“It usually works when she does it,” John said, pulling a zip up hoodie from a coatrack. “I see it doesn’t work on everyone.”

When they pulled up to Smith’s Apple Orchard, Victoria cut the ignition and looked at John. “Ta-da.”

He surveyed the bustling crowd and smiled. “Ta-da, indeed.”

“I thought we’d have a fall-themed outing today.” As she tried to read his expression, she added. “If you don’t like it, we can do something else.” It had been a long time since Victoria had been in charge of planning a date and she hoped she wasn’t too rusty.

“No, no, I’ve always wanted to come here,” he said, taking her hand. “I’ve skipped it in the past because it never felt like a place for single men to wander.”

Joy and relief surged through her as she flashed him a beaming smile. “Well, you’re not single today and I’ve got a list of things for us to do,” she said, pulling out her phone. “We have to buy some pumpkins, and then hit up the corn maze, see the petting zoo...”

John took her phone from her. “I’m going to hold on to this while we explore the orchard. We don’t need a list to have fun.”

“But I don’t want to miss anything,” Victoria protested.

He placed the phone in his pants pocket. “And I keep telling you that we don’t need a plan.”

“Alright,” she said with a resigned sigh. “Please don’t let me forget to stop by the barnyard petting zoo, they have goats this year.”

He chuckled as he tweaked her nose. “We will see the goats, woman.”

They exited the car and made their way to the entrance. Along the way, John slipped his hand into hers and tugged her closer to his side. She looked up at him to see him watching children running around, dodging those who slowly strolled. Their excited shrieks of laughter made him grin. Victoria liked the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. She also liked the way he held her hand with a protective squeeze, like she was actually his girlfriend. For a moment, she let her mind wander to her and John actually dating. It was a tempting idea to have something more stable than what they currently had.

Their first stop was the barnyard petting zoo. Upon seeing the animals, Victoria pulled away from John’s grasp and ran to the first goat. “Look at him,” she squealed.

John doubled over with laughter. “You’re serious about these goats,” he said.

“I wanted to be a farmer when I was a kid,” she said, stroking the gray and black goat’s nose.

“Did you really?” John’s tone was incredulous. “I can’t picture it.”

“Oh yeah, I was convinced I’d have chickens and goats and some cows.”

“What did you want to grow?”