Page 44 of I Can't Help It

Next stop: romantic gazebo. “I am if you are.”

We say good night to Cassie, and Luke holds the door open for me again.

Ever the gentleman…

“Thank you,” I tell him, stepping out of the building. “So, you just visited a pie shop for the first time, how are you feeling?”

“Full,” he groans, joining me on the sidewalk. “I’m sooooo full, but I’d definitely do it again.”

“Hmm,” I hum, tilting my head to the side, “and would you do it again with a certain brunette?”

Hint, hint.

“Well, that’s the problem…” He gives me an exasperated look. “There’s a lot I would want to do with a certain brunette.”

My chest gets tight, and I’m desperate to hear more. “Like what? What kinds of things would you want to do with her?”

His caramel eyes become a shade darker, and I’m warm all over despite the cool night breeze.

“I-I shouldn’t have said it like that,” he mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. “Clearly, I’m rusty when it comes to first dates.”

“You’re doing fine,” I reassure him, hoping my voice doesn’t sound too breathy. “Trust me, I’ve had some bad first dates, and this isn’t one of them.”

I still remember getting food poisoning after a first date at some seafood place, and I puked my brains out for two days straight. Good times. I didn’t eat seafood for almost a year after that.

I’m still dying to know what kinds of things Luke would want to do with me, even if he accidentally made it sound suggestive, but I decide to let the conversation go. He’s uncomfortable, and this date is about both of us, not just me.

I don’t want him to be miserable.

I nod past him. “Let’s walk that way.”

His face tells me that he’s still regretting how he answered my question, so I take a chance and extend my hand out to him. “Come on, one more stop and we can go back to the lodge.”

He seems to consider my offer, then loosely intertwines our fingers. Sparks shoot up my arm from the skin-on-skin contact, and I bite back the happy squeal that wants to escape.

“You’re holding my hand.” I’m too pleasantly surprised not to state the obvious.

“I am,” he says with a sharp exhale, “but I also feel like I shouldn’t be.”

Well, a tiny part of my soul is now destroyed.

“Because of Wyatt?” I attempt to clarify his reasoning.

Talking about exes on a first date is a total no-no. But considering our situation, Wyatt was bound to come up in conversation eventually.

Luke doesn’t offer a reply, but the guilt in his eyes says enough.

“I know he’s your best friend,” I start, brushing my thumb against his hand, “and I know I’m his ex-girlfriend. We can’t change that. But for the rest of tonight, could we just be coworkers who decided to go on a date because they’re really into each other?” I bite my lip and hope for the best. “Is that okay?”

He studies my face for a second or two, and then his body slowly relaxes. “I can try.”

I’ll take it!

“Good, because I don’t want you to second-guess holding my hand.” I shrug a shoulder. “Or anything else, for that matter. We both deserve to enjoy this date.” I give his hand a little tug. “Now, let’s get walking. Cassie recommended a local favorite for us to check out.”

“It’s not a haunted house, is it?” he asks as we begin to walk down the sidewalk. “I don’t think I have the nerves for those anymore.”

“Relax, Grandpa Luke,” I tease, resting my head against his arm, “there won’t be any haunted house visits. I can’t have you fainting on our first date.”

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