HAILEY SMOOTHED HER dress over her hips and faced her reflection in the mirror. It wasn’t a sexy dress like last time, but the dark blue fabric and more modest cut suited the occasion. It wasn’t meant to be a fun date this time. Matt obviously had things he needed to say and one way or another, nothing could be settled until he’d said them.
I realized I was in love with you...
If only he’d stayed in her bed the morning after the accident and told her that instead of sneaking out while she was still asleep.
She was ready when he rang the doorbell, which was jarring in its formality. She wasn’t prepared for the sight of him in a suit and tie. It was obviously one he’d had for a long time, though the classic cut wasn’t really out of style. His face was smooth and he smelled delicious.
“You’re wearing a suit.”
His smile was tentative rather than the cocky grin she loved so much. “I knew you’d look gorgeous tonight.”
She drove, since they were taking her car and they weren’t a couple anymore—official or otherwise—and when he gave her the final few directions which led to a restaurant so fine she didn’t know anybody personally who’d been there, she softened a little. He’d obviously put a lot of thought into this dinner out.
They were seated at a very private and romantically set table, almost as if he’d prearranged it, and she tried not to hold her breath as the waiter handed Matt the wine menu.
“We’ll have a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, please.”
When the waiter left, Hailey couldn’t help smiling at him across the table. “You’ve been holding back on me.”
“I’m a man of many skills. It’s best not to reveal them all at once.” When she arched an eyebrow at him, he laughed. “Okay, I called my brother-in-law. My sister likes wine so I figured he’s had to order it a time or two.”
“And you came up with the Sauvignon Blanc?”
“Well, I know you like seafood, chicken and pasta more than beef, so white was the obvious choice. Then he told me the top three most likely to be on the menu, and then I made him call my voice mail and say them all so I could practice.” His grin returned in full force. “If you order the prime rib, I’m going to look bad now.”
She laughed, and felt herself softening inside. Though it seemed a small thing, she knew asking his brother-in-law to teach him how to pronounce wine names was a big deal. And yet he looked relaxed, without the shadows in his eyes that suggested he felt judged and found wanting. It was progress.
Dinner was delicious and they talked about inconsequential things. His work. Her work. Paige and Mitch’s argument because Mitch was convinced Sarah smiled at him first, while Paige said it was gas. Hailey found herself relaxing, enjoying the evening more than she’d anticipated. This was the Matt she’d fallen for, and she’d missed him.
“I love the way the candlelight reflects in your eyes,” he told her while they waited for their dessert and coffee to be brought out.
“This has been a lovely evening. I know you don’t care for this kind of restaurant.”
“Sitting across from you, listening to you laugh, makes this my favorite kind of restaurant. I’m pretty sure no matter where I am, as long as you’re as happy as you look right now, it’ll be my favorite place.”
Tears stung her eyes and she forced herself to look away from his gaze. “What’s changed, Matt? What changed between the last dinner and this one?”
“I lost you. I’ve changed because between the last dinner and this one, I’ve felt how much it hurts to not have you in my life every day.” He reached across the table and took her hand, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “I screwed up, Hailey. I know I hurt you, but I love you and I want to make you happy. I want serious. I want real. And forever.”
She believed him. Looking into his eyes, she knew without a doubt he loved her and meant every word he was saying. “I want serious, too. I’ve loved you for a while now. I tried not to at first, but you’re the man I want.”
The waiter chose that moment to appear, but Matt didn’t let go of her hand. Once the coffees and the cheesecake they’d decided to share were on the table and the waiter was gone again, he squeezed her fingers.
“Sometimes my laundry’s pretty ripe.”
She smiled. “And sometimes I like to make the drive to Portland and spend hours at the Maine Mall, window shopping.”
He winced, but she could see the humor in his eyes. “I’m almost afraid to ask what the payback for camp will be.”
“I think camp will be fun. I’ll read my book while you fish and, when you catch one, I’ll clap and ooh and ah over how big it is.”
He gave her a crooked grin. “That sounds awesome, but you don’t have to clap. There’s not really any applause in fishing. They do need to be cleaned, though.”
“I’m not going to clean your fish. That’s never going to happen. But I do promise I’ll never contradict you when you’re telling somebody it was this big.” She pulled her hand free so she could hold it up about a foot from her other one.
“I knew you were my kind of woman.” He winked, but then he turned serious again. “I know my job requires a lot of me, but when I’m with you, I’ll be with you one hundred percent. And I want to come home to you.”
“I want that, too. Whether it’s five-fifteen or seven or three in the morning, I’ll be there. What you do is important and it’s a part of who you are. I can handle it.”
“We’ll handle it together.” He looked around for the waiter. “I feel a sudden need to pay the check and get you home.”
She laughed and picked up her fork as she slid the plate toward her side of the table. “If you think I’m leaving this cheesecake uneaten, you’re crazy.”
“Half of that’s mine,” he protested. “And take your time. I have forever with you now.”
“Thank goodness I bought brand-new hiking boots for that stupid adventure tour. Otherwise, I might never have gotten lost and you wouldn’t have found me.”
“I think I still would have found you.” His gaze captured hers over the flickering candles. “I didn’t know it, but I’d been looking for you a long time. And we both know I have an impeccable sense of direction.”
Three months later...
“GOT A BITE!”
Hailey looked up from her book to watch Matt reeling in his line. Sure enough, there was a fish on the end. While he picked up a net with one hand to secure it, she set her book in her lap and clapped.
His laughter echoed through the trees. “There’s still no applause in fishing.”
“I’m making new traditions. And your dad thinks it’s adorable.”
“He thinks you’re adorable. Especially when you beat my five-year-old nephew at cards and did a victory lap around the cabin in your flannel pajamas.”
She snorted. “I earned that victory lap. Caleb’s no slouch at Go Fish, my friend.”
Matt dropped the fish into a bucket with the other two he’d caught and then leaned in for a kiss. “I think you’re adorable, too.”
She put her hand on his chest to hold him back. “You know the rules. No kissing while you’re wearing that hat.”
“But it’s my lucky hat.”
“Maybe, but it ain’t your get lucky hat.”
She loved that his expression no longer turned cloudy when she wrinkled her nose and held him at bay. Over time he’d grown to trust the fact making him take his boots off outside meant she didn’t like muddy floors, not that she didn’t like him. The same went for really disgusting lucky fishing hats.
“Oh, I think I’ll get lucky later,” he said, which she didn’t think was likely as they were bunking with his entire family. “I have a surprise for you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What kind of surprise?”
“We’re going on a road trip.”
He started gathering his fishing gear, so Hailey stood, tucked her book under her arm and folded her chair. “To where?”
“That’s the surprise.”
She followed him back toward the cabin, where the sounds of his family filtered out through the open windows. It was definitely a full house with everybody there, but Hailey liked his family and they liked her. When she and Matt had both managed to grab a four-day weekend, she hadn’t minded at all the suggestion they get out of Whitford.
They’d arrived yesterday morning and spent the day doing the things they usually did at camp. Fishing. Card games. Walks in the woods. A campfire when the sun went down, with lots of stories, laughter and s’mores.
Today, after lunch had been cleared, Matt decided he wanted to fish for a while. Hailey always packed books, so she had no complaints. She wasn’t one to turn down quiet reading time. But the idea of a road trip was intriguing.
“Is Bear going with us?” she asked, hoping to weasel a clue out of him.
“Nope. He’s going to hang out here.”
“Do I need to bring anything with me?”
“Nope.” And he refused to say anything more.
After saying goodbye to the family, they got in her car and she wondered if this road trip was the reason they weren’t in his truck. They almost never brought her car to the cabin because driving it meant Matt had to slow down on the back roads.