Page 8 of About Time You Noticed

She swiped her clammy palms on her thighs and, ever so slightly, turned her nose in the direction of her armpit and took a whiff. Her deodorant still worked, but it would tell a different story by late afternoon.

Shielding her face from the sun, she hurried to meet Edward.

"Hey there," she called and cringed. So not good at this. Did he know she’d been expecting him? Should she pretend to be surprised?

"Hi." Edward waved and quickened his steps. He looked smart in his gray pants and a tucked in button-down shirt. But his Oxfords—talk about a field of horse muck landmines.

"Stay there. I'll come to you." She pointed to his shoes. "Don't want to ruin those."

He offered a contagious smile and leaned on the white perimeter fencing. Placing a foot on the bottom rail, he appeared relaxed.

Sarah tightened her ponytail and swallowed her nerves. "Edward, isn’t it?" As if she didn't know and wasn’t suffering sleepless nights while waiting for this day.

"You remembered.” He chuckled. “That's good."

Her earlobes went hot. Chipmunks performed backflips in her belly. She could see it in his eyes. He wouldn’t sidestep the question. The guy probably had ten minutes left of his break.

"How can I help you today? Do you want to register another student?" Emily would be so proud of her acting skills right now.

He let out a light laugh. "Tommy didn't mention I might swing by?"

Oh, crappy patties. What had Tom told him exactly? She shifted her weight. "Um. He did have good things to say about you. Think you have a fan there."

"Haha. I'll have to thank him later." He dipped his head and met her eyes. "I’m hoping to take you out sometime. Get to know you a little better."

Sarah bit her upper lip. She and Emily had practiced lines. But these weren't the exact ones, and here came the brain freeze. "Ugh. Like, go for coffee?"

He shrugged. "I guess we could. I was thinking more like dinner. Have you tried the new restaurant in Georgetown?"

She straightened. "Kelly's Garden? My friend, Kaitlyn, told me about it. She loves the vegetarian menu."

"A yes, then?" He flashed an easy grin and tilted his head.

"Sure. Why not?" She didn't have any other offers or plans. "When should we go?"

"Are you free Saturday night?"

Another three sleepless nights. "Great. It's a date." Oh, she sounded so desperate. And rhyming too—how lame.

He beamed a smile. "Can't wait for our date." He chuckled.

She let the tension drain from her shoulders. Okay, so he was a dork like her—all good.

He pushed off the fence and walked backward to his car. "Shall I pick you up about—” He bumped into the car hood and staggered. “Six o’clock?" He gave a goofy grin.

She resisted a giggle. The guy was adorable. "Sounds perfect." She stood on her tiptoes, all giddy.

He waved, spun around, and got into his car.

Instead of giving in to the urge to watch him drive away, she acted cool by heading to the stables. But really, she desperately needed some equine therapy to calm her nerves.

---