by Violet Duke
Dammit.
“I’ll be there!” nodded Dani enthusiastically. “Oh hey, I know someone whose parents have a pick-your-own crop farm too. Maybe you know them? His last name is Bradford.”
For the second time that day, Dean coughed on his drink.
Claire shot him a look. “I don’t believe I know any crop farmers named Bradford,” she evaded smoothly before smiling in that woman-to-woman way. “Is this young man your beau?”
Good lord, the way the woman could question was actually an art form.
“Okay, enough prying into the woman’s life,” interrupted Dean sternly. His well-covered glare said, ‘Enough!’ “You have to excuse my wife. She goes a little overboard when she gets to chat with others since she’s only got boring ole me to talk with day in and day out at the farm.”
Dani’s laughter chimed in the air. “Aw, I’ll bet she counts herself lucky to have that.”
Why, that sounded absolutely genuine. Dean couldn’t help but be charmed.
“My brother Derek and I used to love listening to our dad tell all his old stories,” she continued with a fond look in her eyes. “In fact, Derek just came back from his honeymoon in Europe where he’d found the exact fountain in Seville that my parents had taken a picture in front of decades ago. My heart just melted when I saw the photo of Derek and his husband kissing in front of it just like my parents had done.”
This time, Claire coughed on her drink, in unexpected surprise.
That made Dani’s eyes settle on Claire’s face, still politely, but with a tinge of protectiveness that hinted that if Claire was about to disparage her brother’s marriage in any way, their conversation would immediately be over.
Dean beamed at that—he respected the hell out of a strong woman who protected her family. “That reminds me of Eric, one of my best Army buddies. Claire, remember how you gushed over that story?” He turned back to Dani. “It was during that whole ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ era of the military so no one knew my good friend Eric was gay. Well, besides me, but I’ve always had a surprisingly good gaydar. Anyway, once, when my unit did a short stint in Italy for a few months, we all managed to get over to Venice to visit. When Eric took in the sights, he was thunderstruck. We stopped on a bridge over a canal and he whispered that if he was lucky enough to find the perfect man to spend his life with after he got out of the military, he wanted to return to that very spot with him.” A soft look of joy lit his eyes. “I was ecstatic to get a Venice postcard from him and his partner a few years later.”
“That’s so romantic,” sighed Dani, her eyes flickering once more at Claire then, as if still trying to figure her out.
Claire caught her gaze. “I’m not homophobic, I swear. It was just surprise, nothing else. When I get caught off guard, I get a knee-jerk reflex sometimes...with an emphasis on jerk.”
Dani’s expression started to warm up again.
Claire put her hand on Dani’s. “I’m sorry if I upset you. I truly do find it very romantic that your brother and his husband got to share that special moment your parents did. And I hope one day you get to do the same with whomever you marry—maybe make it a family tradition.”
Finally, Dani’s smile was back to full wattage. Seeing it, Dean found himself seconding his wife’s invitation to the farm. “I sincerely hope we see you at the farm soon, young lady.”
“I promise...on one condition.” Dani looked at her watch. “I insist you try a sampler selection of our fruit beers along with some desserts. The fruits are all from local farmers like you. You can even enjoy them on the roof deck while the sun sets. It’s nice up there.”
“Why, that sounds lovely.” Claire looked at Dean, the recon mission now forgotten as her eyes softened over the promise of romance.
He nodded his agreement. “I think that would be an absolutely wonderful way to end the day with my wife.”
Smiling, Dani walked them up to the rustically romantic roof deck adorned with an open-weave wooden arbor covering the dance floor. At closer look, Dean realized it was dried Ocotillo, not thin wood reeds, providing the shading. How creative.
After seating them on the west-facing end, Dani looked out at the scenery with wistful eyes. “This is my favorite view of the town from when I was a kid,” she revealed softly. “You see that rooftop?” She pointed out the Desert Confections building to them. “When I was younger, that building was a Mexican restaurant, and the family who owned it used to have these amazing parties up on the roof.”
Her eyes crinkled softly. “This brewpub actually used to belong to my parents. They bought it when I was just a toddler and spent years working so hard to make it successful. We all made sacrifices. For me and my brother, that meant less time making and keeping friends; for my folks, that meant less time for us. But we made do. Thrift store buys, pretending our dinners here were fancy restaurant meals, stealing family time on the slow nights, that sort of thing.”
She slid her gaze back to the neighboring rooftop, her eyes sparkling with memories only her mind could see. “My brother once told me that when I was in the first grade, I announced to my parents that all birthday parties were stupid so I didn’t want one thrown for me. So of course, they heeded my wishes. Then one day, that same year, he caught me sneaking up here to spy on a little girl’s party that was happening on top of that building. Apparently, I was laughing and dancing around this rooftop all alone, living vicariously through those kids.”
Abruptly, she cleared her throat and quickly blinked the past away, along with the mist that had gathered in her eyes. “I have no idea what made me think of all that,” she chuckled, embarrassed, before looking thankfully at the approaching waiter. “Oh good, here are your dessert and beer samplers.”
When Dean took out his wallet to pay, she gave him a firm headshake. “It’s on the house since it was my idea.” When Claire tried to object, Dani didn’t give in. “Nope. For local farmers, it’s my pleasure, really. Plus, I love seeing couples up here at this time of day.” Her eyes drifted across the landscape once more. “Well, I better get back to work. You two enjoy.” Then somehow, she slipped away while the desert sunset stole the couple’s attention.
After she was gone, Claire said softly, “I like her.”
“Me too. She’s perfect for Luke.” Dean frowned sympathetically. “But she’s scared.”
“You think? She seems so open and loving.”
“So were you, remember? You had the same barriers up all around you when we first met. It took me two years to wear you down.”
Claire thought about that for a few seconds before her expression became mulish. “Well, I don’t want Luke and Dani to wait years. They deserve happiness now.” She flashed a determined, enchanting little pout at him.
Oh no.
“I want grandchildren while I can still run after them, Dean.”
He sighed, long and slow. “I don’t like the sound of this.”
“I think I have a plan.”
Shaking his head, he reached for one of the little sampler beer glasses and was tempted to toss it back like a shot. “Of course you do, dear.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
DANI WALKED INTO Desert Confections just before eight p.m. to meet Luke for their date, only to find a sign awaiting her with a giant arrow aimed upward printed on it. Rissa, who was manning the register, simply grinned and pointed to the old rear stairwell behind the kitchen. After getting no further clues or hints of any sort, Dani gave her a gee-thanks nose scrunch and warily climbed all the way up the creaky steps to the rooftop. Nothing but darkness greeted her.
“Luke?”
“SURPRISE! ”
Frozen, Dani could hardly believe the sight before her. One by one, tall floodlights surged to life all around her to reveal an extravagantly decorated rooftop and a swarm of people rushing forward to greet her.
Two strong arms wrapped around her waist.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” said Luke in her ear, the big smile he was wearing
plain as day in his voice. When she turned to face him, completely speechless, he laughed and put a sparkly cone-shaped party hat on her head. “By that mouth agape look of shock, I take it you like this little birthday shindig we put together?”
This ‘little shindig’ was every kid’s ultimate dream, decked out with decorations, game booths, a piñata that was obviously handmade, cotton candy, and enough food to feed an army.
It was beautiful. Everything about the party gave her the same feelings she used to get watching the parties held on this very rooftop when she was a kid.
Only this time, she was invited. Even better, she was the guest of honor.
Her first birthday party. A river of emotions overtook her as her mind worked to crystallize everything around her like snapshots to fill the empty places in her memory album.
Derek came up and swung her up in a giant bear hug. “Happy birthday, sis.”
“Derek!” Dani flung her arms around him and gripped him tight. They hadn’t spoken in over a week. The last conversation they’d had, the day after she’d explained why she couldn’t go through with the winery idea, he’d barely said two sentences to her. Looking at him now, she was almost shocked to see him looking so...happy. She shot him a hooded look. “Nice to see you’re still alive. Are you doing okay?”
“Of course I am.” He gave her a puzzled look. “Why?”
“It’s been a while since we’ve talked…”
A startled look shot across his face. “Did you think I was avoiding you?”
When she nodded sadly, he drew her in for another hug. “I’ve just been doing some heavy duty thinking alone is all. Plus, I was keeping a low profile because I was helping Luke with this party.” He shook his head at her. “I told you, I’m not upset over”—he flicked a glance over at Luke a few feet away—“what happened. In fact, I have a related idea that I want to run by you. After your birthday bash, of course.” Barely contained enthusiasm tipped the corners of his mouth up into a mysterious grin. “You were the inspiration for it.”
She latched onto his wrist. “No, wait. Don’t run off with that cliffhanger. Tell me now,” she pleaded, thrilled that he seemed to back to his cheery old self again. Maybe happier, even.
“Later, I promise.” He kissed her forehead. “There will be no thunder stealing today. Just enjoy your party.” He gave her a soft smile. “By the way, look around. This is way better than that lame kiddie party you saw up here in the first grade.”
Dani felt her heart clench and tears well up in her eyes. “It is, isn’t it?”
“I’ll take about twenty-five percent of the credit for how it turned out,” he winked, “but the rest was all Luke. That’s a good guy you’ve found, sweetie. I’m happy for you.” He kissed her cheek again and then patted Luke on the shoulder in big brother fashion before disappearing with Jonathan into the crowd…which seemed to be descending upon her all of a sudden.
Dani felt fresh tears coming in. Seeing that, Luke just smiled and tucked an arm around her while a group of what looked like the entire town of Cactus Creek shuffled forward singing Happy Birthday at the top of their lungs. She gasped at the sight of the giant birthday cake they carted over. Colorful frosted decorations, candied confetti, and her name written in icing.
Her heart leapt up to her throat, and all of a sudden, time seemed to slow.
The symphony of singing voices became echoed as the twenty-eight flickering candles turned into a soft glow that lit a haze all around as a new image ebbed in and out her mind. Materializing…just out of reach. Too fuzzy to be a memory, too real to be strictly fantasy.
A dream perhaps?
In it, she and Luke were singing Happy Birthday to a child.
Their child.
Dani blinked and the scene disappeared. But her reaction to it remained. The dreamy images lodged her breath in her chest, right over her heart. And as if Luke were dreaming of the same future, his hand gave hers an emotional squeeze. She went up on her tiptoes and tilted her head up to catch his mouth in a feather-light kiss.
“I love you,” she whispered against his lips.
LUKE’S LIPS kicked up; he was positive he had the look of a man so far entranced he was just holding on for the ride. Hearing her say the words could always get him there in an instant. He pulled her into his arms until they were touching shoulders to knees. Looking into her eyes, seeing all her unspoken words, he almost forgot there were guests all around them. Almost.
“Get a room, you two!” shouted someone from under the giant tent. Luke chuckled and put some distance between their bodies—one inch, at least—before leading her to a table with a gigantic bowl in the center. Then he just waited expectantly for her to look down. She didn’t disappoint. When she realized that was fresh caramel corn in the bowl, Dani gasped and grabbed a handful to try. Luke had heard the story, knew how the flavors she was groaning in happiness over right this minute were the tastes of her childhood that only her nose had been privy to from a building rooftop away. When she turned her shining eyes to him in gratitude over such a small thing—a handful of popcorn—Luke felt his heartstrings tug tight.
“I can’t believe you did all this,” marveled Dani, after finally coming up for air when half the bowl was in her tummy. “Every game, every treat, it’s all perfect.”
“Derek helped a ton with the planning. I followed his suggestions to the last-minute detail.” Luke cleared his throat. “Sans one, that is.”
Curious, Dani asked, “What suggestion was that?”
“Your brother wanted to setup Spin the Bottle for the guests. In fact, he was pretty adamant about it.”
Dani’s cheeks warmed to an adorable scarlet. “That little twerp!”
“Ah see, the way he was laughing, I knew there was a backstory that would ensure I slept on the couch tonight if I gave in.” He patted himself on the back. “Okay, so tell me the story.”
She ducked her head down. “There was this middle school party...”
“Middle school? Why, Ms. Dobson, I’m shocked. And frankly, jealous.”
Her cheeks burned brighter. “I didn’t actually do anything! When it was my turn at the bottle, I bolted, making some excuse about my curfew, I think. I ended up sneaking into another room and calling Derek to come pick me up early.”
“Aw, so you never got to make out at a boy-girl party before?
“Nope.” She turned laughing eyes his way, slowly getting over her embarrassment. “Are you going to go looking for an empty bottle now? So I can see what I missed out on?”
He gave her a hell-no headshake. “Are you kidding? Way too many guys here who can’t keep their damn eyes off you.” He swept an appreciative glance over her in the ultra-feminine, white flowing dress with her token Dollar Store white rubber beach slippers to match.
Dani just laughed the compliment off and pointed to a group of nearby guys. “Hey, what about your friends over there? They seem innocent enough. You trust them, don’t you?”
His horrified look at the particularly houndish set of his fantasy football buddies she had picked out made her giggle...then break out in a sprint in their direction. She swiped an empty wine bottle off the table on the way. “Hey, you guys want to play Spin the—”
He ran after her and threw her over his shoulder, tickling her mercilessly as he led her a safe distance away from his friends, all of whom were enjoying the comical exchange. “Ignore this one,” Luke called back to the guys. “She’s laugh-her-ass-off drunk, talking crazy.”
“I don’t know, man. She sounds pretty sober to me,” needled one of Luke’s buddies, his eyebrows bobbing just enough to heckle Luke. “Honey, you can set that bottle up right here.”
“That’s the other reason why we aren’t playing any big kid party games tonight,” grumbled Luke. “A few of my so-called friends have made it very clear that they wouldn’t mind terminating our decade-long friendship if it meant a chance at dating you.”
Two of those ‘friends’ had their fingers u
p to their ears in a motion for her to call them.
“Awww,” said Dani, genuinely touched.
“That wasn’t a selling point on their behalf. Trust me, each and every one of those guys is a purebred alley cat.”
“Unlike you and your suave caveman techniques,” she laughed, wiggling even more now.
With her shimmying giving him all sorts of interesting, wholly inappropriate ideas, he reluctantly let her down—only because the alternative was just not rated for this party.
She kept on with those impish fairy giggles though, and he couldn’t help but steal a kiss. He just couldn’t get enough of her. She was his favorite, most intoxicating liquor. And soon, their kiss, which may have started off playfully chaste, became a claiming so complete, he got completely inebriated off her. That is, until his brain recognized the sobering voices coming closer by the second. “Great,” he muttered, though a reluctant smile peeked through. “Okay, pause button on the mind-numbing kisses. My parents are at three o’clock and closing so let’s pretend to behave.” He winked and kissed the tip of her nose affectionately. “Hey, that reminds me. How come you never told me you met them the other day—”
Looking utterly confused, Dani whirled around and did a double take when she saw the elderly couple approaching them. “You’re Luke’s parents?”
Luke whipped a glare at his folks. “You didn’t introduce yourselves at Ocotillos?!”
His dad immediately pointed at his mother and mouthed, “It was all her.”
His mother batted her lashes. “How covert would my recon have been if I had?”
Luke rolled his eyes. His life was a circus. “Dani, I’d like you to officially meet my parents, Claire and Dean Hennessey. They’re actually the ones who suggested this party.”
Dani laughed and hugged them both. “You know, I’m not surprised at the intel they managed to get. They did the whole ‘good spy, bad spy’ routine. Hella-crafty interrogators.”
“Glad you approve of our methods,” delighted Claire, deadpan. “Because we want to invite you up to the farm tomorrow morning for a second helping.”
