by SJ McCoy
“Keep her as long as you can.” Her mom laughed. “But you can’t tell.” She looked down at Brayden, too. “This has to be our secret—the three of us. We can’t tell her.” She laughed again. “And we sure as hell aren’t going to tell Cal.”
Brayden shot him a worried look at that, but Teresa caught it and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m only joking—kind of.”
Elle came back out with her purse. She had a cute little leather jacket on, and it looked like she’d redone her hair and her makeup, too. Donovan’s heart started to pound even harder. She always looked gorgeous, it wasn’t that. It was the realization that he was about to be alone with her for the first time.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
He grinned at her. He could answer that question honestly. “Mind? I can’t believe my luck.”
She glanced over her shoulder at her mom when she sniggered. The way she narrowed her eyes at her told him that she wasn’t oblivious to the way her mom had engineered this—but she wasn’t protesting either.
Chapter Eleven
Elle looked over at Donovan as he pulled the truck out of its spot and headed out down Main. She didn’t know what to say. It’d taken her a minute to figure out that her mom was setting them up. She had to wonder if he knew it, too. Even if he did, he didn’t seem to mind too much. Couldn’t believe his luck, was what he’d said.
He glanced over at her and smiled. “This is a nice surprise.”
“Yeah.”
His smile disappeared. “Do you mind?”
“No! I’m thrilled. I’m just playing catch up. I have to tell you; I think my mom set us up.”
He smirked but didn’t say anything.
“Do you mind?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. I’m grateful.”
A little thrill ran through her. She loved that he was so happy about this, and even more so that he didn’t mind admitting that he was. She checked her watch. “It’ll take us about half an hour to get there. Wait.” She gave him a puzzled look. “Do you even know where we’re going?”
“The wholesalers? I figured it’d be out by the mall.”
“Yeah. That’s right. Down Route Twenty.”
He glanced over at her again. “Are you sure you don’t mind being stuck with me?”
It occurred to her for the first time that maybe he was nervous. She bit down on her bottom lip. She probably owed it to him to be honest with him. “I’m grateful, too.”
When he looked over at her, his smile was so big that the dimple was there in his cheek. It made her want to touch it—want to kiss him. She shrugged. “You know that between Skye and work, I don’t often get a minute by myself. I’m grateful that now that I’ve got a couple of hours, I get to spend them with you.” Her cheeks were hot when she finished, but it was only right to tell him. He’d been so patient and so understanding with her.
He reached over the console and held his hand out to her. She threaded her fingers through his with a smile. She’d loved the way his hand felt the first time she shook with him when they were introduced. It was the same now; he felt warm, and strong, and reassuring.
He gave her hand a squeeze. “Mind if we make it more than a couple hours?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean when we get back. Can I come and get Skye with you and stick around?”
She nodded happily. “Yes. I’d love that. And you know she’ll only be jealous if she hears that I got to see you and she didn’t.” She laughed. “I’m not even nervous about asking if you want to stay for dinner—I already know that one of your favorites is on the menu.”
He chuckled. “Mac and cheese? I’m in!”
She laughed with him. This felt so easy and right. She could feel herself relaxing until her phone started ringing. She made a face and pulled it out of her purse.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“Hi, sweetheart. Listen, I just remembered that they close at five on Wednesdays. You’re not going to make it down there in time.”
“Oh.” She glanced at Donovan. Just when she’d thought that she was going to get some time with him, too.
“Okay. Well, I guess we’ll head back then.”
He glanced over at her with a frown at the same time that her mom said, “You’ll do no such thing!”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you have a couple of hours to yourself—the whole night if you want it. You have no worries about Skye or work, and you’re with Donovan. Make the most of it!”
She shot another look at him, but he had his gaze fixed on the road ahead.
“Don’t even think about arguing.”
She knew she should. She should get back to work, let her mom go home, go and collect Skye from Jackie’s.
“Are you still there?”
“Yeah.”
“Then say, thanks, Mom, hang up and ask Donovan where he wants to go for dinner or what he’d like to do with the rest of the evening—and the night if you want it.”
She nodded to herself. “Okay.”
Her mom laughed. “Phew! You are your mother’s daughter after all. Make the most of it. Just let me know if you’re not going to be home.”
“I will be. We’ll pick Skye up from Jackie’s.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can get her.”
“I want to.” She smiled. “Donovan wants to see her, too.”
“Aww! Okay then. But you just call me if you change your mind. Or if you want more time.”
“Thanks, Mom. I will.”
“Great. Now get off the phone and go and enjoy yourselves. Love you. Bye.”
“Love you, too. Bye.”
She hung up and put her phone away before she spoke. “We don’t need to go anymore.”
He glanced over at her but didn’t ask any questions.
“The wholesalers won’t be open by the time we get there.”
“Ah. What do you want to do then?”
She took a deep breath and reached for his hand again. “What do you want to do?”
He squeezed her hand. “First, I want to be honest with you. I knew what your mom was up to.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, and she didn’t want me to let on that I knew. Only because she’s trying to help. But I won’t lie to you, Elle. Not even about something like this.”
Wow. “Thanks—for being honest.”
“I told you; I always will be.”
She liked the sound of that—always. “Well, if I’m being honest, I’m thrilled that we have some time before we need to get Skye.”
He smiled. “What do you want to do?”
She laughed. “We’re being honest here, right? Part of me wants to take you home and make the most of it.”
His hand tightened around hers and he smiled. If he said that was what he wanted, she’d do it. She spent most of her nights thinking about it, thinking about him, and what it would be like.
“Part of me wants to turn around and break all the speed limits to get you back there. But no. We’ll get to that. We’ll take our time getting there, and when we do …” The look in his eyes sent shivers chasing each other down her back. “I’m not looking for a quickie, Elle. I want to take our time when we get there, too.”
She swallowed and nodded.
“So, how about a first date?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that if you were someone I’d just met, I’d maybe ask you out for coffee. Just something casual. You know; in case we weren’t compatible and one of us wanted to be able to escape.” He smiled. “Maybe I should drop you back at the salon so that you can get your car. Then, if you want, you can meet me at the bakery. We can go on a get-to-know-each-other date.” He chuckled. “If you like me, maybe you’ll invite me over to have dinner with you and Skye.”
She laughed. “I already know that I like you, and that I’ll want to invite you for dinner.”
“I know that I want to see you a
gain, too. So, this will be the best first date ever—we’ll both be relaxed and confident—and instead of the usual bullshit we can use the time to really talk and get to know each other better.”
She nodded happily. As far as she was concerned, what he was proposing really did sound like the best first date ever. It certainly didn’t sound like any date she’d ever been on. Most of her first dates had been more like second dates—seeing guys again the next day after she’d met them at the club the night before.
~ ~ ~
“Hi, Donovan. We don’t usually see you in here in the afternoon. What can I get you?”
He smiled at April. He liked her. He’d met her and her fiancé, Eddie a couple times when Leanne had been helping with her divorce settlement. Neither he nor Leanne specialized in divorce law, but they’d been happy to help April out. With everything that he’d heard about her marriage and her ex, Donovan had been more than happy to come up with every angle he could find to help her come away with the best deal possible. As much as he usually enjoyed chatting with her, he didn’t want to right now. He’d dropped Elle back at her car and sped over here so that he could arrive first and get them a table.
“Is it okay if I take a table?”
“Sure. Wherever you like. I’ll bring you a menu over.”
“That’s okay thanks. We’re only going to have coffee. Maybe pastries.”
She gave him a knowing smile. “We?”
He nodded and looked out the window when he saw Elle’s car pulling up.
April followed his gaze. “Elle? Oh, that’s wonderful! I really like her. She’s a sweetheart. You guys will make such a cute couple and—” She stopped abruptly and pressed her lips together. “Ignore me. I’ll shut up. I’ll be good, I promise!” She laughed. “And if you guys ever want someone to babysit little Skye you call me, okay? She’s a cutie pie.”
Donovan couldn’t help chuckling. “Thanks.”
April rolled her eyes. “I really will shut up. I won’t embarrass you. I promise. You take whatever table you want, and I’ll be out to take your order when you’re settled.”
“Thanks, April.”
“It’s my pleasure.” She grinned. “Really.”
Donovan took a seat in one of the booths by the window and watched Elle get out of her car. She was gorgeous. Whenever he was around her, he had trouble taking his eyes off her. Today she looked even sexier, maybe it was because she was in her work clothes. She wore skinny jeans and strappy platform shoes. Her shirt was the kind that had holes in the shoulders. He’d never been able to figure them out—they had long sleeves, but they couldn’t be that warm when they left your shoulders bare. The practicality of it didn’t matter though, what mattered was that it looked great on her, and it left him wanting to kiss her there, to taste her tanned skin and … Nope. This was supposed to be a get-to-know-you date. Not a figure-out-how-to-get-you-naked date.
He got to his feet and waved when she came in. Her smile lit up her face when she waved back and hurried over. It lit him up when she reached him and smiled up at him.
“Hi.”
“Hey.” He leaned down and gave her a quick hug, landing a peck on her cheek as he did. That was what he’d do on this kind of date when he was still in San Francisco. It was what he’d done when he’d met Jade. It might be a familiar routine, but there was nothing routine about his reaction to her. His arms tightened around her of their own accord as she leaned against him and he breathed in the scent of her. He was going to have to sit down soon. Otherwise, there’d be no hiding just how pleased he was to see her.
He reluctantly let go of her and gestured for her to sit. She slid in opposite him and smiled. Her eyes were doing that shimmery thing; they were the most beautiful color he’d ever seen. Shit. He needed to get his act together.
“So …”
She laughed. “So …?”
He laughed with her. “I called this a get-to-know-you date, but we already know all the usual things about each other—the where do you live, what do you do details are all covered. I know about your family, you know about mine. So … how about you tell me something I don’t already know about you?”
“Hmm.” As she pursed her lips and thought about it, April came hurrying over with a big smile on her face. “Hey, guys. It’s good to see you. What can I get you?”
“I’ll take a skinny vanilla cappuccino,” said Elle.
“Just a regular black coffee for me, thanks.”
“Do you want any pastries or anything?”
Elle chuckled. “I’d love to. But I won’t.”
April laughed. “You should. It’s not like you have to worry about it, is it? You’re tiny.”
Donovan was curious about Elle’s apparent embarrassed reaction to that. He would have thought that she’d be used to people complimenting her figure.
She shrugged. “It’s not that. It’s Skye.” She smiled at April. “You know what she’s like when we come in here. She thinks she’s died and gone to heaven. I’d feel too bad if I had something without her.”
“Aww!” April nodded. “I get it.”
Donovan wasn’t sure he did. Once April had gone, Elle raised her eyebrows at him. “Something wrong? Oh, wait. She didn’t ask if you want anything, did she?”
He laughed. “I don’t care. I’m saving myself for mac and cheese.”
He was glad to see her smile at that.
“I was curious why you wouldn’t get Skye something and take it back for her.”
Elle sighed. “Because if I give her sugar at that time of night, she’ll be bouncing off the walls. You might not think she’s such a sweetie, then.”
“Ah. Of course. I didn’t think. So, how about we bring her in here this weekend, and we can all have a treat?”
She smiled happily. “That’d be great. I’d love—oh. No. I can’t, remember? My dad’s coming.”
“Oh, sorry. Of course. Next weekend, then?”
“It’s a date.”
He chuckled. “Mission accomplished.”
“Huh?”
He took hold of her hand across the table. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t say goodbye tonight until we’d set up another date.”
“Aww.” She shook her head.
He raised his eyebrows. “Too mushy?”
“No! I love it.” She squeezed his hand. “We’ll definitely bring Skye for a treat when we can, but I’m hoping that we might be able to figure out soon when we can go out on a real date—just the two of us.”
His heart started to pound. He was hoping for the same thing. He kept telling himself—and telling her—that he wasn’t in a hurry. But the part of him that was doing its best to stand to attention inside his pants didn’t want to wait much longer.
April came straight back with their drinks and set them down with a smile. “There you go.”
“Thanks.”
Once she was out of Elle’s line of sight, she grinned and held crossed fingers up at Donovan as she walked away again.
“I’m happy to enjoy this date first; coffee here and then dinner with Skye.” He frowned. “Won’t she have eaten?”
“She will. She eats with Jackie most nights.” Elle blew out a sigh. “It’s too late for her by the time we get home.” She chuckled. “I suppose this means that I have to admit that the mac and cheese was for me.”
“Hey. I’m not judging. It’s a regular on my menu, too. Anyway, you were going to tell me something about you that I don’t already know.”
She smiled through pursed lips, making him wonder what she was about to say.
“Well …”
“What?” he asked. “You can’t tease me and draw it out like that. My mind’s racing here, wondering what you’re going to say.”
She laughed. “I’m not teasing. I’m just … well, for one thing I don’t know all the details myself yet, and for another, I’m not sure what you’ll think. I hope you’ll like it, but …” Her smile faded.
“We won’t know until
you tell me.”
“One thing that you don’t know about me—because I didn’t know myself until this afternoon—is that I’m going to be your neighbor soon.”
He cocked his head to one side, but he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. “You are? “What …? How?”
She laughed. “My mom owns a rental property over at Four Mile. The tenants are moving out and I’m going to take the place.”
“That’s great! Where is it?”
“It’s on Skyview, which is only one street up from you.”
“I know where it is. I looked at a place there, but it wasn’t furnished and the one I took came furnished with everything down to the cutlery.” He grinned at her. “So, when are you going to move?” He took hold of her hand again. “How long do I have to wait?”
She laughed. “I don’t know yet. Mom said that it won’t be long before I can take it. And it’s furnished, too. I don’t have much to pack up and move. We haven’t been back here long, and we’re with Mom anyway, so apart from Skye’s things, we only really have clothes to move.”
He grinned, loving the idea that she and Skye would soon be living so close. “Well, if you need any help moving, I’ll be happy to volunteer.” He swaggered his shoulders. “I can move the heavy stuff for you.”
“Thanks.” She smiled through pursed lips. “As Skye pointed out the other day, we are aware of your muscles.”
He had to laugh. “Good to know. I was glad that Skye appreciated them, but I wasn’t sure about you.”
She rolled her eyes. “I think you were. You’ve caught me eyeing you up enough times, and I know it has to be obvious that I like what I see.”
He hung his head and looked up at her from under his eyebrows. “Aww. Stop. You’ll embarrass me.”
She laughed. “For some reason, I doubt that.”
“Hm.” He shrugged. “Why’s that?”
“Because you’re not someone who gets embarrassed, are you? You’re so … sure of yourself. Confident.”
“Yeah. I guess I am. I mean, I know myself. I know who I am and what I want and …” He shrugged. “I’m okay with me.” He swaggered his shoulders again, hoping to make her laugh. “I’m a great guy.”
