by Jayci Lee
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Seth was an exceptionally persuasive man, and he’d made leaving his arms very difficult this afternoon. Tara barely made it into work on time. Then only an hour into her shift, she stepped out to the brewery’s parking lot to give him a call. He picked up before the first ring.
“Dude, I’m trying to work here,” she said in mock anger, wearing a wide grin on her face. “Can’t you be apart from me for one hour without texting me incessantly?”
“It’s important.” He was wearing an equally goofy smile on his face from the sound of his voice. “I need to know if you’re available for our third date this Thursday. I figured the weekend would be packed at the brewery, so Thursday will be easier for you to change shifts with Jack or Alex.”
“Why do you have to know right now?”
“I have to make reservations for this date,” he said, not very forthcoming.
“What kind of reservations?”
There was a pause before he replied. “Secretive kind of reservations.”
“Hmm … I don’t like secrets.”
“Do you like surprises?”
“Maybe. If they’re the good kind.”
“Oh, this will be good.” He sounded positively gleeful. “So are you free Thursday? Around six o’clock?”
“Yes, I’ll make sure to be free.” Tara smiled as his excitement spread to her. “Can you give me a hint about what I should wear? Is there a dress code where we’re going?”
“Yeah, but it’s not strict. Just wear one of your formal dresses.”
“A formal dress?” Her jaws went slack at the same time her mind automatically went through the few formal dresses she had hanging in her closet. “What are you wearing?”
“A tux.”
“Holy Toledo.” The thought of Seth in a tux made her knees go weak, and she had to lean against the lamppost she was standing next to.
Seth’s low, sexy chuckle told her he knew exactly how she was reacting to that tidbit. It had been awhile since she’d seen The Ego. She’d kind of missed it. It was so hot when he got all cocky.
“You have to tell me where we’re going,” she demanded.
“Not a chance.”
“What if I tell you I won’t come unless you tell me?”
“I don’t think you’ll do that.”
Dammit. He was right. She wouldn’t miss date number 3 for the world. She was dying to know what the surprise was.
“The Ego is clouding your judgment. The only thing predictable about me is that I’m unpredictable.” She didn’t know what the hell she was saying. She was trying to salvage some pride here.
“Just come. Okay? Please? I promise you’ll be happy. I only want to make you happy.”
“Oh,” she sighed. Well, if he put it that way, how could she resist? “Okay. I’ll be ready. I just have to figure out a convincing tale to tell my family why I’m going out in a formal dress. Maybe I’ll tell them I’m having a very belated prom night.”
“You’ve never been to prom?”
“No one asked me, and I was too shy to ask someone.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I’m a woman shrouded in mystery.”
“Then allow me to peel off every layer.”
“Man, you’re a master of making everything suggestive. How are you turning my awkward high school years into something sexy?”
“It’s a gift.”
“You’re such a dork.”
“That’s a gift, too.”
Her laughter trilled through the night air, and sang in her ears. Even though her cheeks ached, her smile held strong. She couldn’t help it. “I should be getting back. Since I’ve answered your question, will you stop bothering me at work?”
“Only if you promise to text me when you get home.”
“It’ll be past midnight.”
“I’ll wait up for you. I want to say good night.”
He wanted to wait up for her just to say good night? Her heart turned into pink goo. “Okay. I promise.”
“I can’t wait.”
Good gracious. He was killing her with sweetness. It was officially now her favorite way to die. “Stop being corny. I’m gonna go.”
“Bye,” he said with laughter in his voice.
She loved hearing laughter in his voice. She loved hearing his voice, period. Before she made herself sad thinking about not hearing his voice again, she burst into the dining hall and took up position behind the bar. The phone call had taken less than five minutes, but there were new orders for her to fill. Just as she finished pouring the last batch, Justine walked up to the bar.
“Hi, Tara.”
“Hey, girlfriend.” Tara extended a fist across the counter, and Justine bumped it as she settled into a stool. “It’s so nice to see you here. You should come by more often.”
“I’m usually in bed by nine like a granny.” She shrugged a graceful shoulder. The woman seemed to do everything gracefully.
“It’s not easy keeping the hours you do. What time does Aubrey usually get in? Four in the morning?”
“Yeah. She told me I could come in at six and she’ll do the prep work on her own, but you know I can’t do that. I’m not letting my boss do all the hard work while I’m snoring away.”
“Aubrey honestly won’t mind,” Tara reassured her.
“I know she won’t. More the reason I want to be there with her. She’s an inspiration.”
“She feels the same way about you. You guys are like baker soul mates.”
“I like the sound of that.” Justine sighed a little dreamily. She was too cute.
“So what do you want to drink?” she asked while filling new drink orders Alex dropped off.
“Aren’t you going to card me?” the sous-chef said with the confidence of a twenty-one-year-old.
“We don’t card people who look over thirty-five,” Tara deadpanned.
“Harsh.” Justine attempted to glare at her.
“Not at all since you look closer to eighteen.”
“Hey … that’s not much nicer. I’m a grown woman.” She turned in her seat and gazed at Alex. “I wish people could see that.”
Wait, Alex? Well, well, well. Wasn’t that an interesting development? “I was just teasing. You’re a beautiful woman with a stunning figure. No one could miss the fact that you’re all grown up.”
“Thanks.” She smiled, erasing the brief note of sullenness.
“Why don’t you try Good Beer?”
“All your beers are good.” Justine’s eyebrows burrowed in confusion.
“No, that’s the name of the beer.” Tara cracked up every time she told the story. “My dad rarely gets to name the brews since Jack, Alex, and I are always trying to one up each other. But our new summer pilsner turned out so good that we decided to have Dad do the honors. And Good Beer is the brilliant name he came up with.”
Justine laughed delightedly. “Your dad is so cute.”
“Cute? That’s one adjective I’ve never thought of in conjunction with my father. Goofy? Yes. Cute? No.” Tara wrinkled her nose. “But I’ll be sure to pass that on.”
“Well, where is my Good Beer, woman? Time’s a ticking. It’ll be my bedtime soon.”
Bedtime. Tara served up a tall cold one for her friend, her thoughts wandering to a certain someone waiting up for her. Her special someone.
“Don’t do it, Tara.” Justine’s voice broke through her lovely daydream.
Blinking rapidly, she brought herself back to the present. What was she talking about? Did she miss something? “Don’t do what?”
“You had the exact same expression that Disney princesses wear right before they belt out a song about their prince.”
Tara had so many thoughts about that statement that she blurted out the first thing that came to her. “What’s wrong with Disney princess songs?”
“Well, there’s nothing wrong with the songs. I love a good Disney medley myself, but I was afraid you’d clim
b on top of the counter and start twirling around.”
“Oh, my goodness.” Tara snorted. “Can you imagine the whole pub jumping up and dancing at the chorus?”
“I totally can, and it’s scary how much I’d enjoy it.” Justine chortled, clapping her hands.
“Me, too. Why is this so freaking funny?” Tara wiped at her eyes.
“I think both of us have been working a bit too hard,” Justine gasped, holding her side.
The seriousness of the situation didn’t hit Tara until their friendly neighborhood baker left soon after finishing her Good Beer.
Seth Kim made her want to burst into Disney love songs. That was bad. Really bad.
* * *
Tara had never been to prom? Well, that changed everything.
Seth had spent days planning their third date. He wanted to pamper Tara and make her happy, because nothing made him happier. But his plans hadn’t felt quite right. A helicopter ride to San Francisco to watch a musical. It sounded like a night to remember … until he realized he’d unconsciously stolen the idea from Richard Gere’s character in Pretty Woman.
But a long-awaited prom night tailored specifically for Tara? Finally, something special enough for her. And he got to be her date. He would make it a night neither of them could forget. Which meant he had a shitload of work to do before Thursday.
Since he only had a vague notion of what prom night entails, Seth conducted thorough research on the topic. What the hell was prom proposal? Wow. Kids these days went all out. Well, he would go all out, too. He’d grown a thick skin over the last few years. He wasn’t afraid to humiliate himself a little—or a lot—for the right woman.
* * *
Seth moved his tux to the office so Tara could use his room to get ready. She should be coming any minute now. He ambled to his room, then returned to the office shaking his head. He couldn’t remember why he’d walked there in the first place. Then he paced around the oversized desk until he caught himself. Oh, for God’s sake. He was walking around in circles. Calm the hell down, Kim.
He loved Tara. He loved her so much that he needed a bag to breathe into whenever he thought about it. But he wasn’t sure if tonight was the night that he confessed his feelings to her. He had to tell her. There was no question about that. The question was, what comes after that?
Would she be open to a long-distance relationship? Could they take turns visiting each other every couple months? How long would they be able to keep that up? It sounded exhausting. And only getting snippets of her throughout the year wasn’t enough for him. He couldn’t even imagine being far apart from her for months at a time. His soul balked at the idea of leaving her here.
But he couldn’t ask her to come with him. Her life—her dreams—was here in Weldon. No matter how much he wanted to be with her, he would never ask her to give up her dreams for him. He couldn’t ask her for such a great sacrifice, because that wasn’t love. That was possessiveness. He couldn’t bear the idea of asking her to change in any way for him. She was too perfect for that.
What about him? Was going to Paris worth leaving Tara for? Was it his dream? He didn’t know anymore. There was no doubt that it was the chance of a lifetime for a fashion photographer. Fuck. He couldn’t see a way to make it work. But he sure as hell wasn’t giving up on them. There had to be a way. A love this overwhelming could not have found him, only to stop him from having her because there would be an ocean between them.
Seth was pacing in circles again to match his circular thinking. He stopped himself from doing both. He wouldn’t be able to give Tara her special night if he was a nervous wreck. Deep breath. He stomped to the kitchen, poured himself a tall glass of water, and chugged it down.
There was a knock at the door, and Seth rushed down the hall to open it. He swung the door open to find a perplexed Tara staring at him.
“Is everything okay?” Her concerned eyes searched his face.
“Everything’s great.” He cocked his head to the side, wondering if she could see the turmoil on his face. “Why do you ask?”
“I had to knock,” she said, as though those four words should explain everything.
“Yes, I heard. That’s why I came to open the door.” The furrow between his eyebrows deepened.
“You weren’t waiting for me this time?” She sounded a smidgen disappointed.
He understood now. He had always opened the door for her before she even reached it. Lost in his thoughts, he’d forgotten for a moment that she was coming soon. He pulled her into his arms. “Of course, I was waiting for you. I was counting the seconds. I just got distracted at the last minute.”
“That’s totally fine,” she said wrapping her free arm around his waist. The other was holding a folded garment bag. “It was silly of me to be so surprised that I had to knock on the door. You’ve spoiled me.”
“And I haven’t stopped spoiling you. It was just a bleep. You don’t know how desperate I am to see your face every time we’re apart.” Afraid that he’d revealed too much of his feelings, he swiftly changed the subject. “Come on in. We have to get ready for our date.”
Tara came in after him, her laughter a thing of beauty. “How long do we have? I don’t want to make us late for your secret reservations.”
“About forty-five minutes. I know it’s a bit tight since you have to do your hair and makeup, too.”
“Most men have no idea how long it takes a woman to get ready for a special occasion.”
“I am a fashion photographer. I know how much effort goes into all that. Men have it so much easier.”
“You so do. How long do you need to get ready? Like ten minutes?”
“Tops,” he said.
“Yup. Easy. Where should I change?”
“My room.” He took the garment bag from her hand and led her to the guest bedroom. “Do I get to stay and watch you change?”
Tara laughed and planted her hands firmly on his chest and pushed him out the door. “Not a chance. You have to let me surprise you a little, too.”
He pulled her to him for a fast, hard kiss before she closed the door on his face. He stood grinning for a minute before he jumped into action. God, he was actually nervous. Did he think she might say no?
Seth rushed to the office to change into the tuxedo he’d borrowed from Landon’s closet. They were similar enough in size that it fit pretty well. At the hallway bathroom, he slicked his hair back from his forehead with a bit of hair wax. He studied himself in the mirror and shrugged. Not too shabby. Because he struggled a bit with the bow tie, it took him fifteen minutes to finish up.
He next went to the kitchen to make sure the butternut squash ravioli from Lola’s Trattoria was staying warm in the oven. The salad and bread were ready to be served. The ivory corsage and boutonnière were looking fresh and lovely in the fridge. He would have to grab them once she said yes.
Right. He had to ask Tara to the prom. He took a deep breath and blew it out through his mouth. Was he sweating? Shit. He was sweating, for God’s sake. Taking another calming breath, Seth went into the living room to grab the prom-proposal poster he’d made. He glanced over it. It really wasn’t too bad. He’d put a picture of Tara in one corner and a picture of himself in the other corner, and wrote “Can you picture us at prom?” He’d shamelessly copied some kid’s idea on Pinterest, but it seemed appropriate. He was going full corny. There were no halfways.
Oh, he almost forgot the cupcakes. He sped to the kitchen and grabbed the box of cupcakes. Like her brothers said, the way to Tara’s heart was through her stomach. He checked his watch. He had about ten minutes to spare, but he couldn’t stand waiting around.
Seth paced back and forth in front of his room, and finally caved and knocked on the door. “Are you ready?”
“You’re early,” she said through the closed door. “But yeah. I’m just about ready. Give me two minutes.”
“Okay.”
God, two minutes is going to feel like an eternity. He had his pos
ter leaning against the wall next to him and he held the box of cupcakes in his hands. Seth cleared his dry throat. He had his work cut out for him not to sound like Kermit the Frog. Did he have enough time to run to the kitchen for a sip of water? No.
Just then, the door inched open to reveal a magnificent Tara in the burgundy maid-of-honor dress he hadn’t been able to look away from. He was having the same trouble now. Lust, raw and searing, spread through him, and he wanted to have her right this moment.
A sultry smile spread across Tara’s face, and she leaned against the doorframe with one arm stretched above her head. “You like what you see?”
“Yes. Please. Thank you,” Seth said thickly.
She took a step toward him and was stopped by the outstretched box of cupcakes. She glanced down with a perplexed frown, and looked back up at him. “Seth?”
Shit. Get your act together. He had a prom proposal to make happen. “Here. This is for you.”
“Mmm. Cupcakes. Thank you.” She cocked her head, looking curiously at him. “What is it for? Did you want to have this later?”
“Yes. No. Just stand right there.” He was the definition of smooth.
“O … kay?”
Seth retreated a couple steps and picked up his poster with the back facing her. After a deep breath, he spun it around so she could see it in all its glory. Tara covered her mouth as a half sob and a half laugh escaped her mouth.
“Can you picture us at prom?” She laughed, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away before another one took its place. “I knew you were cheesy, but this one beats them all.”
“I want to take you to prom.” His voice was finally steady. All his ridiculous nerves were gone and he realized he meant what he said. He wanted to take her to prom and fill that missing gap from her memories. “Will you let me?”
All attempts to laugh at the situation stopped, and Tara gazed at Seth with a tremulous smile. “Yes. I would love to go to prom with you.”
His heart grew wings and flapped against his chest, demanding release. Seth wanted to kiss the daylights out of her, but once he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop. That wouldn’t do. He was taking his girl to prom.