He nodded. “Yeah.”
Mom gestured to the flour. “You two make dessert while I make dinner. That way we’re all helping each other.”
“Like a complete family,” I said. I was so in. Stephen peeked over at Mom and I saw the real joy written all over his face. I nodded. He did, too. “That sounds good,” I said.
It was good. Stephen actually knew what he was doing. That baking show had motivated him to produce some really good cookies. I munched on one as I set the table. It was sweet and crumbly between my teeth and the sugar dusted over the top made it just sugary enough and the huge amounts of butter in the dough made it light and rich. Magnificent.
It was nice to be working together as a family. It was the first time in a long time we had. Dinner wasn’t quite ready when Daniel and Suzanne showed up. Mom and Suzanne settled in for a talk in the kitchen where they could keep an eye on Stephen, who was busy concocting something with oranges and pears and sugar. Daniel and I headed outside to the driveway and I wondered if he’d bring up his Dear Aubrey post now.
He gave me a shy look. “Want to shoot some hoops?”
I nodded. “Sure. Guess what?”
“What?” He tossed the basketball to me.
I caught it easily. “I participated in P.E. today and it was to Mr. Santiago’s satisfaction. He said if I keep that up then I’ll get an A in P.E.”
He smiled proudly. “That’s good news.”
“I had a great tutor.” I shot the ball toward the basket, but it bounced off the backboard. “Guess I need more lessons. How about it?”
He retrieved the ball, dribbling it toward me. “That can be arranged. I think we make a pretty good team.”
“I kind of guessed that from your Dear Aubrey post.” I faced him and smiled, butterflies dancing in my belly. “Have something you want to tell me?”
“I might.” He dribbled over to me, the corners of his mouth curving upward. Then he turned, shot the ball in the air, and it swooshed through the net. Oh, wow. That was hot. He came up close to me, put his hands on my hips, and looked down at me with those intriguing green eyes with gold flecks. He inhaled softly. “Poppy, I . . .”
“Daniel?” My breath caught in my throat. “I was wondering if you could give me some advice. There’s this guy I really like and I thought maybe I’d blown it with him.”
He dropped his forehead to mine. “Now you know you didn’t?”
He chuckled softly. “Trust your instincts, Poppy.”
“Okay, I will.” My heart raced and I swayed on my feet as I leaned toward him, lifting my face to his. Then his lips came down on mine, soft and warm.
Butterflies danced in my belly as Daniel kissed me and I kissed him right back. My first real kiss, which was perfect. No advice needed.
The End
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About the author:
SUSAN HATLER is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, who writes humorous and emotional contemporary romance and young adult novels. Many of Susan's books have been translated into German, Spanish, French and Italian. A natural optimist, she believes life is amazing, people are fascinating, and imagination is endless. She loves spending time with her characters and hopes you do, too.
You can reach Susan here:
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Website: www.susanhatler.com
Blog: susanhatler.com/category/susans-blog
Titles by Susan Hatler
Kissed by the Bay Series
Every Little Kiss
Just One Kiss
The Sweetest Kiss
A Christmas Kiss
All About That Kiss
Better Date than Never Series
Love at First Date
Truth or Date
My Last Blind Date
Save the Date
A Twist of Date
License to Date
Driven to Date
Up to Date
Déjà Date
Date and Dash
An Unexpected Date
An Unexpected Kiss
An Unexpected Love
An Unexpected Proposal
An Unexpected Wedding
An Unexpected Joy
An Unexpected Baby
Young Adult Novels
Shaken
See Me
The Crush Dilemma