Page 70 of Small Town Sizzle

“Thanks,” I mutter, glancing at him.

“For what?”

“For talking me into that,” I admit. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. And Jaz will remember that I did it with her, forever.”

He grins. “That she will.”

For the rest of the evening, the four of us stick together, riding more rides (none as terrifying as the sky drop, thankfully), playing games, and sharing cotton candy. Watching Garrett with Jaz and Chantelle, I can’t help but notice how kind and patient he is. He treats them both like they’re the most important people in the world, and it tugs at something deep inside me.

It’s getting late, and the girls are showing signs of being ready for bed, so we start toward the parking lot.

“Are you back in Hicks Creek for good?” I ask him. “Or will you go back to whatever big fancy corporate job you left in the city?”

“Why do you think I left a fancy corporate job?”

“Well, you said you were part owner of the construction company, and I guess I assumed that something else was keeping you away. I also may have watched too many of those reels on Facebook where the couple reenacts romcoms.”

He cocks and eyebrow as he looks at me questioningly. I make a funny face.

“What are you talking about?”

“They’re skits about…oh, never mind, next time I see one, I’ll send it to you so that you get it.”

“I look forward to that,” he teases with a grin.

“You should,” I giggle as I brush against his arm. “They’re my favorite things to watch right now.”

“Do you have plans for Saturday night?” he asks suddenly.

I suck in a breath. “Um, no. I don’t.”

“Would you like to go to dinner with me?”

“I…” I start.

“She’ll go,” Jaz interjects from behind us.

“Yes!” Chantelle agrees excitedly.

“Girls!” I gasp.

“Well, you were going to argue and give him a million excuses, but we’re not going to let you.”

I blow out a breath, shooting a dirty look at my daughter.

She’s right, my knee-jerk reaction was definitely to say no and come up with an excuse. A lot of times, I feel guilty for not being home at the same time as the kids, since my job keeps me so busy all the time. I really like being at home in my pajamas, too. In reality, I’m still a little leery about trusting myself with Garrett.

What if I fall hard for him and he leaves in a month or two? What happens then?

“Yes, I’ll go.”

“Great,” he laughs.

Both of the girls cheer loudly and high-five each other.

“Jaz can stay the night at my house.”

“Chantelle, you can’t make plans without talking to your mom first,” I laugh.