Jack let out a breath when I stepped out onto the porch. "Hi."

"Hi."

"You look amazing."

I felt his eyes on me, and my cheeks grew warm. "Thank you." So do you, I thought. Even though I didn't say it aloud, he really did look good in his jeans and button-down shirt, his hair neatly combed. I nervously tugged on the sleeve of my sweater.

He held out his arm. "Ready to go?"

I nodded and linked my arm in his. We walked quietly down the driveway and toward his car. He opened the passenger door for me, and I slid into the seat.

"Thank you."

He was quiet on the drive. I appreciated that he didn't feel the need to fill the silence with small talk. We were content just to be near each other for now. After a few minutes, he pulled into the parking lot of Abigail's Café. "I know this isn't fancy, but I figured why not go somewhere we know we'll both feel comfortable?"

"It's perfect, Jack." Truly, I was thankful that he chose somewhere familiar for our first real date.

He kept his hand on the small of my back while we walked to the table in the corner. A candle sat in the center of the table along with two glasses of wine. "I hope it's okay that I talked to Abigail ahead of time and put in an order for us." He pulled out my chair, and I sat down.

"I like that you put so much thought into this." I smiled at him reassuringly. He smiled back, satisfied that things were going well so far.

Abigail brought out two full plates and placed them in front of us. "Enjoy, you two." She gave me a knowing smile and a wink before stepping away, leaving me to enjoy my time alone with Jack.

Jack took a bite of his food. I could tell he was trying to decide how to start the conversation. "The other night you said you grew up in St. Louis?"

"Mhmm." I nodded, taking a bite from my plate. I hardly registered what I was eating, I was already so immersed in the conversation with Jack. "I was born and raised there. I even went to college there."

"So what brought you all the way out here? I'm sure it's a lot different from what you're used to."

I shrugged. "I needed a change of pace, I guess. I'd always liked the idea of living in a small town, so after college, I looked for teaching positions in smaller school districts. When I happened upon a job in Hope Valley, something just felt right. I can't really explain it."

"I understand that."

"So how did you end up here? Lee said you're from the city."

He sighed, trying to figure out where to begin. "I actually grew up in Vancouver. After my dad died, my mom moved me and my brother down here to the city to be close to her family. Then I guess my situation was a lot like yours. I wanted a change of pace. Hope Valley seemed as good a place as any."

"I'm sorry about your dad. How old were you?"

"Twelve."

I reached across the table and touched his hand. "That must've been tough."

He just nodded. It seemed as though he started to close himself off at the mention of his father. I decided not to press him any further.

"So how are you liking it in Hope Valley so far?"

"It's nice." He relaxed at the change in topic. "I like how close everyone is; like they'd do anything for each other."

"Yeah, sometimes they do too much, though." I thought about Rosemary and her meddling. Although, without her meddling, I wouldn't be on a date with Jack.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." I laughed quietly.

"So you're a teacher?" He met my eyes, and I nodded. "What grade do you teach?"

"Second. But I'm also in the process of getting a degree in counseling. That's actually how I met Rosemary—in grad school."

"Counseling?" He raised his eyebrows. "What made you choose that?"

"Well, I see a lot of issues in the classroom, issues that I know could be helped. I don't think I'll get a license to practice or anything. I just thought it would be helpful if I had a better understanding of those issues and how to approach them. School should be about more than learning what's in books. I want to be able to help my students with more than just their intellectual development, you know?" I met his gaze.

A soft smile flicked across his face. "You're really passionate about this, aren't you? Your face just lit up so much while you were talking."

I felt my cheeks color. "Honestly, I could talk about this for hours. I won't subject you to that, though." I let out a small laugh.

He grinned, revealing deep dimples. "I wouldn't mind." He hesitantly reached over and linked his fingers in mine.

Butterflies rose in my stomach at his touch. I took a deep breath to clear my head, wishing he would never let go. "So," I cleared my throat, "you mentioned you have a brother?"

"Yeah. Tom. He's a few years younger than I am. He still technically lives in the city, but he's always traveling, so I don't really see him that often." His thumb rubbed circles on my hand while he spoke. "What about you? Any siblings?"

I nodded. "I have two sisters, one younger and one older. My younger sister, Julie, still lives in St. Louis with my parents. Viola lives in London with her husband, and they're having a baby at the end of the summer."

"Are you excited to be an aunt?"

"I'm so excited. I love kids—obviously, since I'm a teacher." I laughed softly before growing serious. "It's just a little disappointing that they live so far away. I only see them once a year, if that." I sighed. "I know it'll be even harder for my parents, though. This is their first grandchild. They'll probably be flying out to London all the time once the baby is born."

"I don't even know what my mom would do if Tom or I moved halfway across the world like that. She'd probably just move with us." He gave a lopsided smile and chuckled. I loved the sound of his laugh.

"Are you close with her?"

"Yeah. She and Tom are really the only family I have, and since Tom is always flying off to who knows where, I kind of feel like I need to be there for her."

"She's lucky to have you." I squeezed his hand.

Our conversation flowed easily all evening. There was something about him that immediately put me at ease. We lost track of time, and soon we had been out for almost three hours. I would've gladly stayed even longer, but Jack had to work the next day.

Jack held my hand as he walked me to my front door.

"Tonight was a lot of fun. Thank you."

"I had a good time, too." He squeezed my hand. "I'd better get home. I have to work tomorrow, but I'll see you Sunday?"

I nodded.

He nervously stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. I melted into his arms, feeling safer and more comfortable than I ever remembered feeling. I tried to memorize everything about that moment: the way his arms felt around me, the warmth of his breath on my skin, the musky smell of his cologne. I couldn't help but be a little disappointed when he pulled away.

"Good night, Jack."

"Good night, Elizabeth." He squeezed my hand one last time before walking across the yard to his house, turning back to smile and wave before he entered his house.

...

I woke early the next morning, still smiling about the previous night. My smile grew wider when I checked my phone and noticed a text from Jack, telling me once again that he had a great time. I pulled my blanket around me and made my way downstairs, followed closely by Bronte. I fed her before I poured myself a cup of tea and settled into the couch.

I thought back to the night before. Jack and I had only known each other for a few weeks, but it felt like we had known each other forever. It had been so easy to talk to him, almost too easy. I couldn't help but wish I could spend all of my time talking with him. It hadn't even been twelve hours since he left me on my front porch, but I couldn't wait to see him again.

My phone rang, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Abigail?"

"How was last night?"

"Good morning to you, too."

I heard her laugh. "Sorry. Good morning, Elizabeth. How was the date?"

"Abigail, you were there. I'm sure you saw how it went."

"I want to hear your perspective, though. How was it?"

"It was good." I felt the corners of my mouth turn up. "We had a lot of fun. We talked a lot."

"And?"

"And what? There's nothing more to tell. It went well. We'll probably go out again."

Bronte barked when someone knocked on the door.

"I need to go. Someone's at the door."

"Is it Jack?" Her voice was full of excitement.

I rolled my eyes as I walked to the door. "He's working today, so no. I'll see you tomorrow, Abigail."

Rosemary pushed her way into my house as soon as I opened the door. "How'd it go?"

"Wow, everyone is just right to the point this morning. No pleasantries or anything. Tea?" I refilled my cup and held up the kettle.

She shook her head. "No, thank you. How was your evening? Was it everything you hoped for and more?"

I returned to the couch, and Rosemary sat beside me. "Okay, first of all, 'everything I hoped for and more'?" I laughed quietly. "We are not in middle school, Rosie."

"Whatever. You know what I mean. So how did it go?"

"It was good. He took me to the café. We talked a lot. We haven't made plans yet, but we'll probably go out again." I felt like I was speaking from a script, saying the same lines over and over.

"You're welcome."

I looked at her, confused. "For what?"

"It was my idea to invite the two of you to dinner."

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Thank you, Rosie." I sighed. "I really like him, more than I expected I would."

"I think somebody is smitten."

I sipped my tea. "I don't know if smitten is the word I would use."

"What about love?"

I nearly choked on my tea. "Whoa, there," I coughed. "I've known him for less than a month. We've been on one date. It is entirely too early to be speaking of love." Or was it? I felt differently about Jack than I did about anyone else. But was it love? I certainly enjoyed spending time with him, and I spent most of the time that we weren't together thinking about him.

"Elizabeth?" Rosemary spoke again, drawing me from my thoughts. "Were you thinking about Jack?"

I fidgeted with the blanket that I still had wrapped around me. "Maybe…" Heat filled my cheeks.

"Okay, I'll stop bugging you about him. For now." She winked. "Do you have any plans today?"

"Nope. I was just going to do some laundry and take Bee for a walk." Bronte looked up when she heard me mention her. "Not right now, Bee."

"Why don't you come over for lunch? I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure." I was concerned by her tone. "Is everything okay, Rosie?"

She nodded, but she seemed a little distracted by something. "Everything is fine. I promise. I'll leave you alone now. See you at noon?"

"I'll be there."

She left my house, leaving me to spend the rest of the morning wondering what on earth she would need to talk to me about.