by Avery Ford
Blake turned to Toby. “Don’t feel pressured. They’ll happily keep you here all night if you let them. But there really are tons of cookies in there if you want some.”
Toby shook his head, but didn’t stop smiling. “I’m good, thanks. As much as I love those cookies, I don’t think I can eat another bite. I should probably be going, though. I have to drive out to Dale Harper’s farm early in the morning to do a check-up on his horses.”
“Well, we hate to see you rush off,” Sharon said, then tossed Toby a wink. “But since it’s for work—and since we also don’t want to get on Dale Harper’s bad side—I guess I’ll let you go without making too much of a fuss this time.”
Blake shook his head as he pushed his chair back from the table. “You guys are seriously too much. And I’m going to overlook the fact that you never put up this much of a fight when I’m ready to leave.”
Toby laughed and Sharon gave a dismissive wave. “Yes, dear, we love you, too,” she said, tossing another wink as she teased Blake.
“Thanks again for everything,” Toby said, standing up. “And, um… hopefully we can do this again sometime.”
“I’ll plan on it,” Sharon replied, smiling.
“Can I walk you out?” Blake asked, standing up next to Toby and suddenly realizing that this was actually the end of the night.
He wasn’t ready for Toby to leave yet, but he hadn’t been thinking quickly enough to stall for more time.
“Sure,” Toby nodded. “If you want, I mean. That’s, um… nice of you.”
Blake put a hand on the small of Toby’s back and ushered him out of the dining room before his parents had a chance to say anything else. Blake wanted to end the evening on a high note, not embarrassed by his parents’ blatant matchmaking.
“I’m glad you came over,” Blake said once they were outside and well out of earshot. “It was really good to see you again. You… you haven’t changed at all.”
“It’s funny you say that,” Toby said, stopping to face Blake just before they got to the door of Toby’s pickup. “I was thinking all night that it felt just like… like barely any time had passed at all since we used to do this.”
Blake nodded. He felt the same way.
This had felt an awful lot like then—back when they’d been dating. When one of them used to always be over at the other’s house for dinner or just to hang out.
Back when they used to do everything together. Back when they’d been everything to each other.
Blake took a step closer, his body already reacting to the fact that Toby was so close. Damn, Blake wanted to touch him again.
His hand reached out as if it was acting on its own without any thought from Blake’s brain, but he stopped himself before he could actually make contact with Toby’s arm.
Toby looked down, following the movement. But he didn’t try to avoid the touch.
Instead, he shifted his weight to close the last tiny bit of space between them, brushing up against Blake’s hand and then making eye contact.
There was no mistaking the look those pretty blue eyes were giving Blake. And then when Toby’s lips parted?
Yeah, Blake’s brain shut down and his instincts took over.
Their lips met and it was a kiss so sweet that it took Blake’s breath away. Slow and tentative at first, it became hotter, deeper, more insistent with each passing second.
Jesus, he’d missed this.
He’d missed Toby.
Now that Toby was back in his arms, it felt like he’d never left.
And even though Blake knew this moment couldn’t last forever, he didn’t want to let go.
After everything Blake had been through in the past weeks and months, this was the first thing that felt good. It felt right.
It felt… perfect.
Toby
Toby laid awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling.
And smiling.
His cheeks hurt from the countless times he’d spontaneously broken into a grin or a random laugh as he’d spent the past couple of hours going back over the evening in his head.
Dinner.
The conversation with Blake and his parents.
The comfortable familiarity of it all.
That kiss.
It was all sort of a blur, like Toby had been watching a movie rather than experiencing the whole thing. And now that it was over, he couldn’t help wanting to relive the best parts for just a little while longer.
God, he seriously needed to stop, though. Not only did he have to be up way too early to go check on those horses outside of town, but Toby knew he was only setting himself up for more heartache by letting himself entertain the idea that the kiss he’d shared with Blake had actually meant something.
Because it couldn’t, right?
Blake had a life back in L.A.
Toby had a life here.
As long as those two things were true, all the kisses in the world didn’t mean a thing. No matter how amazing they might be.
Still, Toby wished he’d had more of a chance to talk with Blake one-on-one without his parents around. There hadn’t really been very many opportunities to ask about what Blake had been up to since high school.
Cottonwood Falls was small enough that Toby could sort of keep up with Blake in a second-hand way when Toby’s parents used to live here and talk to Blake’s parents on a regular basis.
But Toby’s supply of town gossip had mostly dried up once his parents moved down to Florida, and they had only been back a couple of times to visit since then.
He sighed and closed his eyes. He really needed to stop thinking about Blake tonight.
Maybe Nina knows something, though. She had recognized Blake, after all.
Toby had never talked much with Nina about his personal life, but she had worked for his dad for years and he knew her better than he knew most of the other people in town.
More importantly, she knew Toby. She knew Blake. She had been there to see how they had interacted at the office. She would know what Toby should do next.
Hopefully.
He just hoped she wouldn’t tell him that he was being ridiculous, or that he shouldn’t do anything at all. Because now that he’d seen Blake again—now that he’d kissed Blake again?
Doing nothing really wasn’t an option anymore.
The good news?
Toby had somehow managed to make it through the morning without driving by Blake’s parents’ house, even though he’d been really tempted.
Like, really, really tempted.
Tempted at least three times.
He’d stayed strong, though. He’d made it through without any embarrassing stalking incidents. So that was definitely a win.
But the less-than-good news?
By the time he’d finished looking at Dale Harper’s horses, the whole morning was almost gone. Which meant Toby had spent the whole morning still not knowing what to do about Blake.
Still constantly thinking about Blake.
Still wondering if Blake was thinking of him, too.
“I didn’t expect to see you back until after lunch,” Nina said as soon as Toby finally made it into the clinic. “The phone has been ringing off the hook for you, though.”
“Has Blake called?” The question was out of Toby’s mouth so fast he hadn’t even realized how embarrassingly desperate he sounded until Nina raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow in his direction.
Great.
Real smooth, Toby.
Maybe next you can take out an ad on the front page of the paper.
Lost: All dignity or sense of shame over an ex-boyfriend who was probably still not interested.
“Were you expecting him to call?” Nina asked, a knowing smile playing across her lips. “As far as I knew, his puppy was doing a lot better. That was what he said when he came in yesterday, wasn’t it?”
Toby tried to glare at her but the look only managed to make her smile grow even wider. “So I’ll take that as a no, that he didn
’t call this morning while I was gone?”
“Unfortunately not,” she said. “I put the stack of messages and call-backs on your desk.” She paused, letting him get across the waiting room and to the door that led back to his office before she spoke again. “Since we’re on the subject of Blake Rivers… did you take him up on that invitation for dinner last night?”
He nodded, hesitating for a moment at the doorway before he turned to look back over his shoulder at her. “I did.”
“Did it go well?”
Another nod. “Pretty well, I thought.”
She was obviously fishing for information, and he wanted to tell her everything—that was what he’d planned on doing all morning, in fact—but now that the time had come, he was having second thoughts.
Especially since Blake hadn’t called or anything this morning.
Then again, Blake knew Toby had an early appointment. Maybe he was waiting until later to call. Maybe he was waiting for Toby to call.
Ugh.
Toby was going to have to get Nina’s opinion, wasn’t he?
Going back and forth in his own head like this all day was just going to drive him crazy.
“And is that why you were asking if Blake had called?” she prompted.
“I was hoping he would,” Toby confessed. He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. “I don’t know why I got my hopes up, though. It’s all starting to sound pretty silly now that I’m saying it out loud.”
“I don’t think you sound silly,” she said, her playful smile turning softer. “Did he say he was going to call?”
Toby shook his head. “No, but he said I looked nice. And that it felt like old times. And then he, um… kissed me.”
Nina’s eyes went wide. “He kissed you? Did you kiss him back?”
Toby laughed. Because what kind of question was that? Hello? Had she somehow failed to notice how hot Blake looked both times he’d come to the office this week?
“Yeah,” Toby shrugged. “I mean… what was I supposed to do? Pretend like I didn’t want him to kiss me?”
“But what does that mean?” she asked. “The kiss, I mean. And you said he kissed you first?”
“That’s what I’m wondering!” Toby let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ve been going back over it a million times in my head, trying to figure out if it was just a fluke or… or just him being nice… or something else. I was hoping you’d give me your opinion one way or another.”
There.
Now he had put it all out in the open.
He just hoped that he would agree with whatever opinion Nina gave him. If not, he was back to square one.
“I don’t think he was just trying to be nice,” Nina said. “He was nice to me when he came in here, but I didn’t get a kiss.”
Toby laughed again at that visual.
He seriously wouldn’t have known what to say if he’d caught Blake kissing Nina in the waiting room. It would have been hilarious, though.
“So I think we have to assume it meant something,” she continued. “I think you should call him. Ask him.”
Now it was Toby’s turn to go wide-eyed. “Ask him? Ask him what? Why he kissed me? I can’t just ask that. Who asks a question like that?”
“Well, maybe don’t ask it like that,” she conceded. “But I do think you should call him. See if he at least wants to see you again.”
Toby thought about it for approximately point-five seconds before nodding. “That’s probably a good idea. When do you think I should call?”
“Now.”
“Now?” Toby’s palms were already starting to sweat at the thought. Oh, God. What would he even say? “What should I say?” he asked, echoing his own thoughts. “I need a minute. Is it hot in here to you?”
She ignored his question about the temperature and pointed to the clock. “It’s almost lunchtime. It’s the perfect excuse to call and see if he has plans.”
She was right.
Oh, God, she was right.
It really would be the perfect excuse. And if he didn’t do it right now, it would be too late.
“Okay,” he said, nodding. “O-kay. Right. I can do this. You’re a genius, by the way. I’d kiss you myself if that wasn’t against the law at work. I’ll call him. I’ll ask him to lunch. And then I’ll…”
Pass out.
Vomit.
Die.
“And then you’ll go have lunch with him and see if there are any more sparks,” she finished for him. “Put the ball back in his court.”
“Right. Perfect.” Toby swallowed hard and attempted a smile as he turned back toward the corridor that led back to his office. “That’s probably better than any of the ideas I had.”
He heard her sigh and didn’t even have to look back to know exactly how she was looking at him with a mixture of pity and amusement.
Toby made it to his office and closed the door behind him. He stared at the phone on his desk and took a deep breath.
This was it.
Now or never.
Blake
Blake opened the menu sitting in front of him and then closed it again without even looking at it, just like he’d done twice before since he’d sat down in the corner booth at the downtown diner he and Toby used to frequent.
Their hometown diner.
Their old booth.
Their shared memories.
He had been more than a little surprised when Toby had called him a little while ago. Even though Blake had hoped that Toby would call—especially after that kiss last night—he also knew it completely went against Toby’s natural instinct to second-guess every move he made.
Maybe Toby had changed, though. Blake certainly wasn’t the same starry-eyed, naive kid who had left Kansas ten years ago. It only made sense that Toby had matured since then as well.
Still, while Blake was definitely looking forward to seeing Toby again, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t also a little nervous.
Or… a lot nervous.
It was just lunch, though, right? Nothing major. Nothing to stress about. It was the middle of the day, so it wasn’t like there would be a repeat of last night. They both might have changed over the years, but Blake knew good and well that there was zero chance he and Toby would be making out in the parking lot of the diner in front of God and everyone in broad daylight.
That just wasn’t going to happen—a fact that soothed Blake’s nerves a little but was also kind of disappointing if he was being completely honest.
Blake didn’t—couldn’t—regret that kiss last night, though.
He had been wanting it, craving it, distracted thinking about it all night. And in that moment, it had taken him right back to that youthful, innocent time when the world was full of wonder and possibilities.
Jesus, that seemed like a lifetime ago now.
Blake looked out the window next to him just as Toby’s pickup pulled into the parking lot. For all the time that had passed, it was like Blake could still sense when Toby was around. He smiled.
At least I’ve still got that going for me.
He watched as Toby walked in, taking a moment to let his eyes drink in that tight, slim frame with a shock of unruly, sandy blond hair and eyes so blue that Blake had caught himself getting lost in them more than once since he’d been back home.
As soon as Toby was through the door, he turned those blue eyes on Blake, making Blake’s smile go wider as they both gave a little wave at the same time.
“Have you been here long?” Toby asked, walking over to sit down across the table from Blake. “I knew I should have left the office a few minutes earlier but I figured you’d be…” His mouth snapped shut and his cheeks immediately flushed a light shade of pink as he cleared his throat. “Well, you know.”
Blake laughed. “I’ve gotten better about being on time since I’ve grown up a little, thank you very much. But no, I just didn’t really have anything else going on so I came down here before my mom could give me the third degree ab
out it.”
Now it was Toby’s turn to laugh. “It’s good to see that some things haven’t changed. Your mom cracks me up.”
“She’s a handful, for sure,” Blake sighed. “But yeah, I’ve pretty much given up on getting her to change her ways at this point. She means well, though.”
“Definitely,” Toby said. “And you always know where you stand with her. I appreciate that.”
“You’ll never have to worry about that,” Blake grinned. “You’ve always been her favorite.”
The waitress came over and Blake sat back in his seat as Toby ordered. The conversation was flowing just as easily as it always had. In some ways it felt like no time had passed at all. In other ways it felt like forever.
One thing was for sure, though.
He had missed Toby.
A lot.
And even though Blake didn’t know for sure where life was going to take him after the holidays were over, he was happy to be here for now.
Happy to be home.
The bill had been sitting on the table for at least thirty minutes. Their plates had been cleared away before that.
As long as Blake pretended not to notice, they could still keep this lunch date going, though, right?
Toby looked down at his watch, apparently reading Blake’s mind. “Oh my God,” his eyes went wide. “Have we seriously been here for two hours? Nina is going to be pissed if I don’t get back to the clinic soon.”
Blake tried to stop himself from frowning.
Nope.
Too late.
“You have to leave now?” Blake asked, only belatedly realizing how desperate he sounded. Whatever. He was having a nice time with Toby and he wasn’t ready for it to end. Not yet. “Nina will understand. When is the last time you took the afternoon off, anyway?”
“The whole afternoon?” Toby’s eyes went even wider, a feat that Blake wouldn’t have thought possible just a few moments ago. “I… I don’t know. I’ve never just taken off like that. Like this.”
“First time for everything, right?” Blake grinned. “Come on. This is nice, right? And she would have called you if there had been some kind of emergency, anyway.”