Page 18 of The Cupcake Cottage

He walked her to his car, the sleek black Mustang he’d wanted as a teenager. He opened the door for her, gently holding her elbow as she got in.

She didn’t brush him off, allowing him the small gentlemanly gestures. It increased his growing suspicion that nobody had ever pampered her in quite the way he felt she deserved, but that she welcomed it.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“McKenzie’s in San Antonio. I hope you don’t mind the drive?” It was over an hour, their boring commute route. But there was nothing near Sweetheart Creek that was at the level of pampering he wanted to provide. And if they were going to pretend to see what it might be like to date, he wanted to show her exactly who he was and what he was willing to provide. There would be no regrets for playing his role too small. He was going to act like tonight was real and give her no reason to say no to more time together. He planned to dazzle her, sweep her offher feet, and help her forget any reason she felt they shouldn’t be together.

“Wow. McKenzie’s?” she said softly. She let out a slow breath, her fingers worrying the zipper on her purse.

“Have you been?” he asked.

She shook her head, looking slightly dazzled.

He shot her his finest devilish grin. “Since Louis offered to foot the bill, I figured why not, right?”

The car filled with her laughter as he hit the gas. Maverick had a feeling this was going to be the best non-date he’d ever had.

** *

Daisy-Mae could get used to this. Maverick was at her side, his body warming her own. He gently guided her with a hand at her lower back, whispering in her ear with funny quips as they followed the maitre d’ to their table in the corner. The restaurant’s lighting was low, and each table held its own candle and real roses. The room was sweet with their floral scent, making their date feel like a Valentine’s Day dream rather than some sort of strange business meeting with her crush.

While they discussed whether they should pursue something romantic—for the team’s sake.

If this was the way it felt to be Maverick’s date, then she was all in. They hadn’t even sat down yet, and this was already ranking as one of her best dates.

He helped push in her chair before sitting across from her. They had laughed frequently during the drive, and his sweet compliments were still ringing in her ears. That and the image of his slightly gob-smacked look when she’d opened her door earlier.

It felt odd being on a date with Maverick, though. Finally. After years of wondering, of avoiding thinking about it because she didn’t dare dream. But if she’d allowed her full dreams to unspool into something detailed, it wouldn’t have compared to this.

She noticed people eyeing them, some recognizing Maverick. The waiter certainly did, and he nearly poured Daisy-Mae’s wine on her, he was so flustered by serving them.

“Is it always like this?” she asked when the waiter left, gesturing to her wineglass.

“No. Does it bother you?”

She shrugged. “Not really.”

“That’s good. Because it’s about to get weird.”

“Weird?”

She turned to find Dylan O’Neill, one of the team’s players, hobbling toward them on crutches. Daisy-Mae’s stomach sank.

“Is he joining us?” she whispered.

“Not a chance,” Maverick said, standing to shake hands as Dylan arrived. More heads turned to take in the two NHL players.

“What’s this?” Dylan asked, gesturing to Maverick’s wine glass. “I thought you were off the sauce during season, old man.”

“You can’t let a lady drink alone,” Maverick stated.

Dylan gave Daisy-Mae an incredulous look. “No, you can’t let this old geezer drink. We’ll never win a game.”

“Y’all aren’t winning games anyway,” Daisy-Mae said dryly. “May as well try something new.” She’d meant it as a joke, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt bad. The team was having a horrible season, and she should be way more supportive and encouraging.

“It’s true,” Maverick said with a laugh. Dylan gave a sheepish grin, the two men taking the ribbing for what it was meant to be.

“You two on a date?” Dylan asked.

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