by Emma Tharp
"Thank you," I warmly tell Jacqueline.
Oliver and I make our way toward the bar. We both take a beer and look at the spread of food. There are canapés, sushi, and shrimp that all look delicious, but I am stuffed from the tailgate.
Oliver and I sit down in the cushy seats.
"You were really holding out on me when you asked me to come to the game." I laugh. "When you said you had tickets, I thought we'd be in the nosebleeds and drink overpriced, crappy draft beer and scarf hot dogs."
Oliver pops a shrimp cocktail in his mouth and gives me a mischievous grin. "What fun would that be? I wanted it all to be a surprise."
"Well, thank you. It's a really nice surprise." Nerves and excitement buzz around in my chest, and it isn't because our team just won the coin flip.
We clap when North Carolina scores and boo at bad calls. I’ve never had this much fun at a game. The energy in the stadium and in our box is electric. Our team is ahead by a touchdown and before I know it, it’s halftime.
I excuse myself to use the restroom. When I come out, Oliver's sister Iris is standing there waiting for the restroom. "Sorry. It's your turn."
She waves a dismissive hand and beams at me. "No problem at all. You and my brother seem very good together. It makes me happy to see it. He hasn't brought a woman around since his high school sweetheart, Laura. I honestly didn't think he'd ever date again." She giggles.
She seems so happy; I can't burst her bubble and tell her that we met on a dating site and this most likely won't last more than three dates. Who knows? "We're having a good time. I'm grateful that your family is so welcoming."
"I'm not going to lie. Most of us are married with kids and Oliver is thirty now. When we’re all together, he gets heat from my sisters and I about when he might bring a woman around. No pressure though." She raises her eyebrows and gives me a hopeful grin.
Sure, no pressure at all. Their entire family is here watching Oliver and me. While I don't feel pressure from him, it is a little strange to feel as if everyone is rooting for us. "Well, I'm going to grab a snack before halftime is over and I'll let you use the bathroom. Nice chat though." I give her an awkward pat on the arm and turn to walk away.
Swallowing hard, I grab a beer and a plate full of snacks. Heading back to my seat, I plunk down next to Oliver.
"My sister wasn't grilling you, was she?" Oliver asks before he takes a Swedish meatball off my plate and pops it in his mouth.
I take several swallows of my beer before I answer. "No, she's great. All of your family is." It’s true. Every single one of them is lovely.
"Good. I can tell her to back off if she gets annoying." He pats my knee and turns his attention to the game. The second half is just starting.
This is by far the most exciting football game I've ever been to. There are ups and downs, good calls and bad. Lots of cheering and whooping and hollering. My heart couldn't be happier.
When our quarterback throws the game-winning touchdown, Oliver lifts me up in his strong arms and spins me around and around. My head is swimming as we smile into each other's eyes. When his mouth meets mine and he kisses me, it's hot and quick and nice, so very nice. It's not like any other first kiss I've had. It's not passionate, with deeper meaning behind it, but at the same time, I feel it everywhere.
"I don't want the date to end. Let's go to dinner. Okay?" Oliver asks me tentatively.
I don't want the date to end either.
"Sure. Let's go to dinner," I tell him. My voice is nearly breathless.
Ten
Oliver
"That was delicious," Lily says, patting her tight, flat stomach. "I've definitely overeaten today."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." We had a damn good day today. I knew I’d be surprising her by introducing her to my college friends and then my family, but it's football Sunday and I knew she’d love my family. Everyone who meets them does. At first I wasn't sure that it was a good idea to overwhelm her with all the introductions, but she took it like a champ.
She takes her last sip of wine. "I'm not sure if I should ask this, but I'm going to anyway." She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and looks down at her empty plate. "At the game, your sister Iris confessed to me that you haven't brought a woman around since your high school sweetheart. Is that true?"
Her cheeks are tinged pink. This isn’t easy for her to ask. Normally, I don’t discuss Laura, but Lily is so easy to talk to, and something about her warm blue eyes makes me want to open up. "My sister Iris likes to talk. But she's right. I dated Laura from freshman year in high school all the way to freshman year in college."
Her brows rise halfway up her forehead. "What happened?"
"It was a long-distance relationship because I was in Rhode Island and she was in Florida, but I thought we could make it work. We weren’t even away from each other a month before she cheated. I would have never done that to her." I frown at the memory and take a drink of wine. "I was a mess for a long time after I found out. Then I watched my brother go through his divorce a few years later and that sealed it for me. I decided I'd never marry. Plus, I don't have a desire to have children either, which makes me pretty undateable."
She stares at me, her blue eyes flickering with compassion and it touches me, deep. "That sucks that you had two crappy examples of what love and long-term relationships look like. But what about your parents? How long have they been together? They seem so happy."
"They are. They’ve been married for almost forty years. Rock-solid relationship. But they are the exception, not the rule. Everyone gets divorced these days." Which makes the prospect even less appealing. Why people decide to do it now is beyond my comprehension.
"You're right. I see so much of this when people write into my column. It gives me a jaded view of marriage. I don’t think it’s for me either." She lifts her empty wine glass absently and stares at it. She sets it back down.
I lift the bottle and pour the rest of it into her glass.
"Maybe that’s why we were matched. A couple of people who think that the institute of marriage is bullshit," I say.
We both laugh and the waitress stops by to pick up our empty plates. "Did you guys save room for dessert?"
Lily nods her head enthusiastically. "I did."
"Want to share something?" I ask, remembering how full she just told me she was.
"No. I want my own.” The cutest smile tugs at the corners of her lips.
She is adorable. "I like that. A girl that likes to eat."
In a few minutes, the waitress brings us our desserts—a piece of triple chocolate cake for her, and a slice of peanut butter pie for me—and we enjoy them with a cup of coffee. The conversation flows so easily and I can't help how freaking giddy I feel.
This woman is getting under my skin.
After paying the bill, we leave the restaurant stuffed and happy. I drive her home and when we pull up outside her building. I walk her to her door.
"I had a great time today. Thank you so much." Lily's eyes light up again and it pleases me to know that she enjoyed herself as much as I did.
"You're welcome. Thank you for joining me."
Staring down at her gorgeous face, she looks up at me expectantly and it nearly knocks me off balance. I think she wants me to kiss her, and God do I want to. Today at the game, I gave her a quick peck but it wasn't the kiss.
This one is going to be it.
Leaning down, I cup her cheeks and she wraps her hands around my waist. She smells so good, like flowers and rain. I breathe her in seconds before my lips meet hers. Instantly, a fire begins to burn in my chest when our tongues collide, brushing against each other.
My hands move down and squeeze her shoulders, pressing her into me. The feel of her soft body against mine has my heart throbbing in my chest.
Leaning in further, her back presses against her door as I take her mouth and claim it.
She lets out a soft moan and everything in me starts aching and pounding to life. Lily l
ikes this as much as I do.
This is dangerous territory. I want her with every fiber of my being, but what if I take her to bed and ruin everything?
Three dates.
We need to get through three dates. And Lily is not some random hookup. I think I really like her. This thought alone blows my mind.
She feels so damn good and I don't want to stop, but if I don't do it soon, I'm going to lift her up over my shoulder and take her to bed.
With an extreme amount of hesitancy, I pull back and stare into her heavy-lidded eyes. We’re staring at each other with the same expression—hunger, want, and amazement. I take one step back, instantly missing the warmth of her body.
"I better get going." My voice sounds hoarse and strained.
She nods and smooths her hands over her hair. Her cheeks are flushed and her lips are red and swollen. "Oliver…" There's conflict in her eyes and I can tell she's fighting with herself. Does she want to invite me in? If she does, I don't think I’ll be strong enough to say no.
"Yes?"
She pauses. "Drive safe."
"I will." I lean down and kiss the top of her head. "Good night."
She pulls her key out of her purse, opens the door, and turns to give me one last smile. "Good night."
The next morning, I'm in the break room brewing my second cup of coffee when Dylan makes his way toward me.
“Good morning,” he says with the usual spring in his step.
I lift my mug toward him. “Morning.”
"I have to know. How did your date go yesterday?"
It exceeded every single expectation I had. It blew them all out of the water. I don't think I've ever been on a better second date. And I'm not even going to go into how hot the kiss was last night. I had to go home and jerk off twice before I was settled down enough to fall asleep. But Dylan doesn't need to know any of that. "It was nice. We went to the game and then we had dinner."
He perks up and pushes his scruffy hair across his forehead. "The game and dinner. So, are you done? That's three dates, right?"
Scratching my forehead, I frown. "No. One day equals one date. We had two dates." More importantly, I'm not done.
I was so very wrong when I thought she was flaky and her column was stupid. I’m stupid for even thinking it. Now I know better. She's smart, sassy, and we have so much in common. I like to be with her and make her smile.
I don't know what any of this means.
Dylan has a shit-eating grin on his face.
"What are you smirking about?" I ask.
"You like her."
"She's a nice woman."
His stupid grin gets wider. Clearly, I suck at hiding my emotions. "No, you like her. What now?"
"I'm not sure," I say honestly. "I'm going to go to Hilton Head this weekend." My family has a place there and it's my weekend.
"Are you going to ask her to go with you?"
I shrug, deeply conflicted. I'd love to take her with me, but maybe I should cool off and take time to rethink all of this.
I know from experience it's smarter to not get in over my head.
Eleven
Lily
"Now that the meeting is over, let's talk about the purple elephant in the room." Savannah smirks and directs her attention to me. "Lily, how was your date on Sunday?"
It's Wednesday. Three days since my incredible date with Oliver. I'm surprised Savannah hasn't cornered me before now. She must be very busy. "We had a really good time together." I can't keep the smile out of my tone or off my face.
Delaney claps her hands together and points her finger at Savannah. "The algorithms worked."
Maren takes a bite of her glazed doughnut and wipes the corners of her mouth. "Do you like him?"
"You don't even have to answer that, it's written all over your face," Vivi pipes up.
I knew this was going to happen. All of my girlfriends are going to put their two cents in about Oliver when I'm still not sure what to make of it all. I put both of my hands up in surrender. "Ladies, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We've only had two dates. And I haven't heard a thing from him since Sunday." My stomach sinks saying the words out loud. I thought our day ended well. The lower half of my body tingles every time I think about his goodnight kiss. If he hadn't pulled away and stopped the kiss, I might have invited him in to continue what we started in the hallway. It looks like it's a good thing he left, because now he hasn't even reached out.
Savannah fiddles with her necklace in concentration. "Lily, you said you had a great time. What's stopping you from taking things into your own hands?"
"I don't know."
"Do you want to see him again?" Delaney asks with the corners of her lips turned down. "I mean, he did take you to a football game."
It's hard not to laugh. I know how much Delaney hates sports. "I love football. It was the perfect date for us. His family has a box at the stadium."
Savannah's eyebrows shoot up her hairline and her mouth falls open. Then she lets out a noisy gasp. "Wait. He introduced you to his family? On the second date. This is unprecedented. He must really like you."
I shrug it off because it was all quite informal. And like Oliver said, it's football. It brings people together. "I admit I was very nervous when I first realized that they were his family, but by the end of the game, I was extremely comfortable with all of them."
"Just call him. The weekend is coming." Vivi closes her laptop with finality. Decisive as ever.
Savannah nods her agreement. "What's the worst that could happen? I don't see him turning you down. Just call him and get it over with, that way you won’t have to waste anymore mental energy wondering if he's going to call you."
Looking around at my closest friends, they infuse me with the confidence I need to take matters into my own hands. "Okay. I'll do it."
Savannah stands and motions for the rest of the girls to do the same. "Stay here. We'll give you privacy. It's best not to wait another minute."
"Thanks, guys," I tell them as they each make their way out of the room giving me reassuring smiles.
Pulling my phone out of my bag, before I can think too much about what I'm about to do, I press his number.
"Hello," Oliver says. The sound of the wind through his windows lets me know he's in his car.
"Hi,” I say, the pitch of my voice high like a soprano. I clear my throat. "Is this a good time?"
"It is. I'm just on my way home from the gym. Sorry I didn’t reach out sooner. I was in the middle of a freelance gig I had to finish. My plan was to call you tonight. How are you?"
I tap my fingers on the conference room table, relieved that Oliver wasn’t avoiding me and he did intend to reach out. "I'm good. I was calling to see what your plans are for the weekend." My heart picks up speed as the words leave my mouth.
"I'm going out of town."
"Oh." Disappointment is obvious in my tone.
"Want to come? I'm writing up a place for my column. There's a great beach."
This perks me up and I get a big grin on my face. The crush continues. "You want me to go with you?"
"Yeah. It's on Hilton Head. I’m staying through Sunday. There's a pool, hot tub, a beautiful beach, and golf if you like."
I take a breath before answering, so as to not seem too eager, even though I am. "Okay. Sure, that sounds fun."
"Great. I'll pick you up on Friday around lunch time if that works."
"Sounds like a plan." I end the call and hug my phone to my chest. I’m spending the weekend with Oliver. Two nights. I don't want to get too excited, but it's extremely hard not to.
All of a sudden, the three-date rule isn’t an issue for me anymore. I’d like to see him more than that. Hopefully he feels the same. I’ll soon find out.
Twelve
Oliver
On the ride to Hilton Head, it occurs to me that I made the right decision in asking Lily to come with me. At first, I wasn't sure. Things got so hot and heavy with us when we kissed after our las
t date, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I haven't stopped thinking about it, and I don't know what any of this means. But today, on the four-hour drive, we talk, she laughs, and I make her smile.
Bringing her here for the weekend is very dangerous, yet here I am doing it anyway. I'm wildly attracted to her. You'd have to be dead not to notice how impossibly beautiful she is, but more than that, the matchmaking site nailed it when it brought us together. Our conversation flows, we laugh and always have a good time. But despite all of this, I know it’s best for me not to get attached to Lily in a romantic way. I'll never be the type of man she deserves, one who can give her commitment, a family, and a fairy tale happily ever after. I shake the thought from my head.
As we pull up to the stunning oceanfront manor, I watch Lily's face light up. She has no idea this is my family’s vacation home. I told her that I was coming here for an assignment. It's a little white lie, but much easier than explaining to her about my family's money. I think I might open up to her about that later, I just haven’t decided yet.
"Wow, this place is beautiful." Lily's jaw goes slack as we pull into the U-shaped drive. She sits up and takes in the sight of the massive, sprawling home and gorgeous ocean views behind it.
"Let's check it out." I open the back of my SUV, pull out our bags, and carry them to the front entrance.
Entering the keycode in the keypad, the front door opens. I've never brought a woman here and I love watching Lily's expression as she takes in the grand staircase anchored in with an iron balustrade.
"Can you imagine how much this place would cost to rent for a whole week?" Lily's head is on a swivel as we make our way inside.
“Who knows?”
My parents spared no expense. The house has so much to admire, from the walnut floors, to the bronze light fixtures, silk-paneled walls, Cypress ceilings and terraces. Lily and I take our time walking through the downstairs. Her fingers graze along the hand-hammered copper panels on the walls and smooth granite surface of the countertops in the kitchen.
