Page 30 of Perfect Guy
Canaan
Madelynlaughsatmy joke. Her cheeks have a hint of red, making her glow. She’s stunning, with her brown hair cascading down her shoulders in loose waves and her face barely marked with makeup.
“That’s the best and worst joke I’ve ever heard,” she says after she’s collected herself. Her forearms rest on the table as she looks at me.
We both sit at the restaurant with empty plates, talking. We’ve been like this for at least thirty minutes. I don’t want to take her home yet. I’ve enjoyed talking to her away from people who know us and are gossiping.
Despite being tired when I got home, I slept most of the day so I could be awake and present tonight. I didn’t want our first date to be at my house. As comfortable as it is, I wanted to take her out and make her feel like it’s special. I knew it had to be outside of Mason Creek for it to be stress-free.
I reach over and hold one of her hands. “I’m a natural joke-teller.”
Madelyn looks down at our joined hands and back at me. Her face shines with pure joy.
“I think you’re preparing for your dad joke days,” she teases with a smile.
“I’ll definitely be a pro for those. Listen to this one…” I clear my throat and sit straighter, never letting go of her hand.
“What did the sock tell the shoe?”
“What?” She asks when I pause.
“You got socked.”
“Oh my goodness…” She laughs loudly, covering her face with her hands. “So bad.” She shakes her head, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.
“Socked…why is that even funny to me?” She chuckles, attempting to tamper down her laughter.
“Because it’s so bad, it’s good,” I say as if it were obvious. “It’s the way of the dad jokes.”
“Thank goodness you’re cute,” she shakes her head, eyeing me as she slides her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Cute, huh?” I lean forward and wink. “I thought hot, sexy, ruggedly handsome…”
Madelyn mirrors my position, sitting forward. I reach for her hand again.
“You’re definitely all of those things, too.” Her voice is low. Pink tinges her cheeks, but she doesn’t look away. God, her confidence is sexy as hell.
“And you’re beautiful, stunning, gorgeous… Shall I continue?”
“Please do.” She leans back and waves her free hand in the air. “Keep stroking my ego.”
“No need to stroke your ego. It’s all true.” I give her hand a gentle squeeze before sliding my thumb between our palms and caressing her soft skin. Her breath hitches for a brief second, and her eyes stare into mine.
I lift her hand and brush my lips over the top of it. This is our first date, and yet it doesn’t feel that way. I feel like I’ve known Madelyn in this way for years when I’ve developed feelings for her recently. It’s an odd sensation, and I’m not sure what to make of it.
“Are you ready to go?” I whisper.
“Yeah,” she smiles.
I wave the waiter over to ask for the bill. The guy’s been eyeing our table, waiting for us to leave. We’ve been taking up a table without consuming anything else, but I was enjoying sitting here with Madelyn.
After paying, we walk out of the restaurant hand in hand.
“The food was great,” Madelyn comments.
“It was. Joy’s told me about this restaurant before, but I had never been. I’m glad you liked it.” I smile down at her, squeezing her hand.
Not only was the food great, but we are a few towns away from Mason Creek, where we can have privacy. At least for now.