Page 84 of Never the Best

“Yes,” Noah agreed, “we are superior to you.”

“You’re both assholes,” I remarked, amused.

“But superior ones,” Royal interjected. “Now, go forth and prosper with your fair maiden, youngPadawan.”

“Don’t forget the blanket,” Noah warned.

“Noted.”

I did exactly as they suggested.

First, I asked Pearl to go on a date with me. Her smile was a thousand-watt one, and it made me realize that those bastards were right; she wanted—maybe evenneeded—to be wooed, courted, and made to feel special.

Then, I called Noah’s contact at the Rhodes Hotel.

A week later, when I waited for her on the porch to take her on our first dateever, I felt nerves attacking me. I’d faced boardrooms filled with billionaires, I’d ended an engagement in front of Savannah society, and yet courting Pearl without fucking it up, as I seemed to have done way too many times in the past, was the most terrifying thing I’d ever done.

Pearl twirled once she was on the porch. “I’m ready.”

She wore a green summer dress embroidered with white flowers.

She looked beautiful—not in the glammed-up, polished way Savannah women like Josie aimed for, but in the quiet, effortless way that was uniquely Pearl. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. She didn’t need makeup or accessories. She didn’t need anything.

Why on Earth had Birdie or anyone else made Pearl feelless,even in the looks department? Pearl was…well,purein her beauty, almost artless. I found her exquisite.

But then, as Michael Bolton said, “When a man loves a woman….”

“You look fabulous.”

I kissed her gently on the lips, then brought my hand from behind my back, revealing a small bouquet of wildflowers I’d picked up earlier. They weren’t extravagant—just soft yellows and whites, simple and unpretentious, like her. I knew she’d appreciate these far more than any elaborate arrangement from a florist. They were natural, unassuming, and real—just like the connection we were building.

“These are beautiful.” She took the flowers and held them close to her chest, a look of wonder in her eyes. Had no one gotten my lovely Pearl flowers before? Fuck me! Noah and Royal deserved bottles of good scotch as thank-you gifts.

“I picked the flowers,” I told her.

Her eyes widened in awe. “For me?”

Her vulnerability pierced my heart. “Anything for you.”

“I should take them in?—”

“No, bring them along,” I suggested, draped an arm around her, and led her away from the cottage door toward my car.

“So, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. A good one,” I promised.

“I trust you,” she whispered and gave me her heart, which I knew I’d treasure with my life because this was a second chance I didn’t deserve, didn’t expect—but was damn grateful for.

I almost asked her to blindfold herself as we drove but decided that was a little too over the top, and Pearl was recovering from a nervous breakdown, so I had to step carefully and not trigger her in any way.

I didn’t book the botanical gardens, but I did work with the Rhodes Hotel event planner.

So, when we arrived at Forsythe Park around six in the evening, the sun still not ready to set as it was another long summer day, we were greeted by a small table set up under one of the massive live oaks. The hotel had put together a fresh meal—nothing fussy, just a few of Pearl’s favorites, so I knew she’d be tempted to eat, even if it was only a little.

She stopped short, her eyes widening as she took in the scene. As Noah had instructed me, the table was covered with a red and white checkered tablecloth. Since I knew that Pearl liked Italian food best, this fit the mood, and when I suggested it to the event planner, she was delighted.

A pair of wrought-iron chairs, with their delicate scrollwork lending a touch of charm that felt plucked straight from a quiet Italian piazza, completed the bistro set. On the center of the table sat a simple water-filled glass jar. I took the flowers Pearl was still holding and slipped them into it, creating an arrangement that was effortlessly simple,perfectly in tune with the easy, unassuming mood of the evening I wanted to share with her.

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