Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

It had been a long time since she’d been kissed. She couldn’t recall how long it had been, actually, or even who it had been with. It should have been a little embarrassing, but as Rhett’s mouth brushed against hers, she was glad. There was nothing else in her head but him. Just the warmth of his lips, the flutter of her heart, and the thrill of knowing that he felt the same way. She felt dizzy with excitement and happiness, younger and more carefree than she had in a very long time.

When he pulled away, she blinked, feeling a little dazed. The room had narrowed down to just the two of them, and it felt a little strange for it to come back into focus.

“Tonight feels like an adventure to me,” Rhett said with a smile. She returned it, feeling breathless. Her heart was still beating hard in her chest.

“It feels that way to me too.”

The kiss had made their connection feel deeper, more real, Caroline thought. She hadn’t laughed so much in a long time. He asked her questions about the inn, about what it was like helping to run a business for so many years, and he seemed interested in her answers, even though it was all things that she would have thought were too mundane to be compelling. Stories about snowstorms that knocked the electricity out and meant all the guests had to be provided with candles for light, or when a guest had assumed being so rural automatically meant they had a large pasture and trailered their daughter’s pony out with them for the vacation. “It ended up staying with the goats,” Caroline said with a laugh. “Or there was this one time, we didn’t know it was a couple’s anniversary. They didn’t mention it when they booked, even though we have a spot for things like that. So we had no idea, and my mom overheard it. She ended up making a special dinner and a cake just for them, and they were so overjoyed.”

She would have thought he would find all those stories boring, but he seemed entertained and fascinated instead. It bolstered her enthusiasm, making her want to tell him more—about planning craft nights for kids staying with their parents at the inn, and the weddings they’d had there. He didn’t seem bored by any of it.

“What about you?” she asked curiously as their food came.

It smelled delicious. Rhett’s steak was on a cast-iron skillet plate, sizzling with butter and thyme, with a side of roasted squash and a mound of mashed potatoes seasoned with garlic and sprinkled with blue cheese. Her burger was big enough that she knew she’d be taking half of it home for lunch tomorrow, the bourbon glaze dripping onto her plate, topped with fresh lettuce and tomato and pickle, the cheese melting over the bun.

“You must have lots more exciting stories from being a firefighter,” she added, lifting a brow.

“It can definitely get crazy,” Rhett acknowledged, cutting into his steak. “There are plenty of false alarms, of course. But actual fires—those get started in all kinds of ways. There’s the classic of dropping a frozen turkey into a fryer on Thanksgiving. We would get a couple of those calls just about every year. People who don’t think to put out the fireplace before going to bed. Bonfires out back when it’s super dry. It’s a lot easier to start a fire than you’d think.”

“That’s scary, honestly. It’s such a dangerous job.”

“It’s good to feel like I’m doing something though.” Rhett gave her a lopsided smile. “It can be pretty scary. But it feels important.”

She couldn’t believe how easy it was to talk to him. Neither of them seemed to get bored of listening to the other, their food ignored for long minutes at a time while they chatted. Before she knew it, they were finishing up, and she felt like they’d just gotten there.

“We should order dessert.” Rhett grinned at her. “I’m stuffed, but I can’t really turn down caramel pumpkin crème br?lée.” He pointed at the menu, and Caroline nodded.

“I agree. And the pear cheesecake sounds amazing too.”

They ordered one of each, taking bites of each other’s dessert, and she felt like he’d wanted the dinner to go on for longer too. Like they had both wanted to prolong the night as much as possible.

Rhett paid, and when they got up to leave, he reached for her arm. She let him as he tucked it into his elbow, leading her back to the truck the whole way just like that. It was so gentlemanly and sweet that she felt like she was floating, like she was in a fairytale.

But that wasn’t possible, she thought. It couldn’t be, because fairytales weren’t for people like her. Her life was already set. Practical. She couldn’t expect more than that.

Could she?

The winter night was beautiful as they drove back. She watched the scenery out of the truck window, the passing trees and fluffy snow, warm in her soft sweater and the cozy interior of Rhett’s truck. It smelled like him, like juniper-scented soap and warm wool, and she was glad they’d gone to a restaurant on the edge of town, so the drive back was longer.

She wasn’t sure if he felt the same way, until they pulled up in front of the inn and he looked over at her. “I wish the night didn’t have to be over,” he said, and she felt relieved and happy all at once.

“Me too,” Caroline said softly.

“Can I take you out again?” Rhett grinned. “I mean, I’ll take you up on that dinner you offered too. But I’d really like to take you out on another date.”

“I’d like that.” Caroline smiled, and she saw his face light up as his smile widened too.

She felt happy. Warm and safe and full of a glowy feeling that she couldn’t remember ever having had before. It was scary and new, but it was so good that she didn’t want it to stop. Normally she would run from something like this, a feeling that she couldn’t control or be certain wouldn’t go badly for her in the end. But she didn’t want to run.

She wanted to see where it went.

As she walked up the steps to the inn, the sound of the truck idling behind her, she glanced back once before she walked inside. She saw Rhett siting there, watching her as she walked away. He had a look on his face like he already missed her, as hard as she found that to believe.

But maybe it was true.

The inn was quiet, all the guests already upstairs or out for the night and her parents in bed. She went up to her room and turned on the fireplace, still basking in the glow of her evening. She had plenty of time for her usual nighttime routine, and she made her tea and stirred her peppermint stick in it, putting on comfy pajamas and crawling into bed with her book. She felt like her usual self, comfortable in the patterns she’d created, but she also felt like a new, happier version at the same time.

Rhett had said she should go out on a limb. Take a risk. And she felt like this newer part of herself was trying to do exactly that, trying to break out and free itself from the mundane routine she’d always had, with no diversions or anything to shake it up. A night out or an impromptu shopping trip or an unexpected purchase wouldn’t completely derail her life.

She’d always kept herself so emotionally closed off, but tonight had shown her that taking a chance could feel good. She was afraid of getting hurt, of Rhett changing his mind—but at the same time, she thought it would feel worse to not try, and wonder. For the first time, the risk seemed worth it.

Testing her boundaries, and risking slipping off the edge felt worth it. He felt worth it.

She finished her tea, setting aside her book as she slid deeper underneath the covers. She thought about what Rhett had said, that she deserved love and adventure, and she felt a smile on her lips as she drifted off to sleep.

Maybe it was really true, after all.