She said the magic word—yourself. This isn’t about me finding a new relationship in order to be complete. I don’t need a man to make me happy or feel fulfilled. I can do that on my own.

Finding a nice supportive, and incredibly sexy man to stand by your side certainly helps matters too, though, I can’t lie.

“We have an announcement,” Charlie suddenly says. “Isaac and I have been talking, and he’s agreed to become our new customer service manager at Sullivan’s.”

Candice claps, the smile on her face brighter than the sun. “Oh my gosh, I knew you’d say yes! That’s wonderful. Congratulations, Isaac!”

Isaac sits there quietly with a giant smile on his face. I glance over at him, shocked and thrilled by Charlie’s declaration.

“What does this mean?” I ask him.

“This means he’s going to help me out and talk to all the disgruntled customers and make them happy,” Charlie explains. “I do a piss-poor job of it sometimes, and I need someone smoother than me. That’s this guy.” He nods toward Isaac.

I knew Isaac was good at his job, but I didn’t realize he was that great with customers. Instantly I remember when we ran into each other by accident, and how kind he was, even though I was kind of bitchy to him in return. He even gave me tips on how to get the sap out of my denim jacket, which actually worked, I might add.

“It means a promotion and a raise,” Charlie continues. “Isaac’s moving on up.”

“That’s wonderful,” I tell my dinner date, my gaze only for him.

Isaac smiles. “Not bad, huh? I was shocked when Charlie mentioned it to me.”

“And why would you be shocked?” Candice says, her tone lightly scolding. “You’ve been an asset at the farm since day one, according to Charlie. You’re always so kind and helpful. All the customers love you.”

“When they fill out our customer surveys, Isaac always gets the most mentions,” Charlie adds.

“You do?” I ask Isaac.

He shrugs, his cheeks turning ruddy. “I suppose I do.”

“He’s being modest,” Candice says. “Everyone who comes to Sullivan’s loves Isaac. The kids, the little old ladies. The families he helps. He’s always so friendly and full of useful suggestions.”

“He knows how to make people smile,” Charlie adds. “Something I’m not particularly good at.”

“Stop. All of you.” Isaac’s face is now a deep red. “This is getting embarrassing.”

“Aww, he’s blushing.” I lean toward him and drop a kiss on his cheek. “You’re so cute.”

He turns toward me and presses his mouth fully to mine. “So are you.”

“Aw, you two are adorable!” Candice squeals.

Isaac chances a glance in Charlie’s direction as he pulls away from me. “Sorry, boss.”

Charlie waves a hand. “Don’t worry about it. We’re not on the clock.”

“As if you have any room to talk,” Candice mutters to her husband.

“Hey, don’t throw me under the bus,” Charlie says, yanking his wife toward him for a quick kiss. Candice laughs. I can’t help but laugh too.