Colton: I can't wait. Send me a picture.

Zoey: Will do.

He sent me the location right away. The reservation was in one hour.

At lunchtime, I burst out of the office and walked at a brisk pace. Once I reached the restaurant, I took stock of my surroundings. The facade was painted white with blue shutters.

Stepping inside, I could already feel myself relaxing. This was the perfect lunch place. The only thing that would have made it better was if Colton was here.

A young waiter approached me. "Hi, do you have a reservation?"

"Oh, yes. I think it's under Zoey, or maybe Colton Whitley."

The boy smiled as if I'd just told him that Christmas came early. "This way. Mr. Whitley was in contact with us. I'll take you to your table."

We stepped to the right, and I realized the restaurant extended into the adjacent room as well. It was smaller and cozier. He led me to a table. There was a huge bouquet of roses on it.

"That's for you, courtesy of Mr. Whitley," he said.

I stilled, nodding. I had no idea how to react. I wasn't expecting this.

Sitting down, I inspected the card that was with the flowers. I opened it, expecting to see some typed letters, but it was handwritten. I was sure it was Colton's handwriting:Have fun. I wish I was there with you.

I couldn't believe he'd done this.

The same waiter returned and said, "This is our menu. We even have your favorite dessert."

My mouth dropped. "How do you know what my favorite dessert is?"

"Because Mr. Whitley made sure we had it before he made reservations. I’m fairly certain that if we didn't have it, he would have convinced us to make it. He's a very persuasive man."

"Oh yeah." I completely agreed. "All right, I already know what I want. Pork skewers with a Greek salad."

"Of course. Right away, miss."

After he left, I couldn't stop staring at my flowers. They were gorgeous. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd gotten flowers. Did the corsage from prom count?

I snapped a picture of them and sent them to Colton.

Zoey: Thank you.

That was all I said because, honestly, I was at a loss for words.

Colton: Are you enjoying yourself?

Zoey: Yes. You?

Colton: Hell no. I'm trapped in this meeting from hell instead of being there with you.

My heart was beating faster. I was feeling sassy again, so I decided to taunt him. I sent a picture of my legs. It was nothing indecent, just enough to show I was wearing a skirt.

Colton: I'm two seconds from bailing on this meeting. Is that what you want?

I was acting out of character, but I had a burning desire to see him. No! I had to behave.

I put the phone down and took a deep breath.I will behave.If I told myself that enough times, maybe I’d actually go through with it.

I opened my eyes and wrote back.