Page 49 of Trick or Tease

SAbrINA

I woke up the next morning feeling lighter than I had in weeks. The partnership papers were signed, Garrett and I had thoroughly inspected the old house for leftover decorations, and for the first time since this whole mess started, I felt like maybe everything was going to be okay.

I was brushing my teeth when my phone buzzed with a text from Garrett.

Garrett: First official date tonight? I’ll take you somewhere nice.

I grinned at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. He was still thinking like a city boy, probably planning some fancy restaurant an hour away. Time to show him what “nice” really meant around here.

Me: I’m picking the place. Trust me. It’s nice.

Garrett: Should I be worried?

Me: Absolutely. Pick me up at 6.

I spent the afternoon doing chores and trying not to overthink what to wear. It wasn’t like we hadn’t been intimate before, but this felt different. Official. Like we were starting over on the right foot this time.

I settled on my favorite jeans and a soft blue sweater that brought out my eyes. Nothing too fancy, but I wanted to look good for our first real date.

Garrett showed up at six on the dot, looking unfairly handsome in dark jeans and a button-down shirt. He clearly made an effort to dress down from his usual suits, but he still looked like he belonged in a magazine.

“So where are we going?” he asked as I climbed into his car.

“Carolina’s Diner,” I said, buckling my seatbelt.

He gave me a look that was pure skepticism. “Carolina’s? That’s what you consider nice?”

“Damn straight.” I couldn’t help but laugh at his expression.

“Sabrina, I’ve eaten at some of the finest restaurants in Manhattan?—”

“And I’m sure they were very fancy and very expensive,” I interrupted. “But have you ever had a burger that was made with love by a seventy-year-old woman who’s been perfecting her recipe for forty years?”

He was quiet for a moment, considering this. “Not since before I left.”

“Then you’re in for a treat.”

Carolina’s Diner looked exactly like it always.

A small-town institution that had been serving the same comfort food for decades.

The vinyl booths were patched with duct tape, the linoleum floors were worn smooth by thousands of work boots, and the jukebox in the corner still played songs from the eighties.

It was perfect.

I knew what it looked like. But the crappy furniture wasn’t the draw. It was the food. The burgers were the best in the state.

“Sabrina, honey!” Carolina exclaimed, pulling me into a hug that smelled like tomatoes and grease. “That festival was a hit. The whole town’s talking about how wonderful it was, and we sold a ton of food.”

“Thanks, Carolina. I want you to meet my—” I hesitated for just a second, not sure what to call him.

“Boyfriend,” Garrett supplied, extending his hand with a smile that could have charmed the paint off the walls. “Garrett Hogan. Billy’s brother.”

Carolina laughed. “Oh sweetie, I remember you. Don’t be silly.”

He chuckled. “Of course, you do.”

“Now you two sit wherever you like,” Carolina continued, gesturing around the nearly empty diner. “I’ll bring you some Cokes and you can tell me what sounds good.”

We slid into a booth by the window. I watched Garrett take in his surroundings. I could practically see him trying to adjust his expectations. It had been too long since he had eaten here.

“Relax,” I teased.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Garrett said diplomatically.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re doing that thing where you’re being polite but you’re really thinking this place is beneath you.”

“I’m not?—”

“You are. But that’s okay. You’ll learn.” I leaned across the table toward him. “Order the Carolina Special. Trust me.”

When Carolina came back to take our order, Garrett dutifully asked for the Carolina Special, though I could tell he was still skeptical. I ordered the same thing, plus onion rings because I was feeling indulgent.

“So, tell me about your plans for this law practice you mentioned. Are you really serious about staying here and helping people?”

His expression grew more serious. “I am. I’ve been thinking about it all day, actually. There are a lot of family farms and small businesses around here that could use legal help they can actually afford.”

I felt a warm flutter in my chest at the way he said it. Damn, he was good. “That sounds amazing. And you could help people with wills and contracts and all that boring stuff too.”

“Boring but necessary,” he agreed with a grin. “Though I have to admit, after years of corporate law, the idea of helping a farmer protect his land sounds a lot more meaningful than helping some corporation avoid paying taxes.”

Our food arrived, and I watched with barely contained glee as Garrett took his first bite of the Carolina Special. His eyes widened, and he made a little sound of surprise that was almost obscene.

“Holy shit,” he said, staring down at the burger like it had just revealed the secrets of the universe.

“Language,” I teased, though I was grinning. “We’re in a family establishment.”

He took another bite, chewing slowly and savoring it. “I forgot how good her cooking is. This is incredible. What’s in this?”

“That’s Carolina’s secret,” I said, biting into my own burger with satisfaction. “She’s been making them the same way for forty years, and she’s never told anyone the recipe. Not even her own daughter.”

“It’s better than any burger I’ve had in the city,” he admitted, looking slightly dazed. “I don’t remember this from when I lived here.”

“She’s perfected the recipe. That’s when she renamed it to Carolina’s Special.”

I found myself watching the way Garrett seemed to relax as the meal went on.

“You know,” he said, wiping his hands on his napkin, “I think I could get used to this.”

“To Carolina’s cooking?”

“To all of it. The town, the people, the pace of life. It’s so different from what I’m used to, but in a good way.” He reached across the table and took my hand. “Especially with you here to show me the ropes again. I feel like I’ve been away for a hundred years instead of twelve.”

“Well, you’re going to need a good tour guide if you’re planning to stick around. I’ll remind you of all the places you forgot.”

“Is that an offer?”

“Maybe,” I said, squeezing his hand. “Depends on how well you tip your guide.”

He laughed, and the sound made my heart soar. This was what I had been missing. There was such an easy chemistry between us. It felt like he had always been a part of me, now that some of the city was fading off him.

After we finished eating and Garrett had complimented Carolina’s cooking so thoroughly that she blushed like a teenager, we decided to walk off dinner by taking a stroll around the farm.

“I love it out here at night,” I said, linking my arm through his as we walked along one of the dirt paths that wound between the fields. “Everything feels peaceful.”

“It’s beautiful,” he agreed, but when I looked over at him, he was watching me instead of paying attention to our surroundings.

“Smooth talker,” I said, bumping his shoulder with mine.

“I’m serious. You’re beautiful. This place is beautiful. This is supposed to be my life.”

As we walked, I found myself thinking about the future, about all the possibilities that stretched out ahead of us now that we were truly partners.

“I have so many ideas for next year,” I said suddenly. “We could do events all year round, not just Halloween. A sunflower maze in the summer, maybe a spring festival with baby animals and flower gardens.”

“That sounds amazing,” Garrett said, his voice warm with encouragement. “What else?”

“We could make our own pumpkin beer for the fall festival. And apple cider—real apple cider, not the stuff from the store. Maybe partner with some of the other farms in the area, make it a real community event.”

Garrett listened intently, asking questions and offering suggestions that showed he was really thinking about this, really seeing the potential.

“We could even do winter events,” I continued. “Sleigh rides, maybe a Christmas tree farm. Ice skating if we could figure out how to flood part of the lower field.”

“You’ve really thought about this,” he said, admiration clear in his voice.

“I’ve had a lot of time to dream,” I admitted. “I just never thought I’d have the chance to make it all real.”

“Well, now you do. We do.” He stopped walking and turned to face me, his hands coming up to frame my face. “We can build whatever we want here, Sabrina. Together.”

The way he said it made my heart race. I stood on my toes and kissed him, tasting the lingering sweetness of Carolina’s secret sauce and the promise of everything we could create together.

When we broke apart, I realized we had walked all the way to the old house on the hill. It loomed above us in the gathering darkness, looking less spooky now and more like what it really was: a grand old home that had been empty too long.

“You know,” I said thoughtfully, looking up at the tall windows and wraparound porch, “I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday. About not being thrilled to share a house with Billy and Lucy.”

Garrett groaned. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother. But the idea of living in my childhood bedroom while he and Lucy start their married life? It feels like being eighteen again, and not in a good way.”

“What if you didn’t have to?” I asked, nodding toward the house.

He followed my gaze, his eyebrows rising. “You mean live here? In the haunted house?”

“It’s not haunted,” I said with a laugh. “It’s just empty. But it could be beautiful again, with some work. We could bring love back to the house where love died.”

Garrett was quiet as he stared up at the house. “I don’t know.”

“You said it had good bones,” I reminded him. “We’ve been all over that house, and yeah, there are a couple of creaky floorboards but nothing major.”

We walked up to the front door. I pulled out my phone, switching on the flashlight. Garrett did the same, the dual beams of light cutting through the darkness as we stepped inside.

“The staircase is gorgeous,” he murmured, his light illuminating the curved banister that swept up to the second floor. “Look at that craftsmanship.”

We had been in the place countless times but now we were looking at it with fresh eyes. We weren’t looking for the spooky. We were looking at it like it might be a place to make our nest.

I aimed my phone toward the living room. “Can you imagine this place with furniture? With a fire in that fireplace?”

“I can,” Garrett said quietly, and when I looked at him, his expression was thoughtful. “I really can.”

We moved through the downstairs rooms, our flashlights revealing glimpses of what could be. The kitchen was dated but spacious, with windows that would let in morning light. The dining room had built-in cabinets that just needed refinishing. Each room held potential.

We walked upstairs and into our room.

“This could be our bedroom,” he said.

“Our bedroom?”

“You’re not going to make me live in this place alone, are you?”

“Are you asking me to live in a haunted house with you?”

He thought about it. “Yes.”

“Really?”

I frowned and looked around. I wasn’t sure I believed the house was haunted, but it certainly needed some work.

He pulled me into his arms and kissed me.