Page 36 of More Than a Blind Date

I squeeze Dallas’s hand. Holding it is forcing me to eat with my left hand, but I crave his touch right now. It’s grounding, soothing.

Richard raises his glass. “To Sage and Cara. And to love, what we all want and only some find. May yours last a lifetime.”

Glasses clink, and we all drink to his toast. Maybe I’ve been too hard on Richard. It doesn’t mean I want to date him, because I don’t. But maybe he isn’t a villain.

After we finish dessert, the party migrates back out to the rooftop patio to enjoy another round of cocktails.

Dallas hands me something pink and sweet, then takes the cap off his bottled water. And he stays close.

Daphne warned me not to get emotionally wrapped up with Dallas because it’s all pretend. And she’s right. But after knowing him two weeks, I wish with all my heart that this relationship wasn’t fake.

But changing direction midstream will only result in a capsized boat. And I really need him in the boat right now.

At the end of the night, we stroll to his room. When we get to the door, he unlocks it, then pushes it open. “Sage asked meto meet him at the bar, so I’m going to head down there for a bit. That’ll give you time to get ready for bed and talk to Daphne because I know you want to.” He pockets the key.

There is no way I’m letting this man walk away without more information, so I tug him into the room. “What does Sage want?”

He tosses his hat onto the long dresser that has a TV mounted above it. A playful smile takes him from handsome to heart-melting. “I don’t know because I haven’t met up with him yet.”

“Okay. You don’t have to leave on my account. Like I said before, I trust you to be a gentleman.”

His gaze skates down my dress, then snaps back up. “I’ll text when I’m headed this way. Don’t let anyone else in.”

My heart does funny things when he gets all protective. “I didn’t even tell Mom the room number.”

“Smart choice.” He winks, then slips out the door.

How am I supposed to fill Daphne in on how the party went while simultaneously dying of curiosity about why Sage wants to talk to Dallas? But I shouldn’t waste the minutes.

I put in my earbuds and call Daphne while stripping out of my dress.

“Finally! Do you know what time it is? I was afraid someone got tossed off the building and the police had to be involved.”

“Nothing that dramatic. Mom did try to have me and Richard share a hotel room.”

“No!” Daphne huffs. “I know she’s your mom, but I really don’t like her. Please tell me you said no to that plan.”

“Dallas handled it. He told Mom that Richard could have my room and that I’d share Dallas’s room.”

“Ohhh. Romantic.”

“Only this room has one bed. But nothing will happen. Not that I want it to. Dallas has played his part perfectly, but I know it’s all fake.”

“If you’re wishing for it to be real, maybe he is too?”

I slip into my pajamas, glad they aren’t see-through. “I doubt it. He plays the part well because he was once engaged. So he can play the boyfriend role convincingly. But the engagement ended badly, and it sounds like he’s kind of sworn off love.”

Daphne laughs, which isn’t the reaction I expected. “It’s not like love is something you sign up for like a magazine subscription. It just happens. Swearing off of love is no different than deciding that you’ll no longer be affected by gravity.”

“I’m not sure you’re right about that.”

“Of course I’m right. But let him think he’s just pretending. By the time he’s waist deep in love with you, he won’t want to walk away. Now tell me about the party. And don’t skip the parts where Dallas did a perfect job. I want to hear every detail.”

And for the next half hour, I give Daphne a condensed play-by-play of the evening and stop only when I get a text from Dallas.

Dallas:Headed back up. You decent?

“He’s on his way back up. I’ve got to go.” I reach for the phone to end the call but stop when I hear Daphne holler.

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