“You have a point.” Gavin hands me the bottom half of the carrot cake, and I place it on top of my frosting, creating a lemon-carrot cupcake sandwich.
I take a bite, nodding in satisfaction.
“That’s really good,” Gavin says after he’s tasted the new creation.
“Yeah.” I take another bite before asking him, “Besides fishing, what else do you like to do?”
“Anything outdoors, hunt, ride my horse, watch football. I haven’t had much time to do some of those.” His lips turn up the tiniest bit.
“I’m sure Penny requires full-time attention.” I lean forward and place my hand over his.
Gavin takes a deep breath and nods, keeping his eyes on mine. “She does. She’s great and adapts to almost any situation, but I want to make sure she has a childhood she loves.”
Smiling, I move my hand and say, “I’m sure she does. She’s a happy girl, Gavin.”
“Thanks. When do you officially move?”
“Well, I have the most amazing friend who is going to pack my things and ship them over. Between practicing for the sock hop performance, the actual sock hop next weekend, and work, I don’t really have time to fly to Nashville and pack.” My hands wave all around as I talk.
“That makes sense.”
“Yeah. Kelsey, that’s my friend, she’s also going to come visit and see Everton. I’ve been begging her to come for weeks.”
“Is she your best friend?”
“Yeah. I met her when I first moved to Nashville and rented the extra room in her apartment. She’s the good kind of people.” I’m so excited for her to see where I’ll be living, visit the places I love in Everton, and meet my new friends.
Gavin focuses on what I say, listening intently. The way he pays attention turns me on. Goodness, I love it when men are actually interested in what I have to say, whether talking about a friendship or my career.
“I should probably get going,” Gavin says as his phone buzzes on the table. “I’ll drop you off at The Farmhouse.”
“Thanks. I’m sure Penny is wondering where you went. Should we get her a cupcake?” I cringe, the thought of coming here without her makes me feel guilty.
Gavin laughs and nods. “Yeah, or I’ll never hear the end of it.”
After grabbing some cupcakes to go, Gavin and I walk toward his truck. The short drive to the bed and breakfast is quiet. Although I know today was not a date, Gavin and I have had the opportunity to get to know each other, and a sliver of hope blossoms in my chest.
“Thanks again for today.” I turn and smile at Gavin when he parks his truck. “I appreciate you letting me tag along. It definitely helped clear my mood, even if you did steal half my cupcake.”
“Payback,” he shrugs. “And I’m glad it helped. Like I said earlier, everything will sort itself out.”
“Thanks.” I squeeze his arm and open the door, climbing out of his truck.
There’s a skip in my step as I walk to the guest house at the back and open the door. A wide grin takes over as my heart soars, and I step into the house. I can’t help the excitement bubbling inside of me right now. Grabbing my guitar, I sit on the couch and begin strumming a new tune.
Gavin
Penny spins around in her new dress and giggles as the skirt lifts. “Look, Daddy!” she calls out from the living room. With a smile, I lean against the wall and watch her.
She’s been talking about the sock hop all week, each day more excited than the one before. She even has a countdown in her room that she made one afternoon. Every day that she’d get home from school, she’d scratch a day off.
As for me, I’ve had Sutton on my mind all week. I haven’t seen her since we spent the day together on Sunday. The way we eased into conversation, the simplicity she carries despite her new stardom, and the way her hand touched mine in the most natural of ways. All of it has been playing in my head as I figure out what I feel toward her.
I can’t be blind that she’s found a way to open me up. It was fun to hang out with her and get to know her better. Maybe she can be the woman that proves to me it’s worth opening my heart again.
“Are you ready?” Penny pulls the sleeve on my leather jacket. She picked out my outfit, using pictures from the internet that show how men dress in a sock hop. She does the same thing every year, and every year chooses a white tee shirt and my black leather jacket with jeans.
“First, we have to take a picture.” I lift her up and walk toward the kitchen where my mom is.
“Hey, Mom, can you take a picture of us?” I fish my phone out of my pocket and hand it to her.
After a whole photoshoot, mostly of Penny by herself in all different poses, we head out to the sock hop. Penny is a chatterbox the whole drive over to the hall where the party is being hosted.
“My friends from school are all going to the party. We even made some decorations to hang on the wall. Will they have snacks like they did last year?” Her words fly out of her mouth, giving me whiplash.
Laughing at her excitement, I reach my hand back toward her. “Take a deep breath, sweetheart.” Penny gasps for air, making me laugh harder.
“They’ll have snacks. I can’t wait for you to show me what you created for the sock hop, and I’m sure you’ll have a great time with your friends. You will dance with your dad, though, right?”
On a giggle, Penny nods. “Yes.” I catch her huge smile through the rearview mirror. All is right in the world when my little girl is with me.
“We’re here,” I
