Page 79 of The Dating Dare

“Of course.” She took it from his hand and stepped close to him. God, she smelled so good. Carefully, she pinned the flower on his lapel and stepped back to examine her handiwork. “Perfect.”

“Thanks.” With a smile, he offered her his arm. “Let’s get going before we’re late for our dinner reservations.”

“We’re going out to dinner dressed like this?” She looked momentarily panicked until they rounded the corner to the kitchen wherehe’d set the table with a red-and-white-checkered tablecloth and two glowing candles. “What are you up to, Seth Kim?”

“Welcome to the fanciest Italian restaurant I know. Lola’s Trattoria.”

A delighted peal of laughter escaped her lovely lips, and she threw herself into his arms. “Oh, my goose bumps. This is so perfect. All of my friends went to Lola’s for their prom-night dinner.”

“Perfect is good.” Seth’s chest expanded with pride. “I want tonight to be perfect for you.”

When Tara walked over to the table and reached to pull out her chair, Seth was by her side in a flash, clicking his tongue.

“Oh, geez,” she huffed.

“Come on. Let me do this.” He moved to stand close behind her, covering her hand with his own. “Let me pamper you, baby.”

“Well, if you put it that way…” She let go of the chair with splashes of pink staining her cheeks.

Once she was seated, Seth returned with their pear, candied walnut, and Gorgonzola salad. Reaching for the sauvignon blanc chilling on the table, he said, “Wine?”

“Are we allowed to drink? I mean, we’re only high schoolers.” With eyes bright with anticipation, she held out her glass to him. “Screw it. It’s prom night.”

“That’s right.” Seth filled their glasses, then lifted his in salute. “Anything goes on prom night.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

When he sat down across from her, Tara paused with her fork of salad halfway to her mouth. “Did you have a wild prom night?”

“Nope. I went with a handful of my friends and we left early because we got tired of standing against the wall all night.”

“Oh, my dandelions. You were a wallflower,” she said, hugging her hands to her chest. “But seriously, I can’t believe you never took a date to prom.”

“I told you I was painfully shy until… after.” He coughed and changed the subject. The brilliant words that popped out were “How do you like the salad?”

“It’s delicious. This is my favorite salad from Lola’s.” She took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. “You and I have a lot in common. I wouldn’t have believed it if someone told me that a month ago.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, we now know that neither of us had a date to the prom because we were both too shy in high school. We both changed majors in college because of our unfortunate relationship choices. And we both have quite a bit of emotional baggage.”

“You’re making us sound like sad, unlucky souls.”

“No, I disagree. I say we’re warriors for charging forward and making a great life for ourselves despite a rocky start to our adult lives.”

Seth raised his glass. “To warriors.”

“Damn right to warriors.” Tara clinked her glass against his.

They ate their sweet and savory salad in silence for a few bites. This evening felt surreal. She couldn’t believe the effort Seth put into it. She glanced down at her corsage and smiled. This was her prom night.

“This is so weird and wonderful. I feel like we’ve traveled back in time,” she said, smiling across the table at him. “I seriously have butterflies in my stomach.”

“Me, too.” Seth chuckled, shaking his head. “I was sweating when I promposed to you. I was nervous as hell.”

“Aww, that is so adorable.” She reached across the table and linked her fingers through his. “Thank you for this. Really.”

“It’s my absolute pleasure. Really.”

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