. Maybe you’ll come by sometime if you have free time in the summer and we can eat here, watch the sun go down.”

Something about her being so nonchalant about him not being around past the movie shoot made his stomach tighten. “Yeah, maybe I’ll do that.”

The hostess seated them in a spot next to the windows. Their server showed up right away to take their drink orders.

“Bottle of wine?” he asked.

“You know, I think I’ll have an Aperol spritz instead.”

He ordered beer and then perused the menu, which looked outstanding, mostly because it had several types of steak.

“What looks good to you?” he asked.

“I’m pondering the chicken or the pork chop. How about you?”

“Either the ribs or the ribeye. Or maybe the filet. They all look good.”

She gave him a half smile. “You’re such a red meat guy.”

Their server brought their drinks, so he had to wait to respond. When he did, he said, “Hey, I like seafood, too. And salad. That has meat in it.”

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