Page 71 of Small Town Sizzle

“I may have recorded Uncle G asking you, and it may have somehow got sent to my mom.”

“Oh lord,” I breathe.

“Here I thought it would be the adults who were in our business, and it’s the next generation,” Garrett jokes.

“I shall assume they didn’t come up with this plan alone,” I sigh as my eyes flit to my daughter.

Jaz and Chantelle both look away quickly, giggling as they do. I shake my head.

“I guess that’s your answer,” he chuckles. “It does kind of feel like those romcom movies, doesn’t it?”

“What do you know about romcoms?”

“Enough,” he teases.

By the time we get to the parking lot, Jaz and Chantelle are both half asleep, leaning against each other as we walk back to our cars.

“Thanks for tonight,” I say to Garrett, keeping my voice low.

“Anytime,” he replies, his smile warm. “I had fun.”

“Me too,” I admit, surprising myself with how much I mean it.

As we part ways, I can’t help but glance back at him, a small smile tugging at my lips. I didn’t expect to have such a good time with him. What a nice surprise.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Garrett

Ilean against the side of my rental car, my shoes scuffing against the gravel as I take a few deep breaths. My fingers drum lightly on the door, nerves humming low in my chest. It’s been a while since I’ve done this—taken someone out on an actual date. Hell, it’s been longer since I’ve wanted to. But Maya? She’s different. Laura asked my intentions, and I knew I wanted a relationship with her, but after seeing her smile after conquering her fear last night, I knew that I couldn’t wait any longer to ask her on a date.

Before, I knew what I wanted, but I also knew that I needed to give her space with everything she has going on. Now, I need to make certain she understands that I’m serious about her. She seems to be nervous, unsure if she can trust my actions, and I don’t want to send her mixed signals.

She’s asked a few times where I’m taking her tonight, but I’ve kept it a secret this entire time. It’s special, but it’s more fun to tease her with the thrill of not knowing.

I knock on the front door, and Alex answers it a few seconds later.

“Hey, come on in,” he says as he gestures for me to follow.

He walks ahead of me wearing a Hicks Creek High School hoodie. When he turns around and grins at me, that flash of recognition hits me again.

Damn, why can’t I place who he looks like?

“How’s football going?” I ask as I clear my throat.

“Great. It’s an early night for me because the freshman team has a big game.”

“You play both?”

“Big games, yeah. Coach is pretty strict on how much we play so that we don’t get burnt out or injured from overuse.”

“Yeah, that’s good. That’s smart.”

I wish that were the case when I was in high school. I probably wouldn’t have had as many concussions as I did.

Maya steps out, and it’s like the world slows down for her. Her hair, that fiery red that seems to hold every shade of sunset, falls in soft waves around her shoulders, catching the light like it’s been spun from fire. She’s wearing a simple green dress, the kind that brushes her knees and flutters with her every step, the color so perfectly matching her eyes that it makes them even more striking. But it’s not just how she looks—it’s the way she carries herself. There’s this quiet strength in her, the kind that’s both beautiful and intimidating all at once.

And then she smiles at me, and I swear the ground shifts under my boots.