Page 131 of Just Like Home

She smiled shyly. “Thanks for asking.”

As they drove, she talked about working with his football players, about some of the other couples she’d met, about how she’d watched Amelia in dance class the other day and how much better she seemed to be doing.

“Her teacher thinks maybe she got over her hesitation,” she said.

“Good,” he said. “That was because of you, you know.”

She stared out the window. “Or because of your bet.”

He watched her for a few seconds, then smiled. “We’ll share the credit.”

Her eyes sparkled in recognition as he made the turn into the long driveway at Haven House.

He didn’t explain. Instead, he drove straight past the farmhouse and behind the barn, where he parked the truck and turned off the engine.

“What are we doing here?” she asked.

“You’ll see.” He opened his door. “Stay there.” He made his way around to the other side of the truck, opened her door, and helped her to the ground.

He took both of her hands and found her eyes. “I forgot to give you something.”

Her brow furrowed with a question as he leaned in and kissed those lips he’d begun to crave.

When he pulled away, he found her smiling.

He took her hand and led her away from the house, away from the barn and down a trail he’d memorized a long time ago.

“I don’t know if I’m dressed for this.”

He did a once-over of her sundress and sandals. “We won’t be walking long. And I like what you’re wearing.”

She squeezed his hand and soldiered on—only a few more minutes until they came through the trees and into a clearing, with a clear view of a hidden waterfall that used to bring him comfort every time he trekked out here.

Charlotte gasped when she saw it, the light of a setting sun glimmering off the water. “What is this place?”

“Pretty, right?” He let go of her hand and she stepped toward the water, awe on her face.

“Beautiful.”

“I found it when I was living at Haven House,” he said.

“You found it?”

Cole shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, Steve and Hildy never told us about anything we might find on the grounds. They wanted us to explore for ourselves.”

Charlotte glanced over at him.

“They thought it taught us to look beyond what was in plain sight. Said if we were willing to be curious, we never knew what we’d find.”

She smiled. “I love that.”

“Yeah,” he said. “They’re pretty smart people.”

“And the picnic table? Did you just discover that too?” She turned and looked at it. He’d covered it with a tablecloth and placed a vase of wildflowers at its center. On it was a picnic basket filled with a selection of sandwiches, two with gluten-free bread, a cheese platter, a bottle of wine, and dessert.

Nerves swirled inside him as he watched her explore the space.

“Did you do all this?” she asked, pulling food from the basket.

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