I finished grilling the steaks and plated them both. I had some sides already in bowls, and once Sean and I had what we wanted, we sat across from one another at the patio table. We ate in silence for a few moments before Sean looked up.
“The food’s delicious.”
“Thanks, I’m glad you like it,” I smiled. “What else have you done while here?”
“Yeah, my grandmother has been putting me to work, but I don’t really mind. Not really.”
“I’m sure you look great taking care of the garden and the animals,” I teased.
“What does that mean?”
I saw a twinkle in Sean’s eyes. It made me want to keep teasing him.
“I don’t know. I’m guessing manual labor looks good on you.”
Sean chuckled softly. “Looks good on me, huh? That’s an interesting comment. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that one.”
I felt my face getting hot. It was kind of a weird thing to say. I could admit that.
“I think I like it.”
“Yeah?”
“Does manual labor look good on you, Chloe?”
I could feel my cheeks going red. “Oh! I don’t know. You would have to tell me.”
“How do we find out?”
I felt a heat in Sean’s question, and I did not know how to answer. Thankfully, Bandit interrupted with a well-timed bark. He seemed to be fixated on something by the fence.
“I’m just gonna check on Bandit,” I told Sean and got up to see what was going on. “Hey, boy!” I looked over the fence, but I couldn’t see anyone. Maybe it was just a squirrel or something.
What I was really doing was ignoring the pounding in my chest. Sean was making me nervous. I didn’t want to mess anything up.
I took a deep breath and headed back to the table. We continued talking, the flirtation sitting just underneath the surface. Because of it, I suggested a glass of wine in the living room after dinner.
“Yeah, sounds good.”
Inside, I poured both of us a glass, and we sat on the couch next to one another.
“Tell me more about the bakery,” he told me, holding my gaze.
I found myself nervously taking another sip from my cup. “Of course. I haven’t really changed much about it. Lenore taught me all her recipes while she was still the owner, and it ended up being kind of like an apprenticeship. I never knew how much I would love baking. It’s why I decided to buy the shop from her. It makes enough money to get by, and business has been picking up a little with the new arrivals.”
A smile covered his lips. “You really seem happy.”
“I am. I think I spent so long doing what people expected me to do that I never really thought about what I wanted. I never would have guessed owning a bakery would make me so happy, but here we are,” I shrugged.
Sean looked away. “I probably had the opposite journey. I always had some idea of what I wanted to do. It was more finding the confidence to know I could do it.”
“I’m not surprised you do what you do. You were so smart in high school. I always felt like an idiot around you.” I laughed nervously.
He raised his eyebrows. “Why? You were pretty smart.”
“I was young and insecure,” I shook my head, remembering how weird it was being a teenager. “You never did anything to make me feel that way. It just felt like all these eyes were on me to succeed as a dancer, and I felt that pressure constantly.”
“You always seemed so confident. I never would have guessed.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” I sighed.
Taking a sip of wine, I looked over at Sean. It seemed like the perfect moment to make a move. The evening had gone better than I expected, and I felt like he was feeling similar to how I did.
Chapter Five - Chloe
I put my glass down and then leaned over to kiss him. Sean seemed surprised at first but then started kissing me back. I was blown away by how much I wanted him. It was only a kiss, but I could feel it in my entire body. His soft lips pressed against mine. I wanted to be even closer to him, and I started to reach my hand over, but Sean pulled away before I could touch him. Moving back a little, I saw that he looked uncertain.
“What are you doing?”
I got embarrassed, wondering if I misread everything. Finally, I sat back on the couch and started to explain. “I thought that – I was just – I guess I was making a move….”
Sean sat quietly for a few moments. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, which sent my anxiety through the roof.
“I didn’t think you were interested in me.” His comment threw me for a loop because I felt like I was curating a day to express my interest.