back, Carly produced a bouquet of flowers in a variety of oranges, yellows, and purples. They were gorgeous, and the perfect fall arrangement.
“Wow.” She accepted the flowers and marveled at their beauty. She didn’t receive flowers too often. They made Lauren feel special, knowing that Carly had gone out of her way for her. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” Lauren took Carly’s hand and tugged her inside. “And I’m on time,” Carly said triumphantly as she passed.
Lauren smiled to herself. “I noticed that.” She followed behind Carly, taking in how she wore those jeans as if they were tailored to her perfect body. “Among other things,” she murmured quietly.
“What other things?” Carly asked, turning around.
Caught! Lauren hadn’t meant to be overheard. “Oh. I just meant that I’d noticed how thoughtful you were to bring flowers.”
Carly stood a little taller, as if she’d won the spelling bee. It was adorable. She was. “It’s what you do on a first date.”
Rocky, seeing their new guest, lifted his feet and wagged his whole stubby body in Carly’s direction. Lauren gaped because he usually took a moment to warm up to people, but then it was Carly, after all, and she’d never had trouble making friends. “This is my dog, Rocky IV. He wants to sniff you all over and then make snuffling demands of your time.”
Carly plopped right on the floor and held out a gentle hand to him. “Hey there, buddy. You are a little man with a plan, aren’t you? I like your little scrunched face.” Rocky sniffed the outstretched hand several times for good measure and then crawled into Carly’s lap. Lauren shook her head. This dog was no fool.
“Are we friends now?” Carly asked Rocky. His back leg started to kick like a drumstick when Carly found his favorite spot, the one right underneath his collar.
“Should I give you guys some privacy?” Lauren asked.
“No way.” Carly kissed the side of Rocky’s face, which warmed Lauren’s heart, and stood right up. “While Rocky IV is cute, my date is cuter.” She paused. “Was that a dumb thing to say? You make me nervous. Well, dating you does.”
Lauren played that sentence back because she had a hard time believing it. Carly came off as the most self-assured human, comfortable in her own skin and proud of it. “No, you’re not.”
Carly nodded, and her smile dimmed, showcasing a glimpse of vulnerability. “It’s true. You’re…different than the women I generally go out with.” Carly held out a hand. “In a good way. That’s why I have the nervous thing. Am I talking too much?” Carly took a deep breath.
Wow. She was serious about the nerves and seemed actually off-kilter. “Not at all,” Lauren said, finding her own confidence now that she understood she wasn’t alone. “It’s just dinner. We can get away from the theater and just hang out. Shoot the breeze. Count white guys with blue ties.”
“Are there a lot of those?”
“Too many.”
Carly nodded. “I’d like that.”
“Me, too.” A pause. “Shall we?”
“After you.”
Lauren gave Rocky a good-bye series of scratches and led the way out. Carly, to her surprise, hurried past and opened the door in grandiose fashion. Okay, Carly was bringing the full charm, which resonated with Lauren. She felt significant and cared for and was so into Carly in this outfit that every inch of her screamed for contact. Relax, she commanded every last nerve ending. She had a date to enjoy.
* * *
“Where does your mom live?” Lauren asked. “You mentioned the only child thing, and that the two of you are close.”
Carly sipped her after dinner coffee and Baileys, the house specialty at the little bistro Lauren had picked out for them not far from downtown. “She’s in Portland and works at a boutique winery owned by a really great family. They take care of her. She handles tastings and merchandise, things like that. Tangle Valley Vineyards.”
“I love that. I had no idea you knew about wine.”
“Well, she knows a lot more about it than I do. I can tell you the best places to hide in a vineyard. It was a great place to grow up. Hidden away and beautiful.”
Lauren leaned her hand on her chin. “But somewhere along the way you got the acting bug.”
She nodded. “From the beginning. I used to act out my own stories with my friends at that very vineyard. My good friend Joey and I would divide up parts. Whichever role I was given, I would always make sure to infuse