Happily Ever Never Read Free Page A

me for allowing him to help me.  When I assumed he’d drive off into the sunset and I’d never see him again, he ran up the sidewalk until he caught me at the first step to the porch. “Hang on a minute. This might be out of line, seeing as we just met, but I was wondering if you’d like to go out sometime.”
    “Like for coffee?” I couldn’t believe I was actually going to consider that, but this guy was way too handsome to let a setting ruin my chances.
    “I was thinking dinner. Do you like Italian? I know this place…”
    I didn’t let him finish explaining. Like a teenage girl being asked to the Valentine’s Day dance, I interrupted abruptly. “Yes, I’ll go.”
    It was obvious to me how desperate it sounded, though I refused to let it stop me. After my failed attempt to have a drink with a man from a shady dating site, I needed this type of interaction.
    He smiled, displaying deep dimples on both sides of his face. Major took one step down to be standing on the sidewalk. “How does tonight sound? Am I overstepping? Should I take your number first?”
    All I could do was stand there shaking my head while trying to read this guy who’d come out of nowhere. “Is seven too late?”
    He let out a thankful sigh. “No. It’s perfect.” For a second our eyes met. Perhaps I was horny, or maybe it was the excitement of all that had transpired, but I felt my cheeks beginning to burn with heat. Flustered, and now more embarrassed than before, I took another step up to the porch, distancing myself from the sexy man.
    “Are we meeting somewhere?”
    He became alert, as if he’d snapped out of a haze. “I’ll pick you up.”
    I bit down on my lower lip for a second, while contemplating how to say goodbye. For the first time in my life I wanted to invite him inside. I feared that this was too good to be true. Maybe I’d tripped and become unconscious. It was possible I was still on the pavement of the parking lot, dreaming this scenario out of a desperate attempt to shield my pathetic love life.
    Major lifted his hand. “I’ll see you in about two hours then.”
    When he climbed into his black Camaro and drove away I sunk down on the wooden porch floor. “Holy crap.”
    Shawna opened the front door of her old Victorian style home. “His pictures don’t do him justice.”
    I covered my face with my hands and burst into laughter. It was all I was able to do. What had transpired was unbelievable.
    Shawna sat next to me obviously because she wanted details. “What’s wrong?”
    “That’s not the guy I had drinks with.”
    “What? Who is he? Spill.”
    “I met him across the street at the grocery store. My bags busted and cans rolled all over the place. He helped me retrieve them and gave me a ride.”
    “So he’s just a nice guy who gave you a ride? I’d believe that if I wasn’t seeing the color of your skin.”
    “We have dinner plans in two hours,” I muttered, still in shock. “He asked me to dinner. I don’t know why, but it happened.” Then it really hit me. “This is insane, right? He came out of nowhere.”
    “You’re not backing out. I don’t care what kind of theories you have running through your head. That guy was into you. I could see it through the window.”
    I pushed her playfully. “I should have known you were spying on me.”
    “Whatever. You’re the one with two dates in one day, you hussy.”
    We both laughed. “I’m not going to get my hopes up. The first date was horrible. He was disgusting.”
    “You can tell me all about it after you shower and change. This outfit won’t do for dinner. You need to knock this one out of the park. Kudos by the way. You did this one all by yourself.”
    I hadn’t done much of anything except for dropping my groceries. The rest happened on its own.
    For the next two hours I told Shawna about my failed first date. She gave me pointers about the second one, not that I would follow her instructions. Something about this guy was