The Boyfriend Deal(33)

“Hello,” a sleepy Hadley answered.

“Did I wake you?”

“Mmm … I was half asleep. Is something wrong, Tyler?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Red. I just have something special planned for tomorrow. At five o’clock, I want you dressed and ready to go, so wear your nicest dress.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“All right.” She yawned. “Five o’clock tomorrow.”

I smiled as I hung up the phone, folded my hands behind my head, and fell back onto the bed. A special night with Hadley sounded amazing. I’d take her to the restaurant, the Christmas Village, and then maybe I’d drive her to the bluffs to watch the river. I wanted to have a romantic evening with her. Well, as romantic as two seniors could have. It wasn’t like I could take her on a fancy vacation, just the two of us.

****

The next day passed slowly, and when it was finally time to pick up Hadley, I found that I was rather nervous. I hadn’t even been nervous on our first date, but there was a slight tremor in my hands as I put the truck in park in front of her house. When I reached her front door, I smoothed my tie, ran a hand through my hair, and rang the bell.

Mrs. Ryan answered and welcomed me with a smile. “She’s upstairs, Tyler. Come on in, and I’ll let her know you’re here.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Ryan.”

I stepped inside, out of the cold, and looked around. They’d put their tree up after Thanksgiving, but there wasn’t a single decoration anywhere else. My house look like a reindeer had thrown up in it. Lighted garland decorated the stair rail; the mantle was decked out with fake snow and a Christmas village; we had two trees—one in the front entry and one in the living room—and there were other little things like nutcrackers, mistletoe, and holiday candy dishes. Mom went all out. I wondered if the Ryan’s lack of decoration was normal, or had they just not bothered since Hadley wouldn’t be able to see most of it?

A noise at the top of the stairs drew my attention and my breath caught in my throat. I’d always thought she was beautiful, but tonight she was absolutely stunning. Her hair was pulled back in some sort of intricate knot with tendrils around her face. The dress she had on hugged her curves and made my fingers itch to touch her. If she’d dressed to drive me crazy, she was succeeding.

“You look beautiful,” I said. “But then, you always do.”

She blushed a becoming pink as she descended the stairs. I reached out and took her hand in mine, wanting to kiss her more than anything, but not daring with her dad one room away. I might have gotten away with it once before, but I wasn’t going to tempt fate. Mr. Ryan seemed to like me just fine, but I didn’t delude myself into thinking he was okay with me kissing his daughter.

“Are you ready for the first part of your surprise?” I asked.

She nodded eagerly.

“Goodnight, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan. I promise to have her home by ten o’clock.”

Mr. Ryan appeared in the doorway. “Don’t rush the night, Tyler. Hads has been looking forward to this all day. If you’re not here right at ten sharp, I won’t send the cops after you.” He smiled. “Just try not to keep her out too late.”

I shook his hand and led Hadley out to my truck. Her mom stood in the doorway, waving to us as we pulled away. My palms were sweating on the steering wheel as I drove to the restaurant. When I pulled up in front, I watched her eyes widen as she realized where we were. Mr. Mortenson’s restaurant was about the only fancy thing we had in town, and everyone ate here for special occasions … graduations, engagements, anniversaries. I wondered if she’d ever been here before.

“Tyler, we don’t have to eat here. It’s so…”

“So what? You don’t like it?”

“I love it,” she said softly. “But I don’t want you to spend so much money on me.”

“Relax, Red. Dinner is actually a treat from Mom and Dad. They wanted to do something special for you. What comes next is on me.”

She smiled and I walked her through the front door. I gave my name to the hostess and she seated us at a table in the center of the room. Hadley fidgeted when they handed her a menu, and I knew it was because she worried she wouldn’t be able to read it.

“You know, the few times I’ve come here with my parents, my dad has always ordered for my mom. Not because she can’t decide for herself, but she works so hard to take care of all of us that he wanted to take care of her for the night.”

She blinked at me. “You want to order for me?”

“Only if you trust me.”