Page 14 of The Baby Dragon Bakery (The Baby Dragon #2)

A fter work, Lavinia went home to freshen up before the date.

The movie wasn’t until eight, when it got fully dark in the park, and she had about an hour before then.

She realized it might get a bit late for dinner after the movie, so she filled a tote bag with pretzels and candy; she was already getting hungry.

Lavinia also grabbed a blanket for her and Calahan to sit on, then stole one of her mother’s expensive shawls to wear because she knew it would get cold.

After she was ready, she texted Genevieve that the outfit had been a success, informing her of the date tonight. While Lavinia was touching up her makeup, her phone rang. She swiped on the video call, setting her phone against the mirror.

“Hiii,” Lavinia said, applying a layer of mascara.

“Ooh, are you getting ready?” Genevieve asked, her bare face filling up Lavinia’s phone screen. “Let me see.” Lavinia walked back, spinning for Ginny. “Love it.”

“I’m going to head out soon.” Lavinia had to stop applying mascara because she was smiling and her eyelashes would smudge. She glanced down at her phone, where Genevieve looked very pleased.

“Exciting!”

“Is that Lavinia I hear?” Saphira’s voice called from behind Genevieve. Genevieve lifted her phone from her position on the couch, which Lavinia recognized as the couch at Saphira and Aiden’s place. Saphira came into view, and Lavinia waved.

“Ooh, you look hot,” Saphira said, squishing next to Ginny. Now both of their faces filled the screen. “Where are you going?”

“I have a date,” Lavinia said, giggling. Saphira gasped, eyes wide.

“A date?! With who?!”

“Calahan!”

Saphira’s jaw dropped, voice increasing an octave. “ Calahan Calahan?”

Lavinia nodded. Saphira blinked, surprised.

“This is great,” Genevieve said to Saphira. “I always knew he liked her.”

Saphira blinked. “It is,” Saphira agreed, then paused. “I had an inkling he might like you too, but I thought you were interested in . . .” She trailed off, shaking her head. “Never mind.” She gave Lavinia a bright smile. “I hope you have lots of fun!”

“Me too,” Lavinia said, trying not to think about what Saphira was going to say. She chatted for a bit, then blew Genevieve and Saphira a kiss goodbye and headed out.

She drove over to Starshine Public Gardens, where the town movie night would be.

It was always set up on an inflatable screen in the field, and everyone either brought camp chairs or sat on the ground.

She had been coming with her family ever since she was a kid, and of course, then Theo would join as well.

It was a popular spot for families and couples alike; this was not her first time going on a date here.

When she got out of her car with her things, she saw Calahan at the front of the garden’s entrance, holding a tote bag and a box.

He had thrown on a brown overcoat over his blue sweater and she thought he looked especially handsome; when he saw her, his face lit up.

She smiled, walking over, trying not to skip with excitement.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hi.” He held up the box in his hands. “I brought pizza since I figured it might get too late for dinner.”

She appreciated the foresight, and she didn’t mind that they weren’t going out for dinner; dinner dates could be stressful with how formal they felt.

“Oh, yum!” she said. “I had the same thought and brought snacks!” She held up her own tote bag.

He smiled, dimples showing. “We’ll have an entire feast, then.”

They walked over together, where there was already a decent crowd set up in the field.

Calahan had brought a blanket as well, so they used her blanket to sit on, and he put his blanket over their legs.

Which was also good because this leather miniskirt was not made for sitting on the ground and was riding up.

The night was a little chilly, cloudy, and windy; she wrapped her mother’s shawl loosely around her shoulders.

They chatted for a bit, eating the pizza, which was still warm, then the candy she had brought.

Soon thereafter, the movie began, and the crowd quieted, attendees snuggling closer if they wanted to make commentary on the film.

The showing was one of those action-fantasy movies—it was the type Theo loved, so Lavinia had seen it already.

Lavinia was hardly paying attention to the screen.

She was hyper-alert to every movement she made, not to mention every movement Calahan made. This close, she caught his scent, which she realized was familiar to her after working together for so long at the cafe: he smelled like ink and paper.

As the movie progressed, she slowly inched closer to him, her knee brushing against his under the blanket.

Then, finally, he scooted over entirely, until he was right beside her.

He put his arm behind her, and she leaned back, against his chest, in a way that felt very natural and normal. The contact warmed through her core.

After the movie finished, they sat for a bit longer, even as people stood up and left. They ate the rest of the pizza, which had long since gone cold, and finished off the candy as well.

“We should probably head out,” Lavinia eventually said, when most of the field had cleared and even the inflatable screen had been dismantled. Calahan rose to his feet and offered her his hand with a dimpled smile. She took it.

He packed up their things, throwing the garbage out, and they walked back to the parking lots, where there were only a few cars left, two of which were theirs. He walked her to her car, putting her bag away.

“I had a lot of fun tonight,” Calahan said, not quite going just yet. Her heartbeat quickened as she gazed up at him, the shawl dropping from her shoulders. A shiver ran down her spine.

“Me too,” she replied, smiling. His gaze went to her mouth, and he took a step forward. Anticipation fizzed through her body, and she waited, holding her breath until he bridged the space between them completely.

He kissed her, lips soft against hers. Lavinia hummed, relishing the contact she had been craving and had been denied by another. Going on her tiptoes, Lavinia wound her arms around his neck, kissing him back, bringing him in closer. He held her waist, hands steady.

The kiss was sweet. A perfect ending to a perfect first date.

He pulled back, and they both grinned. She unwound her arms and he let go of her waist, reaching for her hand.

“Goodnight,” Calahan said, squeezing.

“Goodnight,” she replied, squeezing back.

She got into her car, and he waited until she drove away, lifting a hand up to wave. Once she was out of his sight, Lavinia squealed in her car. She put on some upbeat music and sang alone as she drove home.

Everything was happening exactly like she wanted it to! There was nothing to worry about at all! She was on track to find love, and before her deadline, too.

When she got home, she went up to her room and got ready for bed, busy with washing off her makeup and changing. After all that was done, she returned to her bedroom, finally catching a moment of quiet for the first time that day.

And in that silence, a little spike of anxiety pricked her. She rubbed her chest, frowning.

Things had gone perfectly, as well as she could have imagined. Calahan was sweet and fun.

Why did she feel so . . . she didn’t even know what she felt. But it was making her stomach hurt.

She took the things out of her purse, putting them on top of her vanity. Taking the lipsticks, she put them away in her drawer, and as she did, she saw Theo’s cologne.

Her hand itched. She was tempted to spray it—but no, she shouldn’t.

Lavinia shut the drawer, but her hand lingered on the handle. Biting her lower lip, she pulled it open, taking out the cologne and spraying it in the air. Theo’s scent immediately comforted her, calming her nerves.

She grabbed her phone, calling Theo. She wanted to discuss the date with him, the way she did everything. The phone rang and she waited. Her gaze strayed to the clock, but it wasn’t so late that he would be asleep already.

Finally, he picked up.

“Hey,” he said, clearing his throat. He sounded a bit off, but she heard sheets rustling and figured he was probably in bed, about to sleep.

“Hi! I just got back from my date! It went so well!!”

“Oh. That’s good. I’m glad.” He cleared his throat. “Was it cold?”

“A little, but Calahan brought a blanket, so we shared that. He also brought pizza so we didn’t end up going for dinner, but it was really fun at the movie!

After the movie, we sat and talked a bit, and mostly everyone had gone by then.

When we went back to the parking lot, he walked me to my car, and then he kissed me and—”

“I’m tired,” Theo said abruptly, cutting her off. “Can we talk later?” His voice sounded pained.

“Oh. Yeah. Are you . . . Are you okay?” she asked, concerned.

He was quiet. Then, finally, he said, “Mhm.”

He hung up before she could ask or say anything else. Lavinia’s heart pounded, unease spreading through her. She felt strange, as if she had upset him—but what about her having a successful date could be upsetting to her best friend?

It had to be something else. She’d ask him about it later.

Sometimes he needed time alone to collect himself; she knew when not to push. When they were kids and he was overstimulated or needed a break, he would pace around her backyard or sit under the apple tree, watching the branches rustling.

At first, Lavinia would follow him out there, but then he’d get irritable, and she’d stomp back inside, annoyed. Until finally Beena explained to her that he probably just needed to recharge, and she should let him.

“But why?” Lavinia would ask, pouting. Beena would hold her face in her hands, brushing back her hair.

“Patience, gudiya, patience,” her mother would respond. “Sometimes people get overwhelmed.”

The next time it happened, Lavinia let Theo be. She stayed inside, coloring at the kitchen table, and a half an hour later, Theo came back inside, right as rain.

Lavinia was sure that this now was one of those moments; he just needed to recharge.

Even as she told herself that, she felt unsettled.

If she was Theo, this would be a moment she’d start pacing, like he did whenever he felt restless, but instead she turned off the lights and went to bed, curling into a ball.

She grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it to her chest, trying to go to sleep.

A little while later, she still felt strange. With a groan, she grabbed her phone and texted Genevieve that the date was a success.

Genevieve replied almost immediately with an abundance of exclamation points: Tell me EVERYTHING!

Lavinia smiled, giving Genevieve the entire debrief and rundown, replaying every moment. As she did, she grew happy and excited all over again, giggling to herself.

I love all of this , Genevieve texted back. This is FANTASTIC!

Yes, this was fantastic, Lavinia told herself.

She ignored the little voice in her head telling her something was wrong.