“The Antique Barn, if you don’t mind?”
For what felt like the first time in days, I cracked a smile. “The Antique Barn? What do you need from there?”
“Something very important,” she replied mysteriously, but some of the uncertainty had left her voice. Which meant it was probably time for me to lose the annoyed vibe that I wasn’t meaning to give off.
“Got it.”
The silence was less burdened after that. When I pulled into the Antique Barn, she popped out, then held up a palm.
“Wait. Don’t follow. I’ll be five minutes.”
My hand paused halfway to the seat belt.
“Okay.”
Less than ten minutes later, she dashed back outside, clutching a bulky bag in her hands. Whatever lay inside was wrapped in a cardboard box.
“Very mysterious,” I said.
Her wide smile returned. “I know. Now can you stop at Bed and Bath?”
“Can I come into this one?”
She shook her head, eyes bright.
With a dramatic sigh, I put the Zombie Mobile in reverse. “Sure.”
I wanted to go in with her, see what she was like in a store like that. Did she light up? Probably. The girl was practically a living Christmas tree.
Four stops later—including a kitchen store, a home repair store, and an office supply store—she climbed back into the Zombie Mobile. Bags littered the floor at her feet. Our easy banter had returned while I unsuccessfully tried to guess her mission with all these tightly controlled packages. I couldn’t even peek inside to see what she’d bought. Somehow, she’d had them all double-bagged or covered up.
Odd.
What could she possibly be hiding?
“Okay.” She yanked the seat belt across her. “I think it’s time to head to the restaurant.”
The steering wheel was already pointing that way, so I hit the gas. The weight of her impending departure felt like my chest was a balloon someone was slowly letting air out of. She was bottled, red-haired sunshine. With resolve, I forced my mind back to the task at hand. I really did have an errand to run in Jackson City. An errand that mattered dramatically to the rest of my life and also involved the petit fours hidden behind my seat.
But that errand didn’t feel as important as Lizbeth.
“Just text me when you’re done,” I said. “I’ll be around. And if you need anything in the meantime.”
“Thanks. I’m sure he’ll be a perfect gentleman.”
At that, I almost snorted.
“He better be,” I muttered.
If she heard, she gave no indication. The Zombie Mobile ambled into the street. Cars whizzed past as we slowly built up speed.
“Do you know this Tyler guy?” I asked.
“No. Bethany set this up.”
“She do this a lot?”
“Not really. He’s a client of hers who’s considering moving here. Just wanted to meet for dinner and ask about life in the mountains.”
“At Belle Vie?” I asked. “That’s extremely upscale.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “Maybe I’m not dressed right.”
“You’re perfect,” I immediately replied. “Are you anticipating lots of romance?”
At that, she laughed. I wanted to laugh with her but couldn’t even make a sound because a new wave of annoyance crested in my throat. Tyler would get to laugh with her tonight. She shook her head, her hair like strands of fire.
“No. Blind dates are not romantic.”
“Are you sure?”
For the first time, her unwavering confidence seemed to falter. She covered it quickly, but I sensed a tension in her that was new.
“Well, I guess they could be.”
“Probably would be weird if it was romantic too soon, right?”
She frowned. “Not necessarily. Lots of books have adorable, romantic meet-cutes with total strangers.”
“Meet-cutes?”
“The moment the love interest and the heroine meet.”
“There’s a term for it?” I chuckled. “That’s wild.”
“It’s smart. Authors need to know what readers expect. You can’t recover from a bad meet-cute, if you ask me.”
“Of course not.”
She sent me a smarmy grin, and seconds later, we pulled up to Belle Vie. I let the truck slow to a stop.
“Seriously. If he’s weird, I’m only a few minutes away,” I said.
“It’ll be fine.”
“But if it’s not—”
Lizbeth slipped the seat belt off and smiled as she reached for the doorknob. “Thanks. I anticipate a completely boring, awkward blind date and then a payout after.”
“A payout?” I cried. “What the hell does that mean?”
She stopped, then laughed. “No, not like that! It’s from my sister! If these clients close on the house, she’ll give me a bonus.”
Still didn’t like this. I didn’t have a great feeling about Tyler. Lizbeth hopped out of the car, a small purse slung over her left shoulder. Just before the door closed, she paused. “Oh, JJ? Don’t open any of them.”
“What?”
“The bags. Leave them closed, okay?”
I hesitated, shot her a grin, and finally agreed. “Fine.”
For half a second, I saw hesitation in her gaze.
She opened her mouth, then closed it. “Thanks, JJ. Talk soon.”
“Be safe, Lizbeth.”
It was the best I could do. She shut the door and walked away, looking gorgeous in her sleek gray jacket. This Tyler guy would be an idiot if he didn’t gobble her up. Which said nothing good about me.
Resigned, I turned the Zombie Mobile and headed downtown. I had a date of my own, but it wasn’t with an adorable, perky redhead.
17 Lizbeth
Blind dates stressed me out.
Normally, I put too much pressure on a new guy. Mentally catalogued whether they fit my idea of a storybook romance. What kind of love interest would they make? Would they dance in the rain? Kiss me senseless in the kitchen? Would they be safe, gentle, and kind?
Tonight felt twenty times worse, and it was all because of JJ. His perfectly easy smile while I shopped for him without him even knowing it. The unaffected way he took me to the date. It had been a bit weird when I asked them for the ride, but now he seemed as unattached as ever. Like he’d friend-zoned me.
Again.
One could argue that all the romance books covered this, and he was secretly seething with jealousy, but I doubted it. He certainly wasn’t coming
