through the speaker, “make sure Tina doesn’t sign anything until she talks to Lex and Aidan.”
Doc’s conscience required him to speak up, particularly since Tina was no longer capable of producing the products their potential interest was based upon.
“Ian, you should know—”
“About The Mill? Yeah, we know about that. Can you get Tina here tomorrow night?”
“I’ll do my best.”
Chapter Forty
Tina
“Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?” Doc asked.
Tina was regretting her decision not to spend the night with Doc. Holding the phone to her ear wasn’t the same as having his lips there. The bed felt empty without him. She felt empty without him.
But things were moving so fast. So much was happening. Doc was everything she’d ever wanted and nothing she’d expected to find, and yet there was still a part of her—granted, a tiny part—that was afraid to believe it could last.
She worried that, with all the bad things going on, she was painting too rosy a picture, desperate to put her hope and faith in a future with him. Simply put, Doc seemed too good to be true, coming into her life just when she needed him most. Being all caring and protective and wonderful.
Believing that Maggie was right—that she and Doc were meant to be together—was too easy. Tina had become wary of anything good that seemed easy because experience had proven time and time again that it never was.
“Sure,” she answered. “Is Kate making something good?”
Doc chuckled. “Kate is always making something good, but I had something else in mind.”
“Mmm, I like the something elses you come up with. We could get some takeout and get creative.”
“Very tempting, but I was thinking more along the lines of going out to eat.”
“You mean, like a date, date?” Tina asked. “I suppose we could. News of our torrid affair has surely made it out by now. Being seen at Franco’s is probably the next logical step.”
“Not Franco’s.”
She frowned into the phone. Franco’s was the only sit-down restaurant in Sumneyville. Maybe Doc was talking about Andy’s, the hole-in-the-wall burger place in the next town over, or maybe the diner farther out. She had been to both and would be fine with either.
“No, and no,” he said when she told him as much.
“Then, where?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I’m intrigued. Okay, Mr. Watson, I accept your challenge.”
“Good. Wear something nice.”
“How nice?”
“Nice.”
“Now, I’m really intrigued.”
“Tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up at six. And, Tina?”
“Yes?”
“Have a bag packed and ready to go because I’m not taking you home afterward. Dinner isn’t the only surprise I have planned for you.”
A thrill ran through her as she snuggled into her pillow.
* * *
The next morning, Tina was questioning the wisdom of her ready acceptance for a night out as she stared into her closet. Her “nice” wardrobe was extremely limited and slightly outdated. Dressing up wasn’t something she did often, mostly because she didn’t have a reason to. She had one classic black dress for funerals and somber occasions, one nice flowery dress she’d worn to Rick’s wedding, and another she’d worn to Gunther’s.
Perhaps she could convince Doc to forego the dinner part of the surprise and move right toward the second half, which was the part she was most excited about anyway. Her best option was, when he came to pick her up, to show up at the door, naked, and distract him.
The crunch of tires on gravel was followed by a knock on the door.
“What now?” Tina murmured.
Unexpected visitors rarely brought good news, especially early in the morning.
Tina took a deep breath and steeled herself in preparation. When she opened the door, however, she found not her brothers or the chief of police, but Kate grinning widely at her.
“Good morning! Sorry to bother you so early, but we wanted to make a full day of it.”
“Full day of what?”
“Doc told us you’re going out tonight, and we thought it was the perfect excuse for a girls’ day. Are you in?”
Tina looked toward the sleek black SUV. Sam waved from the front passenger seat. The rear tinted window behind Sam went down, and Bree and Sandy grinned and waved from the backseat.
Spend the day worrying about not having something nice to wear or go shopping with her new friends? It was a no-brainer. “Hell yes, I’m in.”
* * *
Shopping was an absolute blast. Tina couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure she’d ever had that much fun. Growing up with only brothers, having health issues, not having