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Present day
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Brushing her hair up into a high, bouncy ponytail, Rose pulled an elastic around it to hold her wavy, red hair in place. It could be unruly, especially in this heat, so wearing it up was for her own best interest. And Mason’s if he didn’t want to stare at her with wild, frizzy hair.
Rose smoothed down her leggings and tugged on her tank top, worrying if it was too low-cut. She swiped a little mascara across her eyelashes, added lip gloss to her lips, and checked out her reflection. The doorbell rang, and she yelled for her mom not to answer it.
Of course, she didn’t listen, because thirty seconds later, she heard her mom say, “Hello.”
She needed to hurry before her mom embarrassed her. Rose reached into her closet to find her sneakers, laced them up, and rushed downstairs. Mason was standing in the doorway leaning against the entryway wall, while her mom grilled him relentlessly.
“Hi!” she said, slightly out of breath from racing down the stairs.
Mason smiled shyly at her. “Hey, Rose. You look pretty.”
Rose’s mom beamed at the compliment directed toward her daughter. “Don’t be out too late. Have fun, kids!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll have her back home safely in a few hours. It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Blackwood.” Mason extended his hand for her mom to shake.
Celia shook his hand, her smile broadening even more—as if that were possible. “Nice meeting you, Mason.”
Rose grabbed Mason’s hand, opened the front door, and dragged him outside before her mom could get any weirder. She shut the door and tugged Mason toward the truck parked in her driveway. She barely registered that they were holding hands until Mason glanced down at their intertwined fingers and then made eye contact with her.
“Oh, uh, sorry,” Rose stuttered, her face flushing as she dropped her hold on his hand.
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” Mason smirked and opened the passenger door of his truck for her.
Rose hoisted herself up into the truck and buckled her seatbelt. By the time Mason had pulled out of her driveway, she was floundering. Rose had no clue what to talk about except for The Midnight Flower. But she wasn’t sure how to bring that up. It didn’t scream “first date conversation,” so maybe she should wait until they had hung out a few times. She might as well enjoy going out with the cute guy she had a crush on, even if he was possibly stalking her and blackmailing her with her deepest, darkest secret.
***
Mason stopped the truck in front of a wooded area. Rose noticed a sign that said Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve.
A dirt trail covered in wood chips led into a cluster of trees. A few other cars were in the parking lot, but Rose didn’t see anyone else. The sun was already beating down on them, although it wasn’t at full force yet.
Mason pulled a picnic basket and blanket out of the truck bed and gestured for her to follow him.
Her heart thumping with nerves, she joked, “You didn’t bring me out here to murder me, right?”
Mason’s bright blue eyes widened before he snickered. “Of course not. I wouldn’t do that in such a public place.”
Her phone buzzed with a text. Rose hastily pulled it out, assuming it was Spencer checking in on her. He had requested updates throughout the date to make sure she was okay. He didn’t trust Mason. Rose sent him a quick text telling him where they were and slipped her phone back into her pocket. But Spencer’s text had reminded her that she wasn’t there to have fun.
Full of anxiety, she gulped and followed Mason down the dirt trail. They passed a small pond with geese swimming and turtles sunbathing on rocks. After the pond, there were various flowers and plants strategically placed to the side of the trail with signs describing each of them.
They walked for a few more minutes until Mason stopped in a clearing. Rose’s eyes brightened as she spotted a Little Free Library.
“Did you know this was here?” she asked excitedly, pointing at the cute little wooden house, the shelf inside half-full of books.
“Yup, I thought you might like it. Can we enjoy a picnic first, though?” Mason set the picnic basket on the ground and spread out the blanket. “My lady,” he said, beckoning for her to sit. He opened the basket and began pulling out items and placing them on the blanket: sandwiches covered in plastic wrap, a bag of potato chips, and a pasta salad.
“Lunch is served.”
“Aww, thanks, Mason. This is so sweet.” She smiled appreciatively as she took it all in.
“Sweet enough to make up for not showing at Kasey’s pool party?” His blue eyes darted away from her.
“I forgive you. What happened? Did an emergency come up?” Rose asked.
“Yeah, I should have texted you. My mom had to work late, so I had to babysit my little brother. I’m really sorry.”
“That’s okay. Do you have to babysit a lot?”
“Sometimes. I try to help my mom out as much as I can. Yesterday, I had an interview at Hub City Scoops to work there part-time this summer. I want to help my mom with the bills, so she isn’t as stressed,” Mason answered.
“Wow, that’s nice of you to get a job to help her. I’m sure your mom appreciates it.”
Mason shrugged nonchalantly, as if it wasn’t a big deal. “She works so hard. If I can make her life a little easier, then I do whatever I can.”
Rose thought about her own parents and how hard they worked for her. She could probably find a way to help them too.
“Are you going to eat or what? This is supposed to be a date,” Mason said, gesturing to the food.
Rose returned his smile and surveyed the food spread out on the picnic blanket. “Sure, I’m starving.”
“Great. I made ham and cheese sandwiches, but there’s also some fruit, chips, and pasta salad. And . . .” He pulled out one last container and opened it to reveal the contents. “My mom made us homemade brownies.”
“Oh my God, those look amazing! You’ll have to tell her thank you from me.”
“I will. Trust me, they taste even better than they look,” he promised.
They ate in silence. Rose spiraled as the silence stretched between them. Why isn’t he talking? Is it too quiet? Is the date going well? What if he doesn’t feel the same? What if he is The Midnight Flower, and this is all an elaborate ruse to get me to trust him? Am I reading too much into it, or—
Mason interrupted her thoughts with a light chuckle. “You okay? You looked like you were concentrating really hard.”
“Oh. Yeah, I’m good. Just thinking about . . . uh . . .” Rose struggled to voice her feelings.
Mason reached out to take her hand in his. “I think I know what you’re going to say.”
Her insides turned warm and fuzzy. “You do?” She gazed up at him, hoping he had a crush on her too.
“I like you, Rose. I like spending time with you and how you aren’t afraid to be yourself. You’re courageous and different and special. You aren’t like other girls. Plus, you’re so pretty.” He brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face that had fallen out of her ponytail. “I like you,” he repeated.
Rose gasped. That was what the note from the secret admirer said.
“It’s you.”
“What?” Mason asked.
“You left an anonymous note in my—”
“Oh, uh . . . I can explain.”
“I—I like you too, Mason,” she said softly, turning away from his intense gaze.
He wasn’t going to kiss her, was he? It was only their first date!
But he removed his hand from her face and leaned back, still holding onto her hand. His gaze smoldered, making her too nervous to keep staring into his beautiful blue eyes.
“I’m glad.” He let go of her hand and started packing up their picnic. “Do you want to follow the trail for a bit? It doesn’t go very far.” He turned to her expectantly.
“Sure, that sounds great.”
Rose helped him pack up the picnic items, then waited as he carried the basket and blanket back to the car. A minute later, he returned and handed her a water bottle.
“I thought these might be a good idea, especially in this heat,” he told her.
“Thanks.” She accepted the water and took a few sips until her thirst was quenched.
“Shall we?” Mason held out his hand.
“Can we check out the Little Free Library on our way back?”
“Of course.”
Rose wrapped her hand into his, and they set off down the trail. They walked in silence for a few minutes.
“I don’t want this to be awkward, but I know about your sister. Lily,” Mason blurted out.
Rose froze, her hand tightening its grip on Mason’s hand involuntarily.
“Uh, sorry. Maybe that wasn’t the right time to mention her. I didn’t want you to think I’m an insensitive jerk. I’m sorry about what happened to her,” Mason continued.
“What do you mean?” Rose dropped her hand from his and dug her nails into her palms.
“Well, she’s been missing for a long time . . .” Mason trailed off, then scratched the back of his neck. “Oh God, I’m an idiot, aren’t I? Forget I brought it up. Let’s enjoy the rest of the date and go see what books are in that little library thing.”
Despite Rose’s first-date bliss, she hadn’t forgotten about The Midnight Flower and interrogating Mason, but she hadn’t wanted to spoil the day. Mason had done that all on his own. She wasn’t sure why he had brought up her sister when the date was going so well, but it didn’t have anything to do with The Midnight Flower. Mason wasn’t capable of doing something so creepy. He was a sweet guy—the type of person who worked to help his mom out, babysat his little brother, and packed a picnic for their date. Would a blackmailing stalker do any of that?
The Midnight Flower had to be someone else.