Page 4 of Romantic

“No,” he says abruptly, his eyes pinning me. “If I kissed you, Annie, it would be a very big deal.”

He turns quickly and walks out to the porch, joining the revelers banging pots and pans. I lean against the wall for support, feeling a little weak in the knees. If I kissed you, Annie, it would be a very big deal. Why did that one comment take my breath away more than any kiss?

It would be an excellent match, for he was rich, and she was handsome. —Sense and Sensibility

1

Brandon

I’m a bundle of nerves driving to Annie’s birthday party. She’s twenty-seven today, which means that from now until November we are only seven years apart—which really isn’t too big of a gap. I’m seriously considering asking her out . . . in the next month or so . . . eventually. It would be my first first date in more than a decade. As a younger man, romance was second nature to me, but to say that I’m rusty would be an understatement. Petrified is a more fitting word. Both meanings—frozen in place and terrified—describe where I’m at. I’m not that afraid of rejection; I have been walking around with a battered heart for nearly a decade. What I’m concerned about is Pepper’s tender heart. She loves Annie, and I’m not certain if she could handle it if things with Annie and me didn’t work out. My therapist reminds me that my daughter is a very mature ten-year-old, and it’s time I stop using her as an excuse for forming any new relationships. Am I using Pepper as an excuse? Maybe . . . but it’s harder to date as a single father. To begin with, I need to arrange for a babysitter. Hanging out with Annie and Pepper, as comfortable as that may be, does not count as a date. And Annie deserves an intentional courtship. She deserves romance.

“I can’t wait to give Annie her gift,” Pepper says from the back seat. “She’ll love it. Don’t you think she’ll love it?”

“Yeah,” I agree. I spent way too much time contemplating Annie’s birthday gift. Initially, I wanted to give her a jade ring that she was eyeing in an antique shop in Monterey last summer. On impulse, I returned later that week and bought it. I still have it in my sock drawer. I told myself I’d give it to her for Christmas, but when the holidays rolled around a ring seemed like too serious of a gift for a friend. Instead, I kept it impersonal and gave the whole family a set of hand-thrown mugs that Pepper picked out and a new cappuccino maker to match. I told myself that I’d give Annie the ring for her birthday, but now her birthday is here, and it still feels like too much. So we’re giving her a stuffed animal otter that Pepper picked out. One of our first outings together was kayaking in the preserve to see otters. We didn’t see any that day except maybe in the far distance. Annie swore they were otters, but when I looked, all I could see was kelp. I’m also throwing in a pair of really good binoculars, which actually cost more than the ring, but somehow, they feel more platonic.

“You know what she would really like?” asks Pepper.

“Um . . . no.”

“For you to ask her out.”

“Excuse me?” There’s no way I heard that right.

“Annie definitely wants you to ask her out.”

“You can’t know that.” The AC is on full blast, but I feel myself begin to sweat.

“J.J. agrees with me. She said Annie normally goes from one guy to the next, but she hasn’t dated anyone since Hunter left last August. And that’s because she wants to date you.”

“When were you and J.J. discussing this?”

“When we visited Norland Park for spring break.”

Since we met the Greenwoods, all of our vacations and most of our weekends have been spent at Norland Park. Yes, I own the place, and I can claim that I visit frequently for business, but the rest of the property I own doesn’t get this much attention. Pepper can’t get enough of the rustic resort. And I can’t get enough of Annie.

“I don’t even want to know what J.J. told you.”

“Just what I said—Annie hasn’t dated anyone because she’s hoping you’ll ask her out.”

Could that be possible? I like the thought—a little too much.

“What . . . what would you think if I dated Annie?”

“Everyone knows how I feel about that, Dad.”

“So . . . you’d like it. But what if it doesn’t work?”

“Then we’ll deal with it. But it will work. Because Annie likes you nearly as much as you like her.” Oof! Does everybody know how I feel about Annie? I’ve tried my best to play it cool. Though I may have shown my cards when I bought Norland Park last year. It really is a good investment, and of course, Pepper loves the place. But honestly, I knew it would break Annie’s heart to lose the scenic property where she grew up, and I couldn’t let that happen. Clearly, I’m a goner.

“So . . . let’s say I do this. When should I ask her out?”

“Tonight,” Pepper says immediately.

“Tonight? But we’re going home tomorrow.”

“Ask her out for next weekend, silly. Grandma can watch me.”

“Doesn’t it make more sense if I wait until we’re staying at Norland Park in July?”