Maggie couldn’t get Alex into bed fast enough. Luckily, he was so tired from the day’s activities that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

She sat on the couch and picked up a magazine. The words swam in front of her eyes. All she could think about was Jake. His touch, his kiss. Things had come together between them so quickly that evening, it seemed like a dream.

The phone rang and she lunged for it. “Hello,” she said breathlessly.

“Hi, Maggie.” Her name rolled off his tongue with so much familiarity, sending shivers down her spine.

There was a brief moment of quiet.

“So is this where I get to officially ask you out on a date?”

She nodded, although she knew he couldn’t see her. “It is.”

“What do you think about dinner tomorrow? We could go somewhere in Haven Shores? Are your parents back to watch Alex?”

“No, they’re still on their big adventure. And the babysitter is out of town this week.”

Her earlier excitement deflated. Dating with kids was harder than she’d expected.

“How about I come there and we do pizza and a movie with Alex? It seems fitting since he kind of brought us together. We can share a bottle of wine afterward.”

Happiness flooded over her. This was what she’d dreamed about—to have someone in her life that cared about both her and Alex.

“That sounds great. I’ll pick out a movie to watch.”

“I’ll see you around six tomorrow night. Bye, Maggie.” Her heart beat faster when he said her name.

“See you tomorrow.”

He hung up and she stared at the phone. Were things moving too fast between them? Did she even remember how to date? She stared at the wall. She was being silly. It had been so long since she’d been on a date, she’d forgotten how things worked. Dinner and a movie were pretty basic. She could handle it, right?

* * *

The next evening, Jake showed up at Maggie’s apartment door, freshly shaven and wearing a crisply ironed shirt. He carried a pepperoni pizza that he’d picked up on the way over. He was so nervous, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to eat.

He was about to knock on the door when it opened suddenly.

“Hi,” Maggie said brightly. “Alex is waiting in the living room for you.”

He walked past her as she shut the door, kissing her on the head. She blushed and took the pizza into the kitchen.

“I’ll get some plates,” she called over her shoulder.

He grinned. He liked seeing how she reacted to his kiss.

“Hey, Alex.” He settled down next to his nephew on the couch. “What are we watching tonight?”

“Mom said something called Indiana Jones? She said it’s one of her favorite movies and that I’m finally old enough to watch it.” He looked disappointed. “I wanted to watch a cartoon.”

Jake ruffled his hair and smiled. He and Maggie had similar taste in movies apparently. “Seriously? That’s awesome. You’ll love Indiana Jones. He goes on so many adventures.”

“I guess.” The boy pushed himself further into the couch cushions.

Maggie appeared in the living room with the pizza box and a stack of plates. “Here you go.” She handed them each a plate with pizza on it.

“Thanks,” they mumbled as they devoured the pizza.

Maggie smiled. “How do you guys eat so fast? I’d be sick if I did that.”

They shrugged and continued munching. Maggie sat down about a foot away from Jake at the other end of the sofa. He moved a little closer to the middle of the couch. No snuggling for them during the movie. This was what dating with kids was like.

She clicked play and the movie came on. For being so negative about the movie in the beginning, Alex watched it with rapt attention, cringing and covering his eyes at the scary parts. When the movie ended, he looked disappointed.

“Okay, buddy, bedtime for you.” Maggie pointed at the hallway.

“Do I have to? Can’t I stay up a little longer?”

She shook her head. “Sorry. It’s a school night. I already let you stay up a little past bedtime.”

“Fine.” Alex pouted and trudged down the hall.

“I’ll come tuck you in in about ten minutes,” she called to him. “I’ll grab the wine,” she told Jake.

He nodded. “I’ll help.”

He followed her into the kitchen, putting his arm around her waist to pull her into his arms. She melted into him for a moment before glancing toward Alex’s room.

“Jake,” she protested. “What if Alex sees us?”

“He’s brushing his teeth,” he said, but kissed her quickly and released her.

She removed the Pinot Grigio from the refrigerator and set it on the counter. He remembered where the wine glasses were in the top cupboard from a previous visit and selected two, then corked the wine and poured them each a glass.

“I’m going to go tuck Alex in, okay?” Maggie disappeared into the hallway.

Jake brought the wine glasses into the living room and settled on the couch while she checked on Alex. It felt right to be there, like he was truly a part of their family.

She reappeared fifteen minutes later. “He’s out. It usually takes him longer to fall asleep, but it’s a bit later than his usual bedtime.”

He patted the seat next to him. This time, she settled in a little closer than when they were watching the movie earlier. She reached forward for her wine glass and then leaned back.

“Ahh. I’m so glad this week is over. I loved catering Dahlia’s rehearsal dinner and wedding, but I’ll be glad when life is back to normal.”

“Well, you did a wonderful job on them. If the glowing comments I heard from the other guests were any indication, I’d say you have a future career as a caterer.” He slid his arm over the back of the couch. “What did you decide about the farm property?”

She set the base of her wine glass on her leg. “They received another offer yesterday. Gretchen told me last night.” She took a big sip of wine. “I couldn’t pull together my offer quick enough to compete with them, so I guess that’s that.”

“I’m sorry. I know it meant a lot to you.” He rested his fingers on her shoulder and she moved in closer to him.

“You know, real estate offers sometimes fall through. Maybe you should put a backup offer on the property.”

“Do you think?”

He felt her search his face. “I do.” He’d been unsure about the property before, but after thinking about it for a while and knowing how important it was to her, he’d determined it was a good idea.

“Maybe I’ll do that.” She brightened. “I’ll call Gretchen in the morning.”

She lay against him, sipping her wine, lost in thought.

He looked at her and marveled at how he had a chance with her. His brother may not have intended for this to happen when he’d asked Jake to look after her if something happened to him, but he was pretty sure he’d approve. Not that he could ever let Maggie know about his promise to Brian.

He stroked her hair and relished their brief time alone together.