Page 76 of Seas the Dating Coach

Finn makes a disapproving sound in his throat, turning me again until we’re even farther away, almost to the edge of the property. The proximity to the darkening bay makes a muscle in Finn’s jaw twitch.

“Have I told you part three of my self-improvement plan?” I ask him, hoping to distract him.

Finn finally looks at me with a whisper of a smile. “You’ve been surprisingly closed off about that, which is strange because you usually spill your secrets with little prompting.” His lips brush my ear. “I believe all that is required is rosé.”

I’m ill-equipped to be in this man’s arms when he’s flirting with me. This is my first first date, but I’m ready for it to be over before we even order food in favor of kissing his lips for the rest of the night. Who needs sustenance when you’ve got a flirty librarian to kiss, am I right?

“At this point, you just need to waft this scent under my nose, and that’ll be just as effective.” I nuzzle Finn’s throat, taking a noisy inhale.

Finn laughs, his chest rising and falling against me. Suddenly, it occurs to me how strange this situation is.This ismy first first date. I should be a ball of nerves, barely able to function, but being in Finn’s arms is as natural to me as the breaststroke.

The way he effortlessly leads me through the grass in perfect sync with the music has me even more excited for the ball than I already was. Since I’ll be living out my Regency dreams, that level was astronomically high to begin with. I smile, imaginingthe way the skirts of my dress will swish with each practiced turn. My gown is already patterned in muslin—just to be absolutely certain I love it before I start construction. With all the alterations I’m doing for the town, I won’t have time to start over.

“So what’s part three?” Finn’s question pulls me from thinking about embellishment details.

I lean back to catch his gaze, steadying myself as I tell someone my last secret. This is something I have wanted for longer than my foolhardy crush on Atticus, longer than I wanted an independent store of my own, longer than I envisioned selling my work to anyone other than fellow townspeople. I’d honestly never thought I’d have the opportunity, but then the singer-songwriter I love so much decided to come out of retirement for a six-month residency in Vegas.

“I want to see Raven Sacaria perform. Her residency starts in July, and I’m hoping to convince Brynn to come to Vegas with me. Neither of us have ever vacationed outside of Wilks Beach with the exception of the YMCA camp Aunt Tammy sent us to in Virginia Beach as kids.”

Almost instantly, I feel guilty for complaining. Lots of families don’t go on lavish vacations, only to visit family. It’s just that all my family lived in the same apartment as me.

“To be fair, we live in a prime vacation destination, so there’s no reason to leave—”

Finn gently kisses me. “You should be able to do whatever you want, Vivian. If you want to travel, travel.”

My grin triples in size, causing Finn’s to grow, the corners creasing in near-perfect parentheses.

“I’m looking forward to flying for the first time. When Raven’s show was announced eight months ago, I started saving. I’ve got enough for bargain airline tickets, and with all the extra work from the fundraiser, I should be able to book a room off-stripinstead of the budget motel I’d been planning on,” I say, nearly breathless with excitement.

His smile fades as a flicker of something dark slips across his brow. Before I can ask, Finn tucks it away.

“I’m sure you and Brynn will have a great time.”

I take my hand off Finn’s impressive deltoid to tuck a curl behind my ear with a nervous laugh. “I have to tell her first.” I hesitate a moment, not wanting to betray my sister but also needing to be honest with the man I’ve fallen in love with. “Brynn doesn’t like change.”

His expression softens. “I’m sure she’d make an exception for you.”

“She usually does,” I tell him, the corner of my mouth quirking.

Finn’s relaxed grin lifts his lips as he expertly guides me through the dance. Since I didn’t know waltzing would be part of tonight, I abandoned my sandals at the start of the lesson. The cool grass is soothing on my bare feet, and the outdoor string lights behind Finn’s head give him an ethereal quality. A fizzy sensation tickles down my chest. Now would be just as good a time as any to tell him I love him, but it’s alsoour first date. I have zero experience, but I’m pretty sure that’s frowned upon.

Instead, I say, “This is the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Finn leans me closer until my cheek is nearly resting on his chest, whispering something in my hair.

I can’t quite make out the words over Raven’s soulful voice belting the heartfelt lyrics of “Electric Heartbeat,” but it sounded a lot like, “Last first date.”

thirty-three

Finn

The last two weeks have been a complete whirlwind while simultaneously the best fourteen days of my entire life. The extra planning meetings and coordinating with vendors didn’t even feel cumbersome because firstly, I’m used to hard work, and secondly, the entire town kept pitching in.

The Wilks Beach Garden Society insisted on making all the floral arrangements for the event, refusing to take payment. Similarly, Jeremy, the single dad who bakes all the goodies for Seabreeze Beans assembled a team of grandmothers to help him create delectable mini cakes and tarts for guests. Maxwell insisted that his cousin, who moonlights as a DJ, also help because “No one wants to listen to chamber music for two hours straight, even if they play Ariana Grande’s ‘Thank You, Next.’”

I’ve seen Cordelia’s mother organize fundraisers for various charities, but her involvement had been signing a check andoverseeing the planner who was doing all the real work. This event will not be as lavish as any of those fundraisers, but I think the floral-outline dance cards that Trudy had the storytime children color are far more meaningful than lush cardstock from a professional printer.

Though the planning for the fundraiser has been largely smooth-going, the best part of the past fortnight—as a Regency fellow would say—was time spent with Vivian. The day after our date, I sent an obscenely large bouquet to her shop. Since Vivian’s Alterations was open Sunday afternoon for appointments, half of the town gawked at the opulence. Then I scoured the internet for original Raven Sacaria vinyls and surprised Vivian with a turntable for her shop.

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