them for some things. Getting old is so much fun. I probably should have had them on before when we were looking at all those statements, but I left them at home.”
“Wow, I can’t believe I knew you back then … well, sort of. I don’t think we ever talked or anything. The pub was always so crowded. You really knew how to pack a house.”
“I don’t think it was me,” he said. “It was probably those happy hour prices. Fifty-cent drafts tended to bring college kids in. Even if it was only the crappy stuff in Dixie cups.”
“Well, I was there to see you, and now suddenly here we are, back at the pub. Of course, it’s a flower shop now, but still. We’re back at the same corner. Stuff like this always blows my mind. My sister, Holly, reconnected with someone she knew in high school years later, and they just got married.” She felt her cheeks getting flushed again. “I’m going to shut up now.”
Todd grabbed a single pink rose from the canister of colorful flowers on the sidewalk and handed the man a dollar bill.
“For you,” he said, holding it out to Tessa.
She smiled. “Pink is my favorite color. Lucky guess?” she asked.
“Maybe,” he responded.
She looked down and blushed. “I hope you didn’t think when I brought up my sister getting married I was implying we were … Sometimes I say stuff without thinking first. I was just being silly.”
Putting his fingers under Tessa’s chin, Todd lifted her face back up. “No, not silly at all,” he said. “Remember what I said at dinner about being at the right place at the right time? That doesn’t just have to do with coincidence.”
“I told you. I don’t believe in that fate stuff anymore,” she said.
“What if I can convince you you’re wrong? What if I can convince you there’s a force that’s greater than you and me. Look around you, Tessa. Here we are standing outside the building of the place where we were first brought together. Only we never knew we were supposed to meet for some reason. It took all of these years to figure it out. Maybe fate was trying to tell us we weren’t ready yet, you know? You still had to have Sophie, and I still had to get my career started.”
Could that be true? Was this fate’s doing? She nodded slightly, unable to speak, mesmerized by his words, his eyes, his lips.
He continued, still keeping his hand softly resting under her chin. “But now fate brought us back together—to this spot. It means something. The right place at the right time ... I just happened to come to your office yesterday and wind up spending most of the day? Then we eat dinner at a restaurant that’s within walking distance from here? I didn’t plan that. My intention yesterday was to drop the statements off and leave. I actually had a busy day scheduled and kind of got in trouble for blowing off some important stuff.”
“I’m sorry about th—” Tessa started, but Todd put his fingers to her lips to stop her.
“No, it was meant to happen that way. The same way this was … again completely unplanned. We missed the play and decided to go on this walk, and now, here we are, at the place where maybe we were destined to meet all along years ago, but for some reason didn’t. I don’t think those are coincidences.”
“So what do we do now?” she asked, barely able to get the words out.
“I think I’m supposed to kiss you,” he replied, leaning in to Tessa’s waiting lips
Chapter 20
“That’s just the most romantic thing I think I’ve ever heard,” Holly said, once Tessa finally got home that evening and retold the events leading up to the kiss outside of what used to be O’Grady’s Pub. “You know me, I’m a big believer in fate and destiny. Why do you think I got so hung up on Ben when he suddenly reappeared everywhere in town after Ava’s wedding?”
“Um, because Jared turned out to be a complete loser? And, if I remember correctly, I’m the one who had to
“Wow, I can’t believe I knew you back then … well, sort of. I don’t think we ever talked or anything. The pub was always so crowded. You really knew how to pack a house.”
“I don’t think it was me,” he said. “It was probably those happy hour prices. Fifty-cent drafts tended to bring college kids in. Even if it was only the crappy stuff in Dixie cups.”
“Well, I was there to see you, and now suddenly here we are, back at the pub. Of course, it’s a flower shop now, but still. We’re back at the same corner. Stuff like this always blows my mind. My sister, Holly, reconnected with someone she knew in high school years later, and they just got married.” She felt her cheeks getting flushed again. “I’m going to shut up now.”
Todd grabbed a single pink rose from the canister of colorful flowers on the sidewalk and handed the man a dollar bill.
“For you,” he said, holding it out to Tessa.
She smiled. “Pink is my favorite color. Lucky guess?” she asked.
“Maybe,” he responded.
She looked down and blushed. “I hope you didn’t think when I brought up my sister getting married I was implying we were … Sometimes I say stuff without thinking first. I was just being silly.”
Putting his fingers under Tessa’s chin, Todd lifted her face back up. “No, not silly at all,” he said. “Remember what I said at dinner about being at the right place at the right time? That doesn’t just have to do with coincidence.”
“I told you. I don’t believe in that fate stuff anymore,” she said.
“What if I can convince you you’re wrong? What if I can convince you there’s a force that’s greater than you and me. Look around you, Tessa. Here we are standing outside the building of the place where we were first brought together. Only we never knew we were supposed to meet for some reason. It took all of these years to figure it out. Maybe fate was trying to tell us we weren’t ready yet, you know? You still had to have Sophie, and I still had to get my career started.”
Could that be true? Was this fate’s doing? She nodded slightly, unable to speak, mesmerized by his words, his eyes, his lips.
He continued, still keeping his hand softly resting under her chin. “But now fate brought us back together—to this spot. It means something. The right place at the right time ... I just happened to come to your office yesterday and wind up spending most of the day? Then we eat dinner at a restaurant that’s within walking distance from here? I didn’t plan that. My intention yesterday was to drop the statements off and leave. I actually had a busy day scheduled and kind of got in trouble for blowing off some important stuff.”
“I’m sorry about th—” Tessa started, but Todd put his fingers to her lips to stop her.
“No, it was meant to happen that way. The same way this was … again completely unplanned. We missed the play and decided to go on this walk, and now, here we are, at the place where maybe we were destined to meet all along years ago, but for some reason didn’t. I don’t think those are coincidences.”
“So what do we do now?” she asked, barely able to get the words out.
“I think I’m supposed to kiss you,” he replied, leaning in to Tessa’s waiting lips
Chapter 20
“That’s just the most romantic thing I think I’ve ever heard,” Holly said, once Tessa finally got home that evening and retold the events leading up to the kiss outside of what used to be O’Grady’s Pub. “You know me, I’m a big believer in fate and destiny. Why do you think I got so hung up on Ben when he suddenly reappeared everywhere in town after Ava’s wedding?”
“Um, because Jared turned out to be a complete loser? And, if I remember correctly, I’m the one who had to
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