Nicholas Sparks - The Lucky One

"I don't plan on quitting," he said.

"That's not what I asked. I asked how long you were going to stay in Hampton. Honestly."

Her voice brooked no evasions, and it was easy for Logan to imagine her bringing order to an unruly classroom. "Honestly? I don't know. And I say that because I've learned over the past five years never to take anything for granted''

"That may be true, but again, it doesn't really answer the question."

He seemed to register the disappointment in her voice and struggled with his response. "How about this?" he finally said. "So far, I like it here. I like my job, I think Nana's terrific, I enjoy spending time with Ben, and right now, I have no intention of leaving Hampton any time in the foreseeable future. Does that answer your question?"

She felt a jolt of anticipation at his words and the way his gaze roamed over her face as he spoke. She leaned forward as well. "I noticed you left out something important in that list of things you like."

"I did?"

"Yeah. Me." She studied his face for a reaction, her lips up-turned in a teasing grin. "Maybe I forgot," he said, responding with the faintest of smiles. "I don't think so."

"I'm shy?"

"Try again."

He shook his head. "I'm out of suggestions."

She winked at him. "I'll give you a chance to think about it and maybe come up with something. Then we can talk about it again later."

"Fair enough. When?"

She wrapped her hands around her glass, feeling strangely nervous at what she was about to say next. "Are you free on Saturday night?"

If he was surprised by the question, she couldn't tell. "Saturday night it is." He lifted his glass of iced tea and took a long drink, never taking his eyes off her. Neither one noticed Ben walk back to the table. "Did you order the pizza yet?"

Lying in bed that night, Beth stared at the ceiling and asked her-self, What on earth was I thinking?

There were so many reasons to avoid what she had done. She didn't really know much about him or his past. He was still hiding the reason he'd come to Hampton, which meant not only that he didn't trust her, but that she didn't completely trust him either. Not only that, but he worked at the kennel-for Nana and within sight of her home. What would happen if it didn't work out? What if he had… expectations she wasn't willing to meet? Would he show up on Monday? Would Nana be on her own? Would she have to quit her job as a teacher and go back to helping Nana with the kennel?

There were lots of potential problems with all of this, and the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced she had made a terrible mistake. And yet… she was tired of being alone. She loved Ben and she loved Nana, but spending time with Logan over the past few days had reminded her of what she was missing. She liked the walks they took after dinner, she liked the way he looked at her, and she especially liked the way he was with Ben.

Moreover, she found it ridiculously easy to imagine a life with Logan. She knew she hadn't really known him long enough to make that kind of judgment, but she couldn't deny her intuition. Could he be the One?

She wouldn't go that far. They hadn't even been on a date yet. It was easy to idealize someone you barely knew.

Sitting up, she plumped her pillow a few times and then lay back down. Well, they'd go out once and see what happened next. She had hopes, she couldn't deny that, but that's where it ended. She liked him but certainly didn't love him. Not yet, anyway.

Thibault

On Saturday evening Thibault waited on the couch, wondering if he was doing the right thing.

In another place and time, he wouldn't have thought twice about it. He was attracted to Elizabeth, certainly. He liked her openness and intelligence, and together with her playful sense of humor, and of course her looks, he couldn't imagine how she'd remained single as long as she had.

But it wasn't another place and time, and nothing was normal about any of this. He'd carried her picture for more than five years. He'd searched the country for her. He'd come to Hampton and taken a job that kept him close to her. He'd befriended her grandmother, her son, and then her. Now, they were minutes away from their first date.

He'd come for a reason. He'd accepted that as soon as he'd left Colorado. He'd accepted that Victor had been right. He still wasn't sure, however, that meeting her-becoming close to her- was it. Nor was he sure that it wasn't.

The only thing he knew for sure was that he'd been looking forward to their evening together. The day before, he'd thought about it consistently on the drive to pick up Nana. For the first half hour on the way back to Hampton, Nana had chattered on about everything from politics to her sister's health before turning toward him with a knowing smirk.

"So you're going to go out with the boss's granddaughter, huh?"

Thibault shifted on the seat. "She told you."

"Of course she told me. But even if she hadn't, I knew it was coming. Two young, attractive, and lonely single people? I knew it would happen as soon as I hired you."

Thibault said nothing, and when Nana spoke again, her voice was tinged with melancholy.

"She's as sweet as sugared watermelon," she said. "I worry about her sometimes."

"I know," Thibault said.

That had been the extent of their conversation, but it told him that he had Nana's blessing, something he knew was important given Nana's place in Elizabeth's life.

Now, with evening beginning to settle in, he could see Elizabeth's car coming up the drive, the front end bouncing slightly in the potholes. She hadn't told him anything about where they were going, other than to dress casually. He stepped out onto the porch as she pulled to a stop in front of the house. Zeus followed him, his curiosity alerted. When Elizabeth got out and stepped into the dim light of the porch, all he could do was stare.

Like him, she was wearing jeans, but the creamy blouse she wore accentuated the sun-browned tint of her skin. Her honey-colored hair swept the neckline of her sleeveless blouse, and he noted that she was wearing a trace of mascara. She looked both familiar and tantalizingly foreign.

Zeus padded down the steps, tail wagging and whining, and went to her side.

"Hey, Zeus. Did you miss me? It's only been a day." She stroked his back, and Zeus whined plaintively before licking at her hands. "Now that was a greeting," she said, looking up at him. "How are you? Am I late?"

He tried to sound nonchalant. "I'm fine," he said. "And you're right on time. I'm glad you made it."

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

"This place is kind of hard to find."

"Not if you've lived here your whole life." She motioned toward the house. "So this is home?"

"This is it."

"It's nice," she said, taking it in. "Is it what you expected?"

"Pretty much. Solid. Efficient. Kind of hidden." He acknowledged her double entendre with a smile, then turned to Zeus and commanded him to stay on the porch. He walked down the steps to join her. "Will he be okay outside?"

"He'll be fine. He won't move."

"But we'll be gone for hours."

"I know."

"Amazing."

"It seems that way. But dogs don't have much sense of time. In a minute, he won't remember anything other than the fact that he's supposed to stay. But he won't know why."

"How did you learn so much about dogs and training?" Elizabeth asked, curious.

"Mainly books."

"You read?"

He sounded amused. "Yes. Surprised?"

"I am. It's hard to tote books when you're walking across the country."

"Not if you don't keep them when you finish."

They reached the car, and when Thibault started toward the driver's side to open the door for her, she shook her head. "I might have asked you out, but I'm going to make you drive."