Page 77 of The Dating Dare

“I totally can, and it’s scary how much I’d enjoy it.” Justine chortled, clapping her hands.

“Me, too. Why is this so freaking funny?” Tara wiped at her eyes.

“I think both of us have been working a bit too hard,” Justine gasped, holding her side.

The seriousness of the situation didn’t hit Tara until their friendly neighborhood baker left soon after finishing her Good Beer.

Seth Kim made her want to burst into Disney love songs. That was bad. Really bad.

Tara had never been to prom? Well, that changed everything.

Seth had spent days planning their third date. He wanted to pamper Tara and make her happy, because nothing made him happier. But his plans hadn’t felt quite right. A helicopter ride to San Francisco to watch a musical. It sounded like a night to remember… until he realized he’d unconsciously stolen the idea from Richard Gere’s character inPretty Woman.

But a long-awaited prom night tailored specifically for Tara? Finally, something special enough for her. And he got to be her date. He would make it a night neither of them could forget. Which meant he had a shitload of work to do before Thursday.

Since he only had a vague notion of what prom night entails, Seth conducted thorough research on the topic. What the hell was promproposal?Wow. Kids these days went all out. Well, he would go all out, too. He’d grown a thick skin over the last few years. He wasn’t afraid to humiliate himself a little—or a lot—for the right woman.

Seth moved his tux to the office so Tara could use his room to get ready. She should be coming any minute now. He ambled to his room, then returned to the office shaking his head. He couldn’t remember why he’d walked there in the first place. Then he paced around the oversized desk until he caught himself.Oh, for God’s sake.He was walking around in circles.Calm the hell down, Kim.

He loved Tara. He loved her so much that he needed a bag to breathe into whenever he thought about it. But he wasn’t sure if tonight was the night that he confessed his feelings to her. He had to tell her. There was no question about that. The question was, what comes after that?

Would she be open to a long-distance relationship? Could they take turns visiting each other every couple months? How long would they be able to keep that up? It sounded exhausting. And only getting snippets of her throughout the year wasn’t enough for him. He couldn’t even imagine being far apart from her for months at a time. His soul balked at the idea of leaving her here.

But he couldn’t ask her to come with him. Her life—her dreams—was here in Weldon. No matter how much he wanted to be with her, he would never ask her to give up her dreams for him. He couldn’t ask her for such a great sacrifice, because that wasn’t love. That was possessiveness. He couldn’t bear the idea of asking her to change in any way for him. She was too perfect for that.

What about him? Was going to Paris worth leaving Tara for? Wasit his dream? He didn’t know anymore. There was no doubt that it was the chance of a lifetime for a fashion photographer.Fuck. He couldn’t see a way to make it work. But he sure as hell wasn’t giving up on them. There had to be a way. A love this overwhelming could not have found him, only to stop him from having her because there would be an ocean between them.

Seth was pacing in circles again to match his circular thinking. He stopped himself from doing both. He wouldn’t be able to give Tara her special night if he was a nervous wreck.Deep breath. He stomped to the kitchen, poured himself a tall glass of water, and chugged it down.

There was a knock at the door, and Seth rushed down the hall to open it. He swung the door open to find a perplexed Tara staring at him.

“Is everything okay?” Her concerned eyes searched his face.

“Everything’s great.” He cocked his head to the side, wondering if she could see the turmoil on his face. “Why do you ask?”

“I had to knock,” she said, as though those four words should explain everything.

“Yes, I heard. That’s why I came to open the door.” The furrow between his eyebrows deepened.

“You weren’t waiting for me this time?” She sounded a smidgen disappointed.

He understood now. He had always opened the door for her before she even reached it. Lost in his thoughts, he’d forgotten for a moment that she was coming soon. He pulled her into his arms. “Of course, I was waiting for you. I was counting the seconds. I just got distracted at the last minute.”

“That’s totally fine,” she said wrapping her free arm around hiswaist. The other was holding a folded garment bag. “It was silly of me to be so surprised that I had to knock on the door. You’ve spoiled me.”

“And I haven’t stopped spoiling you. It was just a bleep. You don’t know how desperate I am to see your face every time we’re apart.” Afraid that he’d revealed too much of his feelings, he swiftly changed the subject. “Come on in. We have to get ready for our date.”

Tara came in after him, her laughter a thing of beauty. “How long do we have? I don’t want to make us late for your secret reservations.”

“About forty-five minutes. I know it’s a bit tight since you have to do your hair and makeup, too.”

“Most men have no idea how long it takes a woman to get ready for a special occasion.”

“Iama fashion photographer. I know how much effort goes into all that. Men have it so much easier.”

“You so do. How long do you need to get ready? Like ten minutes?”

“Tops,” he said.

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