Page 70 of Blindly Yours

“And s’mores, yeah.” I smirk.

She giggles, and oh I could get used to the sound of that. I want to bring out this side of her every day.

“Will Kara be ok by Thursday?” she asks.

I nod. “She just needs to take it easy. I’ll ask our neighbor to come watch her. She’s a sixty-two-year-old widow and Kara will be the highlight of her week.”

Rose studies me for a moment, narrowing her eyes. “Do younothate me for rejecting you the first time?”

“Nah,” I say. Then I lean in and raise a brow. “I think you just needed a moment to come to your senses.”

She smirks and raises her own. “Guess we’ll find out real soon if those senses led me right.”

I push off the wall and turn back toward Kara’s door with a grin. “I’ll send you my number on Blindly.”

“Hey, Nate,” she calls after me.

I peer over my shoulder to meet her gaze.

“You’d pick Anna, wouldn’t you?”

“Hm?” I regard her with confusion.

Her eyes twinkle. “The princess… Kristoff’s princess.”

I let a smirk play on my lips as I push Kara’s door open. “I’ll see you Thursday, Rose.” I don’t answer her question. But yes, I’d choose Anna. A thousand times over.

We exchange numbers that night, she tells me she’ll send her address on Thursday, and then we say goodnight. I don’t call her Little Spoon like I usually do, but dang, I wish I could.

***

On Thursday at 6:58 pm, I take the elevator up to Rose’s apartment. The building is brand new, and I wonder if the owner has a manager yet. I’d love to take on another client. But my thoughts don’t stay there long. I’m thinking about Rose, glad she hasn’t changed her mind about our date.

The elevator doors open, and I make my way down the hall, searching for her room number with a bag ofonlyred Starbursts clutched tightly in my hand.

When I find her door, I take a deep breath and knock, and it's only a few seconds before she answers. The door swings open, and when she sees me, her eyes scan me from head to toe, and then back up again.

“Well, you clean up nice,” she says with a smirk.

I’ve put on a dress shirt and a pair of slacks, and I traded out my work boots for a set of brown leather oxfords. She can probably tell none of it is expensive or name-brand, but I did my best.

“Thank you.” I return her smile and assess her the same way. “You look beautiful.”

Her hazel hair is curled in soft waves and lays gently on her shoulders. She’s wearing a black dress, fitted tightly to her slim frame, and a deep red wool coat. On her feet are a pair of black heels, but she’s still a few inches shorter than me.

“Thank you,” she replies, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and trying to hide her blush.

She’s about to step into the hall, but I hold up the bag of Starbursts first. “I considered flowers, but I thought you’d enjoy these more.”

Her eyes light up and she laughs as she takes it from me. “Wow, how many bags did you have to sort through to collect all this?”

I shove my hands in my pockets. “Seven. But Kara will be thrilled with the leftovers.”

“Oh, yeah, I can imagine.” She giggles, and I melt. “Well, thank you.” She turns her eyes to mine, genuinely appreciative.

I nod. “Besides, I set aside all the pink ones for myself, so I’m quite excited too.”

She grins. “How is Kara?”

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