Once she was seated, Seth returned with their pear, candied walnut, and Gorgonzola salad. Reaching for the sauvignon blanc chilling on the table, he said, “Wine?”

“Are we allowed to drink? I mean, we’re only high schoolers.” With eyes bright with anticipation, she held out her glass to him. “Screw it. It’s prom night.”

“That’s right.” Seth filled their glasses, then lifted his in salute. “Anything goes on prom night.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

When he sat down across from her, Tara paused with her fork of salad halfway to her mouth. “Did you have a wild prom night?”

“Nope. I went with a handful of my friends and we left early because we got tired of standing against the wall all night.”

“Oh, my dandelions. You were a wallflower,” she said, hugging her hands to her chest. “But seriously, I can’t believe you never took a date to prom.”

“I told you I was painfully shy until … after.” He coughed and changed the subject. The brilliant words that popped out were “How do you like the salad?”

“It’s delicious. This is my favorite salad from Lola’s.” She took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. “You and I have a lot in common. I wouldn’t have believed it if someone told me that a month ago.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, we now know that neither of us had a date to the prom because we were both too shy in high school. We both changed majors in college because of our unfortunate relationship choices. And we both have quite a bit of emotional baggage.”

“You’re making us sound like sad, unlucky souls.”

“No, I disagree. I say we’re warriors for charging forward and making a great life for ourselves despite a rocky start to our adult lives.”

Seth raised his glass. “To warriors.”

“Damn right to warriors.” Tara clinked her glass against his.

They ate their sweet and savory salad in silence for a few bites. This evening felt surreal. She couldn’t believe the effort Seth put into it. She glanced down at her corsage and smiled. This was her prom night.

“This is so weird and wonderful. I feel like we’ve traveled back in time,” she said, smiling across the table at him. “I seriously have butterflies in my stomach.”

“Me, too.” Seth chuckled, shaking his head. “I was sweating when I promposed to you. I was nervous as hell.”

“Aww, that is so adorable.” She reached across the table and linked her fingers through his. “Thank you for this. Really.”

“It’s my absolute pleasure. Really.”

He gently untangled his fingers from hers, and stood from the table, reaching for her empty salad plate. “Let me bring our main course. We’re on a schedule tonight.”

“A schedule?” Her eyebrows rose up. “There’s more?”

Seth shot her a quick, indignant glance. “Of course, there’s more. I told you I’m taking you to prom tonight.”

“Sorry. This is already more than I could’ve imagined.”

“Well, prepare yourself.” He wiggled his eyebrows, incandescent in his glee.