It had been one crazy shift. First all the unexpected speed daters from the cute pink tent, then all hell broke loose as animals of all shapes and sizes ended up in anything she could find from the storeroom.

A snake in a wine cooler, bunnies in boxes, geckos in salad bowls. Someone almost put a hamster in the wine cooler too. Thank goodness the lovely lady in charge of the speed dating intervened before that turned into a murder scene.

Molly had been so distracted that she hadn't had time to think about Ian since their meeting. That was until she heard a loud scream ripple through the mall. She was just leaving the tent when it happened. She looked towards the source and let out a loud laugh.

Ian was dancing around the place as a gecko jumped from his shoulder.

He's such a wimp, but he's cute.

"Molly, half an hour and you can have your dinner break."

"Cool, thanks Mr Frost."

He groaned. "Molly, please. Call me Hunter. 'Mr Frost' makes me feel like a senior citizen." He followed her gaze to Ian just as a crazy girl holding a net yelled at him and ran off. "You know that kid?"

Molly nodded. "Same school."

"Ah. He's a stud. Odd, but a stud."

"Nobody says stud anymore Mr Frost."

"Hey, no need to keep reminding me of how old I am," said Hunter, humour clear in his voice.

She laughed, then went back into the restaurant to serve some of the speed-dating couples that had hit it off.

Just before it was time for her break, a familiar face walked through the open front doors. Her heart skipped a beat. It was Ian, back in his normal clothes. She weirdly missed the diaper, but it was nice seeing him look like his old self.

He smiled when he saw her and walked in her direction, ignoring Sharon at the front counter.

"Hey, I don't suppose there's a free table for one in here tonight?"

"Sorry, the tables are reserved for two or more customers." Ian's smile fell at that. "But I'm about to go on my dinner break. I normally eat out the back, but I'm sure my boss would be fine with us sharing a table."

She thought he would be more excited about having dinner together, but instead, his eyes widened in shock and then a girly scream escaped his lips. His finger began pointing at her general chest area. Looking down, it was then she noticed the gecko clinging to her black vest.

Aww, what a cutie!

She scooped it up in her hands and headed towards the tent so he could join his friends in the giant bowl.

She then turned back to Ian, who was watching her in stunned silence. He'd followed her to the door, but was keeping his distance.

"I take it you're not a fan of geckos?" she asked him.

Ian shook his head. "I was bitten by a snake as a kid. Been afraid of reptiles ever since."

"Oh, wow. Was it bad?"

"It was a harmless garden snake, but I was young and it's just something that's stuck with me ever since."

"Well, in that case, don't go near the wine cooler."

He was clearly embarrassed by the conversation—which she strangely found attractive. So she looped her arm through his and hauled him back inside.

"Let's have that dinner, shall we?"

He looked down at her and smiled. Replaced their elbows with their hands. He held on tight and said, "lead the way."

Butterflies exploded in her stomach as her Valentine's Day was coming to an end with the promise of something more—something possibly life-changing.

~~~~~~

shellzels
Shelley has been part of Wattpad for the past three years where she has enjoyed writing her first romance novels. When she's not writing, her time is taken up with three crazy kids. If you enjoy reading about her man-baby cupid then check out her other contemporary romances with a bit of humour mixed in.