Page 54 of The Love Losers

I get out of the car quickly, before he can try to ruin something else for me. My nerves slip away as I approach Anthony, who’s already smiling so broadly his dimples are on display. I didn’t do a damn thing to earn them, other than being late, which only makes them more delightful.

Like an old-timey movie star,Joy keeps saying, and I have to admit she’s right. His face could bring people to the movie theater in droves. He looks like he should be smoking oneof those filter-less 1920s cigarettes that would have given him cancer by age sixty.

“Did you finish writing your list?” I ask as I approach him.

He gives me a short, solemn nod before dipping his head to kiss my cheek, his lips warm and firm. Then he offers me his arm like we’re living out a topsy-turvy version ofPride & Prejudicewhere Mr. Darcy decides he’d like to give Lydia a shot.

I take it.

“I did,” he says, giving me a sidelong look. He tries not to smile, and I bump him with my side.

“Stop. You’re making fun of my outfit.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He pauses his forward motion and runs a finger across the sequins on the collar of my sweater, visible through the top of my coat.

“It’s not every day a girl gets to ride a unicorn. I wanted to look the part.”

But I also didn’t want to flash him. Yet. So instead of wearing the tulle skirts my heart had wanted, I wore rainbow leggings, rainbow sneakers, and a sequined sweater under my purple rainbow coat.

“And youdolook the part,” he says with a wider grin as he resumes the trek toward the stables. “Have you ridden a unicorn before?”

“In my dreams, almost every night since I was six.”

“So you’ll do fine,” he says with a grin. “They say it’s a lot like horseback riding, but they’re wrong, of course.”

“Are they?”

“Yeah.” We reach the front of the stables. “I’m told riding a unicorn is at least ninety-five percent more magical. There’s no arguing with statistics.”

He opens the door, and we’re greeted by a man dressed like a footman from a fairytale. He’s wearing a nametag that saysJeeves,which no butler has probably been named for a hundred years.

“Is Princess Rosie here for her unicorn ride?” he asks with a completely straight face.

It’s possible they’re both fucking with me, but I’m very down to play along.

Smiling, I say, “Yes, your finest unicorn, Jeeves!”

A smile plays on his face before he leads us to the last stall. There’s a whinny from inside, and my heart beats a little faster.

Ilovehorses. I love their big, beautiful eyes and their velvety flanks and their long hair. I love how they look majestic even when they’re doing nothing more interesting than eating hay or walking through a field.

I have also never been horseback riding before.

There’s no real reason for that, beyond that I’ve never had a lot of money, even before my parents died, and horses are mostly a privilege reserved for the rich.

Jeeves opens the stall door, and the horse he leads out has a beautiful unicorn headdress and an opalescent saddle with a pattern in golden stitching. She has big brown eyes with long lashes, a white coat, and is the most beautiful being I’ve ever encountered.

The air gusts from my lungs as I turn to look at Anthony, who’s been watching me take it all in.

Something catches in my throat, because this isn’t something he just knocked together. He went through a lot of trouble to arrange this.

“Youdid this.”

“I did this,” he agrees.

“The outing I set up for you isn’t nearly as impressive.”

“It’s not a competition, Rosie.” He presses my arm slightly against his side. “I wanted to do this for you.”

---