Page 16 of One Sweet Day is Never Enough

He had too many questions. Maybe he was just getting cold feet because Stacey’s impending move involved a much bigger commitment than he’d ever given a woman in his life. But if he were ready for that commitment, shouldn’t it feel right? Shouldn’t he feel just as eager as she did?

* * *

Gia strolledthe produce section of the local food market on Wednesday after work with Tom on her mind. She was planning to throw together some salads that she could take to the office for lunch. She stopped to bag some carrots and peppers.

Their conversation the other night had taken her by surprise. All the flirting he always did—she’d thought it was just for fun. She had no idea he was genuinely interested in her. If things were different…maybe?

But they weren’t. She couldn’t force the feeling, and she didn’t want to lead him on. Still, it was nice to hear that someone of his caliber cared.

Then again, looking at it that way was only taking advantage of his affection for her. She shouldn’t give him the wrong impression if she didn’t have feelings for him. It wasn’t fair to him and it would just be plain selfish of her if she led him on.

She turned a corner and deposited a head of red-leaf lettuce into her cart, scolding herself, then looked up. Seth Pederson stood directly in front of her. “Seth—hey!”

“Hey Gia. Small world!”

Well, this was a pleasant surprise. “I’ll say. How’s it going?”

“Can’t complain,” he said, looking a bit flustered. “You?”

She nodded. “I’m good.” Wow, he was just as handsome as she remembered. She scolded herself for the thought—again.

Seth clutched a loaf of wheat bread and a box of bran flakes, which caught Gia’s eye. “Oh, these are for my dad. My mom’s got him eating right, but he’s not complaining.” He grinned. “He’s almost out of his bedtime snack.” He held up the cereal.

Gia nodded. “Kudos to your mom.”

He laughed then looked at the assortment of vegetables in her cart. “Wow. My father’s doctor would like you—a lot.”

She laughed, glancing at her cart. “Just need to grab some dressing and a couple of other things. Are you headed that way?” She motioned to another part of the store.

“Actually I am. I’ll join you.”

She pushed the cart and they chatted about the weather and what had been going on with each of them for the past two days.

After locating the other items they needed, they went through the checkout line together.

“Let me take some of those for you.” Seth took two of Gia’s grocery bags along with his own.

“Thanks. That’s very nice of you.” What a gentleman.

“No problem. Where’s your car?”

“Oh, I’m just out in the lot.”

He followed her to the car and helped her load them into the trunk. “All set.” He closed the trunk and hesitated for a moment. “Hey, I’m glad I ran into you because I’ve thinking about some ways to advertise the winery regarding events and I was going to call you about it. But since we’re here, do you have a few minutes right now? I was gonna walk down to the docks and check out the lake for a few minutes. I’ve barely seen it since I’ve been home. You want to join me?”

Gia’s heart skipped a beat. Her plans only consisted of streaming something on television that night, anyway, and Noreen would love it if she could find a way to drum up more business that might benefit them both. “Sure, that sounds great. I’d love to hear what you’re thinking.”

Seth smiled, still holding his grocery bag. “Okay, perfect.”

“So where’s your car?” Gia asked, locking hers.

“I’m just down the street.” He gestured in the direction they’d go and she fell in beside him. They stopped at the truck to drop off the bag. Tom had all but vanished from her thoughts. Being around Seth had a way of making her forget about everything else.

“By the way, you should’ve seen the look on Noreen’s face when I told her about the barrel room,” Gia said. “She was ecstatic.”

“Really? That’s great.”

“So thank you for that. She’s quite happy with me right now.”

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