“Did you enjoy the rest of your night?” he asked. For some reason she didn’t expect such a simple but sincere question. She expected more lines. More come-ons, more jokes. Instead she got that soft look in his eye. The same one she’d caught a glimpse of before they’d tumbled into his bed at the W.
“I tried.”
“That bad, huh?”
“No. I had a great time. The square dance was amazing. I haven’t been to one since Girl Scouts.”
“Oh, I bet you were the cookie champ.”
“No. One year I pooled all my resources to help this other girl win ’cause her parents were getting divorced? That made me feel like a winner.”
“I would say so,” Sam said, chuckling a bit.
“I just wish I’d had a proper pair of cowboy boots so I could have really gotten into the spirit. My wedges got the job done, but I would’ve really liked to have committed to the whole ranch aesthetic if I’d known it would be so involved.”
“Oh, you need some proper boots. Your feet haven’t truly lived without them,” he said gravely. She had a feeling he was right.
“I’ll add them to my footwear bucket list. So what’s next for you?” Amanda nudged his knee, then realized it was time to stop neglecting their dessert. She grabbed a spoon and dug in as Sam replied.
“I’m taking a little time off. I’ve been filming and traveling for the better part of two years. I’m exhausted. I missed my family too.”
“Must be nice to be home,” she said before she took another bite.
“It is.”
Just then Amanda heard her phone vibrate once on the bed.
“I missed seeing my brothers and my grandma.”
“I’m sure they are glad to have you back. Are you gonna get in on this? ’Cause I will eat the whole thing,” she said, going in for another spoonful. “This ice cream has angel tears in it or something.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna have some, but first, a toast.”
“Oh, to what!”
“Hold on.” Sam grabbed the bottle of champagne and made quick work of the foil and the wire before he twisted the cork off into his palm with a light pop. “There’s no reason to send a cork flying.”
“I agree with you.”
Amanda watched his confident hands as he filled her glass and handed it to her.
“Here’s to us,” he said.
Amanda felt her eyebrow jump up. “To us?”
“To us. And the do-over story we have to tell our grandchildren.”
Laughter sputtered out of Amanda. “What?!”
“What? You want to tell them how you seduced and then robbed me on Oscar night?”
“I mean, yeah. It’s a better story than telling we met at a wedding. Sometimes you need to know that your grandma liked to steal.”
“Like I said, to us.”
Amanda rolled her eyes as she gently clinked her glass to his. She fought the urge to toss back the champagne and took a small sip. “You know, you’re going to feel real silly when you wake up Monday morning and realize I was just a figment of your imagination.”
“Oh really!”