The Summer Proposal by Vi Keeland by Vi Keeland

Adam unfolded his big hand to reveal a tiny Yoda. He leaned over and set it on the bar in front of me, and a hint of cologne wafted through the air. Smells as good as he looks. There had to be something majorly wrong with him.

“Women tend to not like Star Wars for some reason,” he said. “Or a grown man carrying around an action figure.”

“I actually like Star Wars.”

He put his hand over his heart. “A beautiful woman who likes Star Wars? Should we skip the formalities and just grab a flight to Vegas to get married?”

I laughed. “Maybe, but first promise me you aren’t into ventriloquism.”

He crossed his heart. “Star Wars is as bad as it gets.”

The bartender came over to take Adam’s drink order. I was surprised when he asked for a Diet Coke.

“You’re not going to join me for a cocktail or a glass of wine?”

He shook his head. “Wish I could, but I have to work later.”

“Tonight?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I wish I didn’t. But I actually need to get out of here in a little while.”

I’d thought we were meeting for drinks and dinner, but perhaps Frannie had gotten that wrong.

“Oh, okay.” I forced a smile.

Apparently Adam saw right through it.

“I swear I’m not making that up. I do have to work. But I definitely would love to stay. Since I can’t, is it too early to say I’d love to see you again?”

I sipped my wine. “Hmmm... I’m not sure about that. Normally, I get to know someone on a first date, so I can weed out the serial killers and nutjobs. How am I supposed to know you’re not the next Ted Bundy if you’re running out of here?”

Adam stroked the scruff on his chin and looked at his watch. “I have about fifteen minutes. Why don’t we cut the small talk and you can ask me anything?”

“Anything?”

He shrugged. “I’m an open book. Take your best shot.”

I gulped my wine and turned in my seat to face him. “Alright. But I want to watch your face as I grill you. I’m terrible at hiding lies on mine but great at reading others.”

He smiled and turned, giving me his full attention. “Go for it.”

“Okay. Do you live with your mother?”

“No, ma’am. She doesn’t even live in the same state. But I do call home every Sunday.”

“Have you ever been arrested?”

“Public indecency in college. I was pledging a fraternity, and me and a bunch of other guys had to walk through the center of town naked. A group of girls stopped us and asked if any of us could hula hoop. Everyone else kept walking. I figured they were all too chicken, so I stopped. Apparently, the guys weren’t afraid; I was just the only one who didn’t see the cop coming out of a store a couple of doors down.”

I laughed. “Can you actually hula hoop?”

He winked. “Only naked. You wanna see?”

The smile on my face widened. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“Shame.”

“When was the last time you had sex?”

For the first time, the smile on his face wilted. “Two weeks ago. Are you gonna hold that against me?”

I shook my head. “Not necessarily. I appreciate the honesty. You could have lied and said a while ago.”

“Okay, good. What else you got?”

“Have you ever been in a relationship?”

“Twice. Once in college for a year, and then I dated a woman for eighteen months, and that ended two years ago.”

“Why did they end?”

“College, because I was twenty and…it was a crazy time in my life. And the woman I dated a few years back, because she wanted to get married and start a family, and I wasn’t ready.”

I tapped my pointer to my bottom lip. “Hmm… Yet you just asked me to go to Vegas and marry you.”

He grinned. “She didn’t like Star Wars.”

We were both too busy laughing to notice a guy walk up to us. I figured he must have known Adam, so I politely smiled and looked to him. But the guy spoke to me.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but are you Georgia Delaney?”

“Yes?”

He smiled. “I’m Adam Foster. Frannie showed me a picture of you, but it was from a costume party.” He motioned to the side of his head, twirling his hand around in a circle. “You were dressed as Princess Leia, with your hair all pinned up on the sides, so you looked a little different than you do now.”

I furrowed my brow. “You’re…Adam?”

The guy seemed just as confused as I was. “Yes.”

Now this man looked like what I’d been expecting: worn, brown tweed jacket, cropped hair parted to one side—sort of the average Joe that worked in the IT department at your office. But…

If he was Adam, then who was this?

I looked at the guy sitting next to me for an answer. Though that’s not what I got.

“Did you really dress as Princess Leia for a Halloween party?”

“Yes, but…”

Adam, or whoever the hell the guy sitting next to me was, put his finger over my lips and turned to the man who was apparently my date. “Can you just give us a minute?” he asked.

“Umm…sure.”