Page 293 of Ranger's Wildflower

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Didn’t see that coming.

“Are you asking me out?” I ask.

She stares at me. “No.”

A beat.

Then—“Maybe.”

Yeah… I’ll take that.

“Coffee sounds good.”

She gestures toward the door. “Try not to interrogate me in public.”

“No promises.”

That earns me a look.

And I like that look.

We step inside.

Warm air, low chatter, the smell of coffee hitting immediately.

She leads us to a corner table—quiet, tucked away from everyone else.

Smart.

She sits first.

I follow.

I watch her while I take a sip of the coffee she hands me.

Black.

Of course.

“Okay,” she says, folding her hands lightly on the table. “Let’s start over.”

“Good plan.”

“You think you know me.”

“I do.”

“I don’t remember you.”

“Working on that.”

She shakes her head, a small breath leaving her. “This isn’t normal.”

“No,” I agree. “It’s not.”

I study her again.

Same expressions.

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