Page 29 of Sunrise

Samuels Southern Seafood is famous for the fresh seafood caught that day and for putting their Southern twist on it all. It's the place where Jasper's dad made a name for himself.

"Yep, I put it as more of a question to get their opinion. I was all, ‘Oh, do you think she should go to Samuels? Kade was suggesting it. What do you think?' They ate that up." Brynn laughs.

"Should I be worried about how well you can work the gossip tree?" I ask.

"Nah, my mom was friends with Holly, and she learned firsthand how to work her, and she taught me everything I know. Now, let's go to your room and get you ready for this date. The whole town will have their eyes on you."

"Great, also have you seen the movie The Time I Lost You?" I remember the conversation from last night.

"No, why?" Brynn asks, following me down the hallway.

"Apparently, Kade is in it, and there is full frontal nudity." I shrug.

"And how did you find this out?" she asks with a coy smile on her face.

"He told me earlier when we were talking."

"I don't even want to know how you got on that topic." She shakes her head and starts rummaging through my closet.

The restaurant isn't a particularly dressy place, but it's a first date with a movie star. The chances that these photos will end up everywhere are pretty high, so I need to look my best and like I would if I were trying on a first date. Which I haven't been on one in over a year. Damn. Has it really been a year since I've been on a date?

"I was thinking of a dress, but you want to walk down the shops there to let as many people see you as possible. But it gets windy next to the water, and we don't need you flashing everyone. So I say the black jeans and heels with my burgundy top I got last month at the outlets. I'll put waves in your hair and some fun jewelry, and you are good to go."

I sigh and decide to give in to Brynn. She is more into fashion than I am, not that either of us has much of a reason to stray from shorts and T-shirts most days. It seems to be our uniforms around the inn, plus it's comfy.

"Get in the shower. I'm going to go get that top," Brynn orders, and I make my way to the bathroom. As the warm water hits my already tense muscles, I start to think of all the things that could go wrong tonight and try to come up with solutions, but all the problems even sound farfetched to me.

What if Jasper sees my name on the reservation list and throws us out? That would end with a swift kick in the balls from me on behalf of Brynn, and I'm pretty sure that would end up on every celebrity website out there.

What if no one shows up? This one is highly unlikely, but we would have to have dessert elsewhere and just find the crowd.

What if I can't stand to be around him for a whole dinner? Again, unlikely as we have already had dinner together, and we didn't kill each other.

What if the response from the media isn't what we want? That one would fall on Kade and his team. I'm sure they have some fancy way of spinning things to get what they want.

"Jesus, you're still in there? Save some water for the damn fish!" Brynn yells.

I guess I have been in here a bit longer than necessary, letting the hot water soak my muscles. I rinse off and get out to find Brynn standing next to the sink.

"Okay, wear the sexy black lace underwear," she says.

"What? No way! I'm not sleeping with him, Brynn!" I almost shout.

"Well, never say never, but if you are feeling sexy, it will boost your confidence, and you need all the help you can get tonight. I know you, and you are already thinking of all the things that go wrong," she says and tosses me the black lace bra and underwear before leaving the bathroom to let me get dressed.

I'm just slipping my top on when she walks back in and grabs my hands and sits me in front of my mom's vanity. It’s one of the few things I brought from the house after they died. I loved sitting here and using her makeup to get ready for any event, and I still do. All my makeup and hair things are here.

I sit down and try not to think of them. The last thing I need is to go on this date with puffy eyes. Brynn does a good job of distracting me by telling me about some of the gossip she heard in town earlier.

There are two new pregnancies, a new divorce, and a possible wedding in the future. The talk was mostly about Brynn's chef quitting and speculation of when the bridge would be fixed. The town is split on if they want it sooner or later. Some of us like that it isolates us and keeps the rest of the world away, for now anyway. The other half doesn't like not having access to the mainland.

Once Brynn is finished with my hair and makeup, I swear I don't look like myself. I actually look like someone who belongs on Kade's arm.

"This is crazy. Maybe I should back out," I say.

"Nope, you are ready to go out. You are going out. Do this for us. You and me, but mostly you." She winks and starts packing up her stuff.

With one more look in the mirror, I get ready to meet my date in the lobby.

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