“I’m lucky you’re so tolerant.”
“You’re right. You’re also lucky you’re so hot.”
He smiled sadly. “Have a good night, okay?”
“I’ll try. You too. Oh, and you’ve got some of her lipstick…” I pointed at the red mark on his cheek. As he frowned and rubbed furiously at his face, I turned and made my way back to Jackman.
Chapter 26
Fire
Who is so faint, that dare not be so bold
To touch the fire, the weather being cold?
(Venus and Adonis)
STOP BITING YOUR DAMN NAILS, AUBREY!
I caught myself for the millionth time and jammed my hand in my pocket. Jo had given me a manicure and pedicure the night before, and I was ruining her hard work. But where the hell was Daniel? I continued pacing, looking at my phone every few minutes. He was the one who’d told me to be there at ten on the nose.
I thought grimly about the debacle of the evening before. Considering that we hadn’t even really gotten our relationship off the ground yet, we’d certainly had our fair share of conflict. Being on speaking terms after all we’d been through was amazing enough, but the fact that we were still so desperate to be together was utterly remarkable.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of squealing tires as Daniel careened into the parking lot and pulled up to the curb. He hopped out and dashed around the car to join me.
“Jesus, I’m so sorry. The traffic on Yonge Street was a nightmare.”
“That’s okay. I was worried, that’s all.”
“Worst route ever.” He looked down at my small suitcase. “This is it?”
“I could have fit a few pairs of panties in my purse, but I figured I’d better bring a bigger bag. You know, leave room for souvenirs.”
“Good thinking.” He winked at me and tossed my bag in the backseat, then opened the passenger side door for me. As he eased himself into his seat and saw me reaching for my seatbelt, he stopped my hand. “You know what? Just wait a second?”
He leaned over the center console, slid his hands into my hair and kissed me deeply. It was just what I needed. Sweet and sensual, it was a kiss that spoke of regrets, of longing, and ultimately of reconciliation and promises of things to come.
Dropping a soft kiss on my cheek, he continued to cradle my face in his hands. “Christ, I needed that. Especially after last night. That reception was a catastrophe.”
“Only for us. I hope your father enjoyed himself.”
“He did,” he assured me, kissing me again softly. “So? What do you think? Ready?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready for anything in my life. Let’s get going to—wherever it is.”
“I hope I haven’t built this up too much. I’d hate for you to be disappointed.”
“I won’t be. I just want to be with you, Daniel. We could drive back to your condo, and I’d be perfectly happy. Of course, we’d have to go shopping for new sheets and towels first,” I added, smiling at him cheekily.
He rolled his eyes. “We are not going back to the condo.”
He snuck quick glances at me as he drove, and I found myself grinning despite the flock, herd, school, or whatever you’d call the group of butterflies dancing in my stomach. When he laced his fingers through mine, placing my hand on his thigh, I began to have wayward thoughts of caresses…his fingers exploring my skin. The girly bits started to dance along with the butterflies.
I sat back and tried to enjoy the drive, humming along with the music from his iPod and watching the scenery. We’d been on the highway for about forty-five minutes when he interrupted my daydreams.
“Are you hungry?”
“A little.”
“Maybe we should stop and grab a snack?”
“Did you have something in mind?”
He beamed at me. “I think it’s time we had our first date.”
I returned his smile. “Oh, really?”
“Absolutely,” he said, pulling off the highway. Two minutes later we stopped in the parking lot of the local Tim Hortons. “Do you remember that night after the Palais Royale? How I said I couldn’t wait to do something as simple as hold your hand while drinking coffee and eating Timbits at Tim Hortons?”
“I do remember. Vividly.”
“Well, no time like the present. Shall we?”
Daniel held the coffee shop door open for me, and we went up to the cashier, who looked at us expectantly.
“Can I help you?”
“Do you want a coffee, sweetheart?” Daniel asked me.
“Yes, please.”
“Okay, we’ll grab two medium coffees to stay. The first one we’ll take with…two milks and one sugar?” He glanced over at me for confirmation, and I nodded.
“And the other?” the cashier asked as she punched the information into the register.
“Black,” I said, smiling at Daniel.
It was ridiculous to be so ecstatic over ordering each other a coffee, but to me it meant we were a couple. This was so banal, so normal. So amazing. This was what we’d been waiting for. Among other things.
“Can we get some Timbits?” I asked him.
“Sure, we’ll grab ten.”
The cashier picked up a small box and a piece of waxed paper, waiting for directions.
“Make that five chocolate glazed.” Daniel smiled at me again.
Five chocolate Timbits disappeared inside the box.
“And the other five?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Honey dipped?” I guessed, but Daniel shook his head. “Hmm. Sour cream glazed?”
He raised an eyebrow and nodded.
“Five sour cream glazed,” I told the cashier, who was now looking back and forth between the two of us like we were aliens who had just emerged from the mother ship.
Humor me. We’re on our first date here.
Daniel handed her a twenty dollar bill. “Why don’t you grab a table, Aubrey?”
I nodded and started to make my way to the corner, but then I thought better of it and chose a table for two in the center of the seating area. I watched Daniel pocket his change, clasp our mugs by the handles, and grab the box of Timbits with his free hand. He scanned the room and sauntered over.
“Are you trying to make a statement, Miss Price?”
“You bet your sweet knees I am. And if you call me Miss Price again this weekend, I’ll be forced to inflict pain on you.”
“Is that a threat?” He sat and pushed my coffee across the table.
“I believe it’s a promise, sailor.”
“Will your nails be involved in the inflicting of this pain?”
“Possibly.”
“Excellent. Duly noted.”
He opened the box of Timbits, and we both picked up our mugs. I almost had the edge of the mug to my lips when he held up his hand. “Wait, wait, we need a toast, don’t you think?”
“Okay. What should we drink to?”
“Hell, what shouldn’t we drink to?” He chuckled.
“True.”
He looked at me contemplatively. “I think we should drink to the man who brought us together.”
“You want to drink to Professor Brown?”
He laughed loudly, his coffee swishing as his hand shook. “No, not Martin. I think we should drink to the man whose very words brought about our meeting on February second in a classroom at University College.”
“Oh, I see. Excellent idea.” I touched my coffee cup to his. “To Shakespeare.”
“To Shakespeare.”
We both took a drink and put our cups down, our eyes locked. His left hand was resting lightly on the table. My right one was as well. The tiniest details of our relationship flashed before my eyes. Clinking coffee cups in the Arbor Room in early February, lightly touching fingers at the Gardiner a couple of weeks later…
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“So far so good.”
I looked down at our hands and stretched my fingers
out to reach for his. He held my eyes and moved his fingers forward, stopping just short of touching me.
“Why do you look like you’re afraid you might burn yourself?” I whispered.
He shook his head and then slid his hand forward quickly, entwining his fingers with mine. A fluttery feeling passed through my stomach.
We were holding hands.
In public.
Such a simple gesture, but for us? Epic.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” I asked.
He looked at me steadily. “Better than all right. I love you, poppet.”
“I love you too, sailor. This is the best first date ever.”
He took a chocolate Timbit out of the box, bit it in half, and then reached over to pop the rest in my mouth.
“It sure is,” he agreed, watching me lick the sugary coating off my lower lip.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope.”
We’d driven even farther north, and at first I’d suspected that Daniel was taking a second crack at a weekend at Taboo. But Taboo was in Gravenhurst. We’d already passed the exit for the resort and stopped at a supermarket about fifteen minutes north of the town.
“Daniel, please tell me where we’re going,” I pleaded as we loaded the groceries into the trunk.
“Nope.”
He slammed the door and turned to take me into his arms, kissing me passionately right there in the Sobey’s parking lot.
“I gather you’re feeling pretty comfortable now?” I asked, a little breathless as he let me go.
“Actually, my heart feels like it’s going to explode.”
I examined his face, trying to decide if he was joking, but he merely ushered me into the car.
“I’m fine,” he assured me. “I’ll be even better when we get there.”
I crossed my arms. “Wherever there is.”
“Exactly.” He laughed.
We continued north, and I saw the signs for the Muskoka Lakes, and then a sign for Lake Rosseau. That’s when it hit me. Of course! How could I have been so obtuse? Daniel was whistling away, very pleased with himself. It seemed a shame to burst his bubble, so I kept my peace, continuing to look out the window with a clueless expression on my face. But when he pulled off the highway and the roads began to get narrower, I couldn’t hide my excitement any longer.
“What?” he said.
“You’re taking me to the cottage.”
“Well, don’t you have excellent powers of deduction?” He smiled. “How do you feel about going there?”
“Are you kidding? This is the best surprise ever.”
“I’m glad you think so. I didn’t want to do anything too flashy. I want you to be comfortable.” He steered the car carefully along the road, which was now winding through a thickly forested area.
“Do your parents know?” I asked him.
“Absolutely. We have their blessing. I’m sure my dad is secretly relieved that we’re so far away from the city.”
A few moments later, we pulled into a deeply wooded driveway. Daniel drove slowly as small branches brushed the sides of the car. Then he swung over to the right and came to a stop. He pointed across the dashboard.
“The cottage is around this tree,” he said. “The only drawback about coming up here in May is the potential for black flies. We’re going to make a dash for it, and then you’ll stay inside while I bring everything in, okay? We’ll have to gauge the amount of time we can go out, depending on how bad they are.”
“You mean we might have to stay in all weekend?” I asked.
“We might.”
“Maybe we should just stay in bed all weekend,” I suggested.
He leaned over to kiss me. “I love the way you think. Okay, grab your purse. You ready?”
“Yep.”
We both climbed out and hurried along the gravel driveway toward a flagstone path. A few steps along the path, I stopped, stunned at the sight before me. Cottage? This was a cottage? This was so not a frigging cottage! It was a mansion that happened to be in cottage country. Daniel unlocked the door and turned to look for me.
“Poppet? You coming?”
“Yes, I…This isn’t…It’s so…”
He held out his hand. “I’m pretty sure black flies have teeth.”
I willed my feet to move along the pathway and through the open door.
I slipped my shoes off and took his outstretched hand. “Here,” he said, leading me into the kitchen. “Have a look around while I grab the rest of our things.”
I was stunned. This was what he’d been referring to as the family cottage? I spun around in the middle of the kitchen. Hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, wine fridge, stove with six gas burners, granite counter tops, large harvest table…
The door opened and closed several times as Daniel collected our stuff. Finally he brought in the groceries and deposited them on the large island counter.
“Well, this is it,” he said, gesturing around him.
“It’s…wow. Daniel, it’s unbelievable.”
He shrugged out of his jacket and placed it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs.
“Come on, I’ll show you around.”
He took me on a tour that had me gasping with surprise over and over again. I tried to keep track of everything as we moved from one area to another on the sprawling main floor of the cottage. There were five family bedrooms, two guestrooms, a nanny’s quarters, four bathrooms—one with a claw foot tub, another with a Jacuzzi tub—and all hardwood floors throughout with sumptuous throw rugs everywhere.
The games room made the basement of the Grant home in Toronto look rinky-dink. It had to be at least fifteen hundred square feet and had every type of entertainment accessory conceivable. Most impressive were the cathedral ceilings and the floor-to-ceiling windows through which you could see the lake sparkling below.
“You must have had so much fun here growing up,” I said as Daniel showed me the bar and then pointed out the hot tub outside the games room door.
“It was fun. I have some really good memories.” He pulled me into his arms and leaned against the pool table. “And I look forward to making some new ones,” he said, brushing my hair away from my face and kissing me.
When he took my hand to lead me back upstairs, I began to wonder how things would play out. As much as I wanted to run down the hall to his room and get started making memories, I also wanted this to be special. Daniel must have agreed because, after we’d unpacked and put everything away, he suggested an afternoon walk so he could show me the property.
“It’s so beautiful out it seems silly to wear long sleeves,” I said as I zipped up my hooded sweatshirt.
“You can always take it off if the bugs aren’t a problem,” Daniel suggested. “It’s warm now, but I think I’ll make a fire tonight,” Daniel said. “The temperature will probably drop.”
“That sounds nice.”
“I hoped you’d think so. Those pillows around the fireplace are new,” he said, smiling secretively.
“Are they now?”
Was this part of his master plan? A fire. Throw pillows. Fur rug.
“Penny helped me buy them on Thursday. She chose some new candles for the mantel, too.”
“I see. So this is where you were on Thursday?” I asked, looking up at him as he guided me out to the pathway.
“That’s right.”
“You’ve had a busy week.”
“You have no idea,” he chuckled.
We walked hand in hand away from the cottage, with Daniel pointing out various noteworthy sites along the way—the big rock where he’d shared his first kiss with Nancy Dawson when he was nine years old; the hill he’d tobogganed down when he was ten, landing awkwardly at the bottom and breaking his arm; the trail the family enjoyed hiking on in the summer and cross-country skiing through in the winter.
“So, this is all your family’s land?” I asked, gesturing around us.
/> “Yep. This isn’t the original cottage though. The one Patty and my grandfather built was smaller. This cottage has been here for about twenty-three years. The nearest neighbor is about a quarter mile that way.” He pointed back down the road.
“That’s amazing. The privacy, I mean. Your family is very lucky. So, growing up, you came up here a lot?”
“We used to spend summers up here. We came up a few times for Christmas. One Christmas—I think I was seven—we got a huge train set and had it assembled in the games room. Man, I loved that thing. That was the year Santa brought me my first guitar as well.”
I thought about Daniel strumming his guitar, looking hotter than Hades. I couldn’t help sighing.
“I love Santa.”
He smiled and threw his arm over my shoulder, leading me to the other side of the road to point through the trees. “Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell’s cottage is over there.”
“That’s cool that you share a lake with celebrities. I wonder if their daughter’s ever been up here—Kate Hudson, right? Have you seen her around? She’s quite the looker, eh?”
He shrugged. “Not really interested, to be honest. Besides, I happen to be a little distracted by this gorgeous green-eyed girl at the moment.”
I smirked. “Really? Tell me about her.”
He propped himself against a tree and hugged me close.
“Well, she’s smart, stubborn as a fuck, and funny as hell. She’s beautiful, and she has these crazy long legs that go on forever.” He kissed me in a way that made me weak in the knees—all soft lips and gentle tongue. Then he pulled my hood back a little so he could whisper in my ear. “And her legs stop right here.” He cupped one of my buttocks. “At this phenomenal ass.”
“Wow. She sounds awesome,” I said, holding onto his shoulders to steady myself.
“She is.” His eyes were clouded with emotion.
We stood kissing under that tree for who knows how long. Finally, we headed back inside before the black flies started to eat us alive. Frankly, giant man-eating squirrels could have been feasting on my ankles, and I would have been oblivious.
“Happy tummy?”
Daniel was hugging me from behind and rubbing my stomach through my T-shirt as I dried my hands on a dish towel. I tossed the towel on the counter and spun around in his arms.
Better Deeds Than Words (Words#2) Page 28
