I was at the bakery the next morning, putting the fresh-baked afternoon cookies into the display case when the man walked through the door. I froze when I saw him and met his eye, and when he grinned at me I couldn’t help but blush. He was holding flowers—a large bouquet of yellow roses. He brought them up to the counter and set them down.

“Hi,” I said in a breathless voice, staring at the flowers. I looked back up at him and held his eye, a small smile forming on my lips. His eyes were lively and his grin charming, the sight of which made my chest feel light and airy.

“Sloane,” he said warmly. “Hello. I brought these for you.”

“They’re beautiful,” I said, though I wasn’t looking at the flowers. I was looking at his face, noticing his high cheekbones, and of course, those gorgeous eyes and that dazzling smile. He seemed to be studying my features as well, and his eyes lingered on my lips for a long moment before they met mine again. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. He leaned against the counter. “I was hoping you’d let me take you out. If you’re interested.”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I had no idea who this man was or why he was interested in me. He was obviously high-class and wealthy, considering his suit and watch looked more expensive than my car. I found myself staring at him, unable to speak. He raised his eyebrows at me.

“I’m—I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t really date customers.”

He scraped his teeth over his bottom lip but grinned at me, his gaze inviting and seductive. I felt my pulse speed up just seeing that look on his face, the suggestion there.

“That’s too bad. I don’t remember the last time I was so taken with a woman.”

I gave a soft laugh. “Sure,” I said. “I bet.”

He licked his lips. I looked at him as I brought my nose to the roses, then closed my eyes and breathed in the scent. They smelled so good, fresh and floral, the aroma bringing a smile to my face that I couldn’t control. Nobody had ever brought me flowers before.

“In that case, I’ll take a medium coffee. And a cinnamon roll.”

“Okay,” I said, nodding. I rang it up, and he paid me, then took his seat at the table. He was facing me, and I found myself looking at him often, meeting his gaze as it followed me while I got his order ready. His eyes seemed to caress my skin, and I could almost feel a touch there, something electric that spread through my hips and made me feel warm all over. I couldn’t help but return his smile, though I felt almost nervous just looking at him. I carried his things over to him and set them on his table.

“Thank you, Sloane,” he said, and the sound of my name issuing from his lips did something unexpected to my body. I felt myself squirming where I stood, uncomfortable with my own reaction to being around him. I didn’t like losing that wall I’d built to protect me, but it seemed like I couldn’t hide how I was feeling no matter how hard I tried. The look on his face told me that he could practically read my mind, that he knew what I was thinking without me having to say a word. I looked away from him.

“You’re welcome, sir,” I said. I still didn’t know his name or a thing about him except that he affected me in a strange way.

“Reid.”

“Reid,” I repeated. “I guess it’s nice to officially meet you.”

He grinned at me. Then he took my hand in his and shook it, holding it for a moment longer than necessary. The touch of his skin sent a shiver down my spine, and I pulled my hand away, blushing. I went back up to the counter and tried to focus on anything, but I could only wipe it down for so long before there was nothing else to do. There were only two other people in the bakery—a couple who was sitting at a table in the corner. They left after only a few more minutes, leaving Reid and I alone in the bakery. He got up, bringing me his dishes, then pulled out his wallet and a piece of paper. He pulled a pen out of his pocket and wrote down his number, handing it to me. Our fingers brushed as he passed it, and I met his eye again, a small smile playing on my lips.

“In case you change your mind,” he said, smiling at me, licking his bottom lip. “Think about it.”

“Okay,” I said. It was all I could say. His gaze was so captivating that it had me speechless.

“Goodbye, Sloane.”

“Goodbye,” I said and watched as he turned around to leave. I felt flushed, my body swollen and aroused. I went into the back for a moment and rinsed my face with cool water in the sink, then went back out to the counter to greet the customer who had just walked in.

I spent the rest of the day thinking about Reid, the way he’d looked at me and what might happen if I went out with him. I had made it a habit not to date anyone—not since I’d had Rosie. I hadn’t had a relationship with her father; he was a one-night thing, a mistake, but I’d never considered Rosie anything but the greatest blessing in my life. I couldn’t stand the thought of dating and having her get attached to someone just for them to leave like her father had, so I stayed away from men and kept to myself.

I closed up the bakery at seven and spent the next half hour sweeping up, wiping down tables, and putting the chairs up. I wrapped up the unsold goods and brought them upstairs with me for us to eat the next morning. My father had taught us never to waste anything, not even the things that we made.

Upstairs, Rosie was lying on the floor and coloring in her coloring book, humming to herself as she did so. I got down on the floor and sat with her, kissing her forehead.

“Hi, baby.”

“Hi, Mommy,” she said, looking up at me and beaming. “Do you like my picture?”

“It’s beautiful,” I said. “Can I look at it closer?”

She nodded proudly and handed me her coloring book. I had to smile. She was so creative—no matter what she was coloring, she had to have as many colors as possible on the page. Everything she made was vivid and beautiful, and I always felt proud to see what she had done. I handed her the coloring book, and she continued to draw as I stood up to go find my mom, who was moving about the kitchen cooking dinner.

“Hey, Mama,” I said. “How was she today?”

“Oh, you know Rosie,” said my mom, smiling. “She was just an angel. She’s so well behaved.”

“She is,” I agreed, glancing into the living room at my daughter. I smiled at her warmly when she looked up at me, and she gave me a big grin that prominently displayed her missing front tooth.

“How was work?” asked my mother. I bit my lip, wondering if I should tell her about Reid. I decided to do it. I needed somebody to talk to—I was practically bursting with the thoughts I was having, the memory of his smile.

“A guy came in today,” I said. “He brought me flowers. Asked me out.”

My mother raised her eyebrows at me. “Really?” she asked. “Is he handsome?”

“He’s gorgeous,” I breathed. “Really.”

“Did you say yes?” my mother asked. I shook my head.

“I told him I couldn’t date customers,” I said. My mom turned to me, putting her hands on her hips. She looked exasperated, as she usually did whenever we had this conversation. I didn’t get asked out a lot, but there had been a handful or so of men over the years who had tried to get me to go out with them. I said no every time, but none of them had caught my eye the way Reid had. He had a certain charm to him that made my attraction undeniable. It was something I had never seen in a man before, something that was captivating and sexy all at once.

“You really should date, Sloane,” she said, furrowing her brow at me. “That girl deserves a father figure.”

I sighed, rolling my eyes when she looked back down at the pan. This was a conversation I had all the time with my mother, one that I should have expected.

“I don’t want her to get attached to someone who’s not going to stay, Mama,” I said. “You know that.”

“You don’t have to introduce them right away,” my mom pointed out. “He just asked you out on a date. You should give it a try.”

I didn’t say anything for a moment but pondered what it would be like to go out on a date with Reid. He was almost perfect, and there was no denying we had some sort of connection. He made my body feel alive in a way that was different than with anybody I’d met, even Rosie’s

father.

“I’ve got too much on my plate right now,” I said. “Daddy’s paperwork is a total mess, and I’m still just trying to figure out how we made this business work financially.”

“Your father always came up with something,” said Mama. “I never felt worried because I knew he’d find a way to take care of me and you. That was one of the many reasons I loved him.”

“That’s sweet, Mama,” I said. “You and Daddy made such a great pair.” Without willing them to, my thoughts immediately turned to Reid. Would he and I make a great pair? Just as quickly as the thought arose, so did another: how ridiculous! I don’t even know him.

“Listen,” she said, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Just say yes to the man and go out. He clearly likes you. You don’t have to go out with him twice—just try it once. Even if it’s just for the free meal and the practice with dating.”

I thought about it, rubbing my hand over my mouth. The more I thought about him, the more it seemed like a good idea. I couldn’t get him out of my mind no matter how hard I tried.

“Okay,” I said, making my decision. “I’ll text him.”

“Good girl,” my mom said, smiling at me. “Go do it now. Dinner’s almost ready.”

“Okay,” I said. I went out into the living room and grabbed my phone from where I had set it on the table, then pulled Reid’s number out of my pocket and programmed it into my phone. I felt my heart speed up just thinking about what to say—I didn’t want to come off as an idiot. I decided to go with the simplest thing.

Reid, this is Sloane. I’d love to go out with you. Let me know when.

It was only a few minutes later when I received his reply.

I had a feeling you’d change your mind. I’ll let you know when tomorrow. Good night, Sloane.

I texted him good night, putting the phone to my lips and smiling just thinking about our date. After receiving his text, I knew that I had made the right decision. Going out with Reid would be interesting no matter what, and we had plenty of chemistry between us to make it a good time.

I spent the rest of the night coloring with Rosie after dinner, then tucked her in at bedtime. She fell asleep right away, as she usually did, and I found myself lying awake in bed thinking about Reid. It seemed like I didn’t fall asleep until hours later. When I woke up in the morning, I tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake Rosie. I made my way downstairs and started to get the ovens ready, then went out behind the counter to unlock the door. I saw a package there on the ground, just on the other side of the wall. I picked it up to see that it was addressed to me. I hadn’t ordered anything and had no idea where it’d come from—there was no return address, no name attached to it. I carried the package inside and to the back, cutting the box open with a knife. When I saw what was inside, I almost gasped. It was a beautiful dress, a deep plum color that would accent my brown eyes perfectly. I looked at the tag to see that it was my size. When I lifted it out of the box to look at it, I saw what was underneath. There was a pair of earrings, gold, studded with what looked like real diamonds that sparkled in the light. I could barely contain my belief as I looked at them—the jewels were large, bigger than I’d ever seen. I looked back in the box, and there was a note, inscribed in neat handwriting.

Sloane,

I bought these for you to wear on our date tonight. I hope you like them. Text me your address, and I’ll pick you up at eight.

Reid

I smiled to myself, looking down at the gorgeous dress and jewelry. It wasn’t something I had expected—I’d never been treated this way before, wooed and gifted. Though it made me feel light and giddy, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit uncomfortable. It almost felt like too much. I decided I would return the earrings when we were done with the night; they were too extravagant, much too expensive for me to keep them.

I texted Reid to pick me up at work. There was no need to tell him that I lived above the bakery, I didn’t know him well enough to give him that much personal information yet.

I was excited and nervous about the date all day, which seemed to drag by. We didn’t have many customers, and there was nothing to do but wait behind the counter. When it was finally time to close, I locked the door, then went upstairs to get ready.