Page 34 of The Perfect Love

She turns back to me. “What?”

“Put yourself down.”

“You don’t know me well enough to know if I’m putting myself down or not.”

“I don’t have to know you well to know you’re strong, smart, funny, and compassionate. In the short time I’ve known you, I’ve seen it all. I don’t care about poise or any of that kind of bullshit. A posh princess isn’t what I want. I want you, and I’ll tell you that as many times as you need to hear it.”

I put my turn signal on and pull into the parking lot of a small wooden building. It has a covered front porch with Adirondack chairs on it, and above that, a sign that readsThe Lake Shack.

I turn to Chelsea, who is still staring at me. After a moment, she sighs and shakes her head. “You might’ve just earned yourself a continuation of our date.” My victorious smile makes her roll her eyes. She swings her door open, then looks back at me. “Don’t let it go to your head. You still need to impress me with this brunch.” Then she’s out of the car and strolling toward the building.

I scramble out of the car and follow her, getting ahead of her just in time to open the door for her.

We walk inside the building, which is anything but a shack. It’s a small but beautiful cabin-style building. Wood everywhere, with tasteful decorations and a homey feel. But the best part is out the back door. That’s for after we order, though.

There are people at a couple of the tables, but no one waiting at the counter.

The swinging doors that remind me of a saloon fly open, as a woman in her late fifties appears with an inviting smile on her face.

“Can I help you two?”

I rest my hand on the small of Chelsea’s back and guide her forward.

Chelsea’s staring up at the menu, wide-eyed, so I order first. “This is her first time here,” I whisper, and Chelsea elbows me. “I’ll have the kitchen sink breakfast burrito and a raspberry cheesecake latte.”

Chelsea blinks a couple of times, then finally looks at the woman behind the counter. “I’ll have the Benedict sandwich.”Saw that coming.“And a seven-layer wonder latte.”

A younger girl at the end of the counter gets to work on our coffee orders as the older woman rings us out. I pay before Chelsea even has a chance to try to pay for hers.

“Those will be out in a few minutes.”

“Thanks,” I say.

Chelsea moves away from the counter, looking around the place.

“What do you think?”

She spins around and grabs my shirt, pulling me closer. “This place is really cute. There’s something special here. How’d you find out about it?”

I chuckle at that. “Hyla and I were up visiting during freshman year, and Rae and Aaron were fighting, so Amanda and Mackie brought us. Mackie’s dad is a total foodie and loves to find the best local places. He was the one who picked it when he was visiting one time. The rest of them come here pretty regularly. It’s one of my favorite spots because it’s quiet, but it still has personality. Plus, if you had any concerns about being alone with me, no worries here. I’m pretty sure the older lady would hit me with a frying pan if I misbehaved, and her husband would chase me out of here with a broom.”

She laughs at that. “I appreciate you abiding by my rules. And this place is cool. Thanks for sharing it with me.”

“Your coffees are ready.”

We walk over and grab them, but stay close to the counter, waiting for our food. Plus, I don’t want to spoil the surprise if she catches a glimpse of the back doors.

“Random and unrelated question… you said Rae and Aaron were fighting the day you first came here. Is that like a common thing? Because they seem crazy in love, and I don’t want to get invested in shipping them if they’re just going to break up.”

I can’t help but laugh at that. “There have never been two people more meant to be than Aaron Cooper and Rae McKinley.They had a rough transition going from friends to more, mostly because they were both dealing with significant mental health stuff. They were broken up at that time, but since they got back together, their relationship has been strong and healthy. In a lot of ways, they set the example for all of us now. They communicate, prioritize each other, and focus on being the best versions of themselves. Long story short, you can ship it. The rest of us have been our whole lives.”

She nods and takes a sip of her drink. “Wow. That’s delicious.” She clears her throat. “So, they set the example for the rest of you in terms of relationships. Does that mean something serious is what you’re looking for?”

Before I can answer, the kitchen doors fly open again, and the woman walks out holding a tray with our orders on it. “Here you are.”

“Thanks,” I say quickly. It’s not that I don’t want to answer Chelsea’s question, but I guess I wanted to settle in a little more first. I grab our tray, then nod toward the back. “Follow me. You haven’t seen the best part yet.”

She takes our coffees and follows me to the back of the restaurant, where heavy duty French doors open onto an expansive deck with a sweeping view of the lake.

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