Page 11 of Love, A Curvy Girl's Guide

Haley swallowed, her heart thudding. She could feel the warmth between them, almost tangible, and she found herself nodding. “Okay. Just dinner.”

“Tomorrow night?” Ian asked, his voice full of hope.

“Tomorrow,” she agreed, feeling that fluttering sensation in her chest again.

Ian smiled a slow, sincere smile that melted some of her lingering resistance. “I’ll pick you up around seven?”

“Seven,” Haley echoed, and before she could second-guess herself, she turned and walked toward her front door.

She could feel Ian watching her, and as she slipped inside, she paused for a moment against the door. A smile tugged at her lips—tomorrow night would be interesting, for better or worse.

FIVE

Haley rushed to put the finishing touches on her outfit. While she would have never admitted this to another living soul, she cared what Ian thought of her. She knew she was a bigger girl and wasn’t ashamed of her body. However, a lifetime of being told to wear black because it’s slimming and never to wear horizontal stripes wears on a girl.

Grabbing her lip gloss for one final swipe, Haley peeked out of her curtain to see Ian waiting patiently on her porch. Before she could turn away, she saw him shifting his weight from foot to foot.

Was he nervous?The thought was asinine, she chided herself. Ian had dated the most beautiful girls in high school and went on to date the most beautiful women in college. He was a ten, and Haley was a strong seven and a half on a good day. Again, it wasn’t that she didn’t know her worth. It was far more that she’d had to carve her self-esteem out of a litany of do-gooders who often made her feel worse about herself.

Between the supermodels, TikTok stars, and influencers, everyone seemed to have an opinion on everyone else’s body image. What could Ian be nervous about? It certainly couldn’t be her… could it?

Haley shook her head. She was overthinking it. This was Ian—put a frog in her underwear drawerIan. He didn’t get nervous. She rapped on the window, enjoying his look of surprise before a slow, sensuous smile graced his handsome face. Haley ignored the way her stomach flipped and pasted on a returning grin. She mouthed,“Be right out,”and grabbed her shoes.

When she opened the door, the sun was dipping low, and the sounds of crickets began filling the air.

“You’re on time,” she teased, giving him an appraising look. “And you look good. Johnson, who are you, and what have you done with Ian?”

“Smartass, you’re always making assumptions,” Ian shot back, his smile widening. He offered his arm, and Haley scoffed but linked her arm with his anyway. “I figured I'd break character just this once. And you look incredible—you don’t smell that bad either.”

Haley turned to catch his smirk, and soon they fell into an easy banter that helped take the edge off her nerves.

The restaurant was cozy—asmall, local Italian place that smelled of garlic, basil, and warmth. Haley's eyebrows arched as she looked around. “I have it on high authority that you hate Italian food,” she accused with a bemused expression.

“Maybe when I was nine my idea of fine dining was a frozen pizza and soda. It might surprise you, Hales, but I have grown up.”

Haley knew it wasn’t very nice, but temptation got the better of her. She looked at him appraisingly and purposely let her gazefall to his lap. “Are you sure you’re fully grown? Maybe you’re more of a grower than a shower?”

Ian choked on the sip of wine he’d just taken. Before he could defend his manhood, Rosetta greeted them with some garlic bread.

“Haley, it has been too long. You are more beautiful every time I see you. And, Ian, you sweet boy,” she beamed. “Thank you again for helping me out the other day. My yard hasn’t looked that good in years!”

Haley blinked, her eyes moving between Ian and Rosetta. “You helped her with her yard? I thought they kept you pretty busy at the fire station,” she asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Oh, they do,” Ian said with a shrug. “It’s no problem at all to help Rosetta cut the grass. You know how close my mom and Rosetta have been. My brothers and I take turns helping out. It’s no big deal.”

Rosetta smiled warmly at Ian, squeezing Haley’s shoulder before returning to the kitchen. Haley turned to Ian, her lips quirking up into a sly smile as she teased, “Wow. I didn’t realize I was out with a mama’s boy.”

“Have you forgotten who my mother is? One doesn’t grow up in Bridget Johnson’s household and not toe the line. I am proud of my mama’s boy status. Worked hard for it,” Ian said without hesitation, his eyes twinkling at her laughter. He gave her a daring grin. “You’ve got a problem with that?”

Haley shook her head, her smile teasing. “No. I think it’s kind of adorable. I just didn’t know you had a soft side. It’s weird. Are you about to tell me you knit scarves for kittens or something?”

Ian snorted. “Nah, I’m more of a crocheter. It keeps my hands busy when I’m not being a pain in your ass.”

Their conversation flowed easily, laughter filling the table as they traded barbs and shared stories. They talked about high school—the pranks they had pulled on each other and thetrouble they’d gotten into separately. Haley was surprised by how effortless it was—how comfortable she felt.

Suddenly, raised voices echoed from the kitchen, and they both turned their heads toward the sound. Haley saw Rosetta darting out, looking distressed. “The stove—it’s caught fire!” she cried, panic edging her voice.

Before Haley could fully process what was happening, Ian was already out of his seat, heading toward the kitchen. Haley watched as he disappeared behind the swinging doors, her heart pounding. Without wasting a second, she pulled out her phone and dialed 911, her voice steady as she reported the fire.

---