The sound of the doorbell roused me from papers I’d been grading for the last three hours. Music theory was dull even to those of us who taught it. I set my coffee aside, slipped on my house shoes, and tossed my cat out of my lap before I meandered down the hall toward the door. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I wondered who would be stopping by at seven at night. Living in the country, the only visitors I ever had were the mailman and occasionally the UPS driver. I hadn’t made any friends since moving here and hadn’t ordered anything. Late in the spring in South Carolina, the days linger long past dinner. When I opened the door, the features of the man standing in my doorway were blacked out by the sun setting on the horizon.

I glanced behind him before shielding my eyes to meet his face. It was hard not to notice his height and broad shoulders, but when he spoke, my heart soared to the melody of his words.

“Remmy?” He was clearly unsure if I was indeed who he was looking for.

“No, I’m sorry. You have the wrong address.” I stepped back to close the door, careful not to let Cosmo out, but his hand pressed against the mahogany.

“Is this 1584 Yellowbird Lane?”

The guy was hot, amazingly beautiful. The light reflected off his back creating a halo around his shoulders. Offering their own symphony, the birds chirped, frogs croaked, and crickets sang in the distance. They drew me out like a siren’s song to meet the stranger on my porch.

I scanned the floor around my feet, making sure the feline wasn’t trying to make an escape. I closed the door behind me before talking to the mammoth on my stoop. “Yes. But no one by the name Remmy lives here. Are you sure you have the right address?”

The gentle giant pulled his phone from his pocket, showing me the screen. My address was right there in black and white, along with her salutation, assuring him how excited she was to meet him. The man who first appeared at my door could have been a linebacker for the NFL, but somehow in the realization he’d been stood up, he seemed smaller, less intimidating.

“That’s my address, but I’m the only one here.” I probably shouldn’t have admitted no one else was home. Based on his size alone, he could easily overpower me, but his eyes, now that I could see the grassy-green staring back at me, said he was harmless. I stuck out my hand. “I’m Lissa Jackson. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Dan Hadley. I’m terribly sorry to have bothered you.” He turned to leave, but in a split-second, I didn’t want to see him go.

Friday night at seven o’clock and neither of us had anything to do. I clearly had no life since I was home grading papers, and Dan had been stood up. I didn’t have a clue what to say to get him to chat but my mouth erupted. “I’m new to the area and don’t know anyone. It’s hard meeting new people.” No clue where that came from or why I’d felt the need to release that truth.

He stopped just before stepping down. The way he regarded me, the tilt of his head, the gleam in his eyes…my heart swelled just slightly when he smiled in my direction.

“Since neither of us has plans, would you like to chat for a bit?” He didn’t wait for my response when he sat down on the top step of my porch.

It dawned on me I was in entirely too tiny pajama shorts, a tank top sans bra, and my ratty house shoes. My hair was piled high in a knot on top of my head, my glasses perched on my nose, and I didn’t have one speck of makeup on.

“You look fantastic. Sit with me and don’t worry about it.”

My head snapped over in his direction, my green eyes meeting his gaze. He’d seen my self-appraisal but hadn’t cared I wasn’t presentable. “Are you sure? I can go throw some clothes on.”

He patted the spot next to him on the step. I hesitated for just a moment before throwing caution to the wind and planting my bottom next to his. With my arms stretched out behind me, I extended my legs in front and crossed them at the ankles.

“You’re quite tall for a woman.”

“You’re quite tall for a man.”

His laugh was music that drifted into the air around us. “Yes, I am. Sorry. That was a dumb thing to say. Your legs just seem to go on for miles.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should.”

The banter set me at ease almost immediately. “So, Dan. You want to confess how you ended up on my doorstep?”

“Sure, as soon as you let me in on how you ended up in Fountain Inn, South Carolina…alone.”

I refused to panic. This was a question I’d been asked more frequently than not, and I had an answer. It might not be the details of the messy past, but the truth just the same. “I moved here from Wimberley, Texas at the beginning of the semester to take a teaching job at Furman. The teacher I replaced left suddenly when his best friend was in a car accident. He’s from this area, maybe you know him. Dax Cooper?”

Dan shook his head.

“Anyway, I was between gigs, and the opportunity was perfect. I’d never lived this far east and thought why not? I didn’t have any roots in Texas, so nothing kept me from leaving. Honestly, I don’t think I would have ever gotten the job had I not been willing to move within a few days. None of their other candidates could relocate that quickly.”

“What do you teach?”

“Music.”

“Do you play?” He’d moved to face me, taking in my answers as though they held far more weight than they did.

A laugh played on my lips. I wouldn’t be much of a teacher if I didn’t. “Yes.”

“Piano? What?”

“Primarily, yes, and violin. But I can play most instruments in a band and orchestra.”

“Maybe I can talk you into playing for me sometime.”

“I doubt classical music would hold your interest long.” I swayed sideways as my nerves took over. As if my attire hadn’t already screamed raging nerd, telling a gorgeous man you’re a music teacher who plays the piano and violin certainly would.

“Professor Jackson. Has a nice ring. I wish my teachers had looked like you in college.”

“Doctor.”

“Excuse me?” He seemed confused by my clarification.

“Dr. Jackson. Ph.D.”

“No shit?” He immediately faltered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cuss. It just slipped out. But seriously, a doctorate is impressive stuff.”

I wished I hadn’t said anything. I shrugged off the compliment unsure of what to do with it.

“So, your turn.”

“For what?” The quizzical grimace on his face was almost comical.

“To tell me how your night landed you at my address.”

He was embarrassed and hesitant to show his vulnerability.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. It doesn’t matter.” I shifted uncomfortably on the step before drawing my feet up to stand. “I probably should get back inside anyhow.”

“I don’t mind telling you. It’s certainly not my brightest moment, but a deal’s a deal. My best friend, Brett—we’ve been friends since Jesus was a baby, went to college together, work together now. You get the picture. Anyway. His wife is amazing—for him. And I thought maybe I should try dating. I’m with the two of them all the time and being the third wheel gets old.”

I waited for the rest of the story. Clearly, there was more, which was the part he was reluctant to share.

He let out a loud sigh, closed his eyes, and finished his brief history. “I joined an online dating group. This was the first date I was supposed to meet. But as you can see, that didn’t happen.”

I’d be embarrassed too, but he couldn’t help that she was a flake. Evidently, she hadn’t looked at his profile picture closely, or she would have made sure to be where she said she would. “Her loss.”

Dan’s sage-green eyes popped open, meeting my subtler greens head on.

“Seriously. My guess is she was cat-fishing you, and when the rubber met the road, she didn’t want you to find out she’d used her roommate’s picture for her profile and nothing about her was true.” I shrugged at the end.

“Are you always this sweet?”

It was a line, but I was okay with him feeding it to me. A little attention never hurt anyone, and I hadn’t had any in years. My cheeks flushed with heat, which also meant they were bright red, the downside to having fair skin. “Not usually, no. I’m normally quite snarky and sarcastic. You caught me on a good night.”

He roared with laughter, and a tiny hint of a grin crossed my face. I was smitten by this stranger. I knew nothing about him but didn’t want him to go. As the sun had set, the darkness had brought cooler temperatures. My skin pebbled, and a shiver ran up my spine.

“You cold? I should let you go back in. I didn’t mean to keep you so long.”

While I should’ve been screaming stranger-danger and not inviting him into my home, I was chilly and didn’t really want to sit outside anymore. “Would you like to come in? I can make popcorn. We could chat? Or watch a movie?”

Dan came inside to choose a flick while I went to put on more clothing. I don’t remember what he picked out to watch, or when it ended. I just remember the casual banter, the way he joked with me and kept up with the conversation. He was more than just good looks—he had a brain and fantastic personality to match. He gave every indication he was interested in me, attracted to me, but made no move beyond getting to know me. The man had been a gentleman all evening, right down to my fifth yawn. It was long past midnight, but I wasn’t ready for him to leave.

He placed his hand on my knee as I closed my mouth after the biggest yawn of the evening. “I’m going to let you get some rest.” He stood before me, towering over me sitting on the couch. “Thank you for salvaging my night.”

I offered him a gentle smile before walking him out. Dan reached for the door, and I watched the way his forearm flexed as he turned the knob. My eyes traveled past his elbow to his shoulder and finally made contact with his eyes. “I enjoyed it.”

He chewed on his lip for a moment, possibly in contemplation. “I’d like to see you again.” He hurried the words out, nervously. “I mean, I’d like to take you on a date…if you’d like to go out with me.” The way his nose scrunched at the bridge as he fought back the fear of rejection was perfection.

“I’d enjoy that.”

He handed me his phone to enter my contact information, and while I had it, I deleted Remmy’s name as well. The bitch didn’t deserve a man like Dan, but thankfully for me, she hadn’t realized that. In that final moment just before he left, he cupped my jaw and the back of my neck in his hand and stroked his thumb across my cheekbone. I waited for it, anticipated it, hoped he’d take my lips with his, but when he dipped down, his lips met my opposite cheek and lingered for just a moment. The smell of lemon and sandalwood aroused my senses just as he pulled away.

“Goodnight, Lissa.”

My fingers pressed the spot his lips had just left. Holding his kiss firmly to my skin as if it might fly away. “Be careful going home.”

He walked through the door, and I stood there long after he pulled out of my driveway. Cosmo wound himself between my legs quietly asking for attention. Bending down, I picked up the ball of fur, who nuzzled my neck until he grew bored with the affection and bit my face indicating he wanted down. As I stared out my window onto the dark country road, I was still unsure of what had taken place in the hours that had passed after my doorbell rang but thankful for whatever it was.

A stroke of serendipity.