#Chapter 50: First Date

Logan I didn’t know if Emily would show up. I hadn’t sent a formal invitation—just asked her earlier in the day, as casually as I could manage, to join me for dinner at seven… if she felt it. No photographers. No schedule. No press release. Just us. I set the table myself in the dining room. Just one bottle of wine, two plates of something I’d tried not to burn, and the sharp, irritating tension of waiting. It would serve me right if she decided not to show. I heard her before I saw her. The quiet pad of bare feet on carpet. The faint shift of fabric. When Emily entered, she wore a simple dress—one I hadn’t seen before. Just soft navy cotton that clung to her ribs like it didn’t want to let go. Her hair was down. No makeup. Eyes guarded. She looked beautiful. I stood automatically. “You came.” “You said there’d be food,” she said, stepping closer, gaze skimming the room. “I assumed you meant it.” “I did. It’s…not terrible.” Her lips twitched at the corner. That