48 First Dates (Seeking Romance #1)

The Prince of Great Listeners

32

A great listener,

a real animal lover,

close with family...

M itzi and I were sitting at our wooden table two months later. I gushed about my latest conversation with Brenn, telling her what I thought was a hilarious story. After all, it made me laugh.

In the middle of my tale, Mitzi slammed her hands on the table. She looked at me square in the eyes and said, “That’s it! You need to go on a date with a real-life human. You haven’t been out since, Hayden.”

I dropped my fork on my plate. “You are not setting me up again.”

“I so am!”

Mitzi drove a hard bargain, and eventually, I caved. But only after a fair amount of grumbling.

Less than a week later, I found myself pulling up to a Spanish restaurant to meet George for tapas.

Mitzi had said he was a great listener, easy on the eyes, a real animal lover, and very close to his family. Naturally, I believed half of it.

As I waited for George, I thought over Mitzi’s words—the ones that cinched the deal. I want you to find someone who makes you feel like a princess. You need a Christopher to your Cynthia, a Brock to your Mitzi. You never know where you’ll find your prince.

I figured, with her motive, how bad could the date be? A fleeting memory of Joseph danced through my mind, but I pushed out the thought of his twelve dancing princesses. Mitzi would do better this time. Plus, delicious tapas were involved. I could carry on a conversation with someone I just met for at least an hour.

This has to be a decent way to pass the evening.

Famous.

Last.

Thoughts.

Nothing could have prepared me for this first date. Not even Bollywood Bob.

I checked the mirror one last time, nodded to myself, and headed inside. I was a bit early, so I got a table.

George arrived on time, promptly at seven. He was sort of easy on the eyes—especially if you like short, balding men.

Even George Costanza had redeeming qualities, Adelaide.

That’s when he introduced me to HIS MOTHER! Apparently, he never ventured anywhere without her—very close with his family.

For the rest of the evening, George said little beyond “hi.” A great listener.

His mom, on the other hand, was a wonderful, very chatty, southern lady. There were lots of, “Oh, honey, let me tell ya...” and “Bless their hearts.” I grew up in the Florida panhandle, which is basically lower Alabama. I know exactly what it means to “bless their hearts.”

It ain’t always good.

As the night wore on, I enjoyed the conversation with his mother quite a bit, especially the part where she let me in on the secret of how Mitzi and George knew each other. George was the dog groomer for one of Mitzi’s coworkers— a real animal lover.

If I’m ever in the market for a dog groomer or a charming, next-door neighbor—one who will watch my house like a hawk, bake me cookies every month, and bless all my crazy friends—I know where to look.

Other than that, the evening was not a success. As I walked out of the restaurant that night, I thought about the charm I would add to my bracelet. I could add a dog for George, but I already had one. A smirk painted across my lips as I came to the conclusion that an “I LOVE MOM” charm would be better.

The momentary joke did nothing to untie the knot of fear in my stomach. Forty-two first dates, and I wasn’t any closer to finding a prince. I wiped a tear of frustration from my right eye. I scanned the parking lot, trying to remember where I parked my car.

And that’s when I saw him.

He wasn’t facing me, but my heart knew that dark hair and toned body. I walked over to him and tapped his shoulder.

“Adelaide!” he greeted me and pulled me into a hug. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. How have you been?”

“I’m great!” I lied. “But I had no idea I’d run into you tonight! What are you doing here, Sebastian?”

“The Coast Guard. I’m stationed in Chattanooga for this next year. Some friends and I had a reunion of sorts here in the Smokies. I was just heading into the restaurant to meet them. Come with me, Adelaide. Tell me what you have been up to.”

“How can I refuse such an offer?”

He grabbed my hand, and we walked back inside together.

Over the next few hours, I met his Coast Guard friends. We ate more tapas and danced the night away. I also found out that he hadn’t met his soulmate at the academy—Cynthia might have been premature about that.

When the restaurant closed, Sebastian walked me to my car. “Adelaide, seeing you tonight was a gift, and I don’t want to waste a minute of it. Can I see you again while I’m here?”

“Yeah.” I looked up at him through my eyelashes.

He licked his lips and grinned. His gaze darted to my lips. “I remember you had the best-tasting cherry lip gloss. Still use it?”

I reached up and answered him with my lips. He groaned, reaching up and placing his hands behind my neck, deepening the kiss.

The moment lacked the mind-blowing passion I shared months ago with Brenn. But Sebastion was here, wanting something more.

And Brenn was just a friend who lived in Montana.

The next morning, I followed the aroma of coffee into the kitchen. Mitzi stood, leaning on the counter. She poured me a cup and asked, “So, you were out late. Things go well with George?”

“Mitzi, you were in big trouble for George, especially since he showed up with his mom.” I poured caramel syrup and half-an-half into my mug, sighing as the burned sugar scent mixed with the nutty brew.

She struggled for words as she avoided my eyes. “Err, I thought... he’s different... he seemed nice...” Her head snapped up as she grasped the full meaning of my words. “Wait, you said ‘were.’ Why?”

“Because, thanks to Sebastian, you are saved. If he hadn’t been in the parking lot, you would have gotten the full horror of my post-bad-blind-date wrath.”

“What! Prince of Prom Sebastian?” Mitzi looked up, eyes wide and eyebrows raised.

I baited her with my next words. “Yep, and he is still a wonderful kisser.” I brought the latte to my lips and took a dainty sip as if I hadn’t just dropped a bombshell.

“WHAT! DETAILS NOW!” Mitzi pulled out a chair and pointed for me to sit down.

I poured my coffee into a to-go mug. “I have to run, Mitz, so details will have to wait. I’m picking Sebastian up for a full day of fun before he leaves tomorrow to go back to Chattanooga.” I walked out before she could get out another word.

As I got into the car, my phone dinged with messages from her, but I ignored them. It was cruel of me, but I wanted her to squirm after the torture she put me through. Putting the key in the ignition, I headed to meet Sebastian.

When I picked him up, we decided to do a relatively easy hike so we could talk. There was only one car in the gravel lot at the trailhead, which was a good sign. My head swiveled back and forth, taking in the greenery and splashes of color that lined the path. The fresh scent of spring hung in the air.

Sebastian grabbed my hand. “I’m glad we’re here together, Adelaide.”

“Me, too.”

I relished the warmth of his hand as the leaves crunched under our feet. We chatted off and on as we walked. The babbling brook lining the trail was the only other noise we heard. The first part of the trail was a gentle slope, but there was a bit of a climb up to the waterfall, where we stopped for lunch. He was a bit surprised—almost annoyed—by my sandwich choices, but he kissed me before another word passed between us. I figured all was well.

On the way back, we took the detour to see an old barn and homestead. We talked about what life was like for the early settlers. How amazing it was to see their homes still there a hundred years later. “They don’t make them like this anymore,” I said.

“No, they make them a lot better,” Sebastian said with a smirk. “I much prefer indoor plumbing and electricity.”

“That’s true. But the attention to detail—the materials, and the overall quality of the build—was so much better back in the day.”

Sebastian didn’t answer. He turned to face me and cradled my cheeks in his palms. “Adelaide.”

He wrapped his arms around me and leaned down to kiss me, wiping away the nagging thought in my brain. He kissed along my jawline and whispered in my ear, “Adelaide, my beauty. I need to see you again. Tell me we can keep this going every weekend while I’m stationed here in Tennessee.”

I wasn’t sure how to answer. A part of me wanted to keep seeing him, but another part was bothered. So I went with, “I bet you say that to all the girls you in the towns near to where you are stationed.”

He stood up straight and looked into my eyes. “No, Adelaide. Just you. What do you say?”

I sucked in a quick breath. I enjoyed spending time with Sebastion, but there were these little irritating ticks, like how he seemed to dismiss differing opinions with a kiss.

Was that really what he was doing?

And if so, should I let something like that get in the way of what could be something good?

The simple answer was—it shouldn’t. “Okay, let’s give it a go.”

He grinned. “Great. You’ll come down next weekend, and I’ll show you the river. I’ll figure out our scheduled visits after that, and we can hash out the details then.”

I was about to protest about my level of input when he leaned in for another kiss, and the words disappeared.

Over the next month, Sebastian and I finally had the in-person time to figure out what we were to each other. We swapped visits back and forth. We hiked. We ate out. We kissed until my lips were sore.

It turned out that Sebastian preferred to kiss-it-out rather than talk. He also preferred to ignore our differences and focus on our... similarities...

A part of me felt guilty about what was happening between us—though I had no reason to be.

Mitzi, Tom, and I were discussing it over breakfast one Thursday morning. Sebastian was supposed to come to visit the next day, and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to see him. “What do I do? I like Sebastian, but he always takes charge. It’s like he doesn’t want to get my input or respect our differences. Am I overreacting? Am I seeing too much into something?”

“No, honey. A prince shouldn’t have to kiss you into the girl of his dreams,” Mitzi said.

“I agree. He’s a nice guy. Have you tried talking to him about it?” Tom asked.

“I have, but that ended up in a make-out session.” I blew out a sigh. “I just wanted this to work out. Sebastian is my longest relationship since Wyatt.” I moaned as my head hit the table.

Tom leaned over, placing a hand on my back. “Sometimes a person just doesn’t know which side to butter your bread, and you gotta let them go.”

He was right. Sebastian and I clicked in some ways, but in other ways, he repelled me like a magnet with the same pole. I sighed.

When I called him that night to break it off, he wasn’t surprised. He joked that my fairy tale life wasn’t meant to be like My Big Fat Greek Wedding .

His was, though. I heard through Cynthia that Sebastian found a “nice Greek girl” to settle down with about a year later. Hopefully, she agrees with him all the time.

Or at least she has better cherry lip balm than me.