Page 52 of More Than a Blind Date

Now, she’s headed our way again with Richard by her side. And the way that man is looking at Rose makes me angry. I’m desperately trying to temper my irritation when Rose steps in front of me, smiles, then plants a soft quick kiss on my lips.

I blink. “Hi.” That might be the dumbest thing I’ve said all evening, but I was caught off guard.

“Thank you for coming tonight. After we talk with Mom, we can dance if you want.”

“Yeah. I’d like that.” I run a hand up her back, letting it rest on the bare area between her shoulder blades. “And you’re right. I like Richard less now than when I met him.”

“Rose, dear.” Mrs. Potts makes a show of air-kissing Rose and then me. “Isn’t everything just perfect?”

“It’s beautiful.” Rose extends her hand to Richard.

And that man has the audacity to kiss it.

Then he plays the strong man game when he shakes my hand. And based on the wince he tries to hide, he loses. I’m short, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak. Far from it. What I don’t get is why he’s choosing now to act this way.

After a tortuous few minutes of small talk, pretending we all like each other, Mrs. Potts leads Richard away to shmooze with someone else.

“Ready to dance?” I’m ready for the night to be over, but dancing with Rose is something I’ve been looking forward to.

Nodding, she steps in front of me again. “You know what I love?”

“What’s that?” I slide her small purse into my pocket so that her hands are free for dancing.

She leans in and kisses me. “I love that I can just do that. You’re the perfect height for me.”

I lead her onto the dance floor. “You don’t have to try to make me feel better about being short. I’ve been this way all my life.”

“Listen up, Teddy Bear. I’m saying it because I mean it. Sure, tall guys can lean down to kiss, but watching short girls initiate kisses is like seeing someone pull open one of those attic doors. Cute to watch, but not my thing.”

I twirl her, giving me a moment of distance to steel my emotions. Rose isn’t making me question her true feelings. And acknowledging that I feel the same has me excited for February. Until then, we’ll continue to play our roles. Pretending.

“Teddy bear?”

She presses closer. “That’s the side I get to see. So it seemed like a fitting nickname.”

“I like it. And every time I see Prim kiss Anderson, I’ll be picturing an attic door. So thanks for that.”

Her delightful laugh rings out. “They are super adorable though.”

“They are.”

Then she whispers. “I bet someone in this room is thinking the same thing about us.”

Christmas Eve night,we’re snuggled on her couch. We spent the evening with Sage, her parents, and the Finch family. And I had to work to keep the grizzly inside me caged.

It’s hard knowing what battles to choose, and because Rose squeezed my hand, I ignored a lot of backhanded insults tossed her way. They can say whatever they want about me, but Rose doesn’t deserve that.

Sage is definitely the golden child in the family, but to his credit, he tries to run interference when he sees them zeroing in on Rose. He’s not a bad guy. But because Richard is favored over Cara, Sage is seeing what his sister deals with play out. And now that he’s aware, he’s trying to help where he can.

Spending time with them is exhausting.

Rose runs her finger up and down my arm. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. But I’m glad it’s over. And I don’t even know what’s up with Richard and all his attention. He never cared about me before. I guess he just doesn’t like to lose.” Rose springs up and takes a deep breath. “I got you something. Want to open it now?”

I’ve been working on a place for her to plant flowers, but it’s not anywhere near ready, so I picked out a different gift for her. I’ll do a big reveal of her garden shed and flower fields later. Maybe I’ll even plant flowers beforehand. But I think she’ll like what I got her.

“Sure. I’ll grab yours from the truck.” I shift the kitty out of my lap and walk outside.

Rose lights up the Christmas tree as I sit down again, and Floofy crawls back into my lap.

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