Major

I really needed to see what she was reading. Needed some freaking clue to what the notes said. Apparently, they’d been powerful, because she’d contacted me after saying she never wanted to see me again. Cope had thought of everything but this? Why hadn’t he briefed me on the notes he’d written for me to give her? From where I was sitting, I could see it was a simple handwritten message. But that was it.

She read over it several times, then lifted her eyes to meet mine. “Did you write this?”

Fuck. Why was she asking me that? I hated Cope. He hadn’t thought of this scenario. Dammit. “Every single one.” I lied and held her steady gaze. I wouldn’t look away; I had to own this. The notes had gotten me this far. It was time I did the rest. “I miss you, Nan. Everything about you.”

Her eyes softened, and the questions that clouded them seemed to lift some. She shook her head and let out a soft laugh. “You don’t make sense. Not at all.”

“I made a mistake. Hell, I made a million mistakes with you, but I want a chance to fix them.”

She set the note down, and it was all I could do not to pick it up and read it. “Why was it so easy to hurt me before?” she asked.

This I could answer honestly. “Because I didn’t realize I was hurting you until it was too late. I thought we were casual. I was afraid to be more than casual with you because of, well, you. Who you are, what you look like, what I’ve heard about you. I didn’t think I could make you happy. So I handled it all wrong. I want another chance. Please.”

She sighed, and her head tilted slightly to the right as she studied me. I knew her having me here was a good thing, but I wasn’t done winning her back. I could see that clearly. I had to move fast.

“Go out with me tonight. Let me show you how good we can be.”

Nan’s tongue came out and licked her bottom lip as she thought through this. She had really nice lips. The kind most women pay to have. “OK.”

OK. She was saying OK to a date. This was it. I had her back. I’d figure all this out. First, I needed to decide on the magical date that would win her over completely. I wasn’t asking Cope, either. His ass would see that I knew how to land a woman. With or without his damn notes. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

Nan gave me a smile and nodded her head. “I’ll see you then.”

The moment I pulled out of her driveway, my phone vibrated. I gritted my teeth, knowing it was Cope. Ignoring him was pointless and possibly life-threatening. So I picked up my phone.

She’ll need more than the average. Take her to the club. Everything will be set up for you there.

I didn’t need his help, and the club wasn’t more than average for her. Bad idea, Cope. I replied, The club is her norm. It’s not special. Why would I take her there?

I waited for a response for at least five minutes, which pissed me off. I was pulling into my parking lot when the phone finally buzzed in my lap. Just do what I say.

Dickhead.

Nan

The club? Was he serious? This was where he wanted us to have our first date now that we were trying again? The guy who wrote me those notes was not the same man who was taking me to the club on a date.

I tried not to roll my eyes, but I was positive I did when he pulled his truck up to the valet stand at the club. The attendant opened my car door, and I picked up my clutch before stepping out of the truck. Maybe I should have expected this. Major was a country boy. He’d been raised in Texas, for God’s sake. He probably thought the club was a nice date.

“Good evening, Mr. Colt. We have the Bentley waiting for you right over here.”

Bentley? He had the Bentley reserved?

“Oh, yeah, thanks,” Major said, sounding almost as surprised as I was by this information. But when he turned to look at me, he was smiling like he’d had the best idea in the world. He held out his arm for me to take, and we walked over to the Bentley. Apparently, we weren’t staying at the club. We just needed one of its Bentleys for our evening.

After we were both in the backseat, I’d turned to Major to ask exactly where we were going when the driver spoke up. “We will be at your destination in five minutes, sir.”

Major nodded and said, “Thank you.” Then he turned back to me, a pleased smile still on his face. “You didn’t really think I’d take you to the club for dinner, did you?” There was a teasing in his tone that caused me to smile. I enjoyed Major when he was like this. Playful and entertaining.

“I guess I did. But I’m so glad that wasn’t our final destination.”

Major smirked and leaned back in his seat, looking smug. An image of Gannon flashed into my head. He never looked smug. He looked sure of who he was. He didn’t need praise. You either accepted him or you didn’t. My chest tightened, and I pushed that thought away. I wouldn’t let myself dwell on that brief affair. Because that was all it had been. He had known how to make me want him, and he’d played his cards well. I was almost sure I’d fallen in love with him or maybe with the idea of who I thought he was. The intelligent danger that he possessed fascinated me. I doubted I’d ever experience that again.

I glanced out the window, determined to change my thoughts, and I recognized exactly where we were. I hadn’t been here in years. Not since Blaire had walked into Rush’s life. I’d stopped coming here then.

“How did you know about this place?” I asked, as the car came to a stop.

Major looked a little startled by my question. Why was he acting so weird tonight? This was his idea of a date. If he’d gone through all this to figure out my special place as a child and most of my life, then he had dug deep. Only Rush could have told him about the garden. My garden.