Page 45 of Worth the Chase

Matthew continued holding my hands. His were so big and all-encompassing, the same way that he was. “You’re right,” he agreed a little too easily. “Let me take you out tonight. A real date. I’m ready to move past the friend zone.”

He still wants to date me?

“You’ve been in the friend zone for five seconds.”

My anxiety actually started to ease. Instead of making me uncomfortable, like he tended to do, he was having the opposite effect.

“Five seconds too long if you ask me.” He grinned. “Come on, Bells. Let’s stop playing this game.”

“What game?”

“The one where you pretend you don’t want me just as much as I want you.”

“I never said I didn’t want you. I just said we don’t know each other anymore,” I clarified because wanting the man was not the issue.

“You were willing to get to know that stupid fireman on a date. Why can’t you do the same for me?”

Dammit.

That was actually a fair point.

He released one of my hands and poked the side of my head with his finger. “I can see your wheels spinning. Give me one date. If it’s awful and there’s nothing between us, I’ll leave you alone.”

I had to stop myself from laughing hysterically. As if there’d ever be nothing between us. At least not on my end. I wasn’t sure how to not have feelings for him.

“Two first dates in one day? That’s gotta be some kind of record.” I laughed, but Matthew was not amused. His jaw flexed before he leaned closer to me, his lips at my ear.

“I’ll make you forget all about that other guy. Say yes, Bells.”

I sucked in a breath before finally caving. Denying him was exhausting. And to be honest, I wanted to go.

“Yes,” I said.

Matthew’s smile took up his entire face as he dropped my other hand and pumped a fist in the air. “I’ll pick you up at seven. You’re not working, right?” He glanced toward the bar, where Anna was still trying to eavesdrop.

“I have the day off.”

“We’ll mourn the loss of the glasses later,” he teased.

I instantly wondered how many Anna had broken today. “She broke another one?”

“One that I know of,” he said before giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Dress for the resort. That’s where I’m taking you,” he instructed before disappearing out the door as quickly as he’d come through it.

That man was something else, making demands and then disappearing before I could even agree or argue.

“Bella,” Anna shrieked as soon as Matthew was gone, but I put up a finger, indicating that I’d be right back, before racing to the outdoor area, where Addi was manning the smoker.

Thankfully, she was alone.

“The resort. He said that’s where we’re going.” My voice came out a little shaky.

Sugar Mountain Resort’s restaurant was as high-end as they came in our town. It was fancy. Had an exquisite menu with foods I’d never even heard of before, and it changed with the seasons. And it was expensive—not that it really mattered, considering Matthew’s family owned the place and he probably had more money than God.

“He’s trying to impress you,” Addi said as she flipped over some massive slabs of meat and slathered them in a coat of wet sauce. The smoke billowed, and the smell of the wood mixed with spices filled my senses. “I don’t think Matthew’s ever taken anyone there before. Not even in high school.”

“I wondered about that,” I said, but knew that if Matthew had done something like that back then, I definitely would have heard about it. The whole town would have.

“Are you nervous?” She closed the lid to the smoker and wiped her hands on her apron.

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