It was almost nine o’clock when I made my exit from Gloria and Tiny’s reception. I’d managed to stick around long enough to watch them cut the cake and smash it into each other’s faces, and while everyone was taking pictures of Tiny scooping frosting from his bride’s ample cleavage, I strolled out the door without anyone noticing.
Now I was walking down Main Street listening to music coming from the few pubs that were still open. It was chilly, and my black dress coat was insufficient for the weather, and although I was walking as fast as my shoes would allow, I’d been coerced into wearing high heels again. They were Chloe’s instead of my sister’s, though, and at least they fit. And they had straps, so no danger of stepping out of them. Even so, painful shoes might have been a worthy distraction. Or at least an explanation for the tears puddling in my eyes. What the hell was wrong with me? All this pointless emotion over a guy? A guy I hardly knew?
No, it wasn’t about a guy. And it wasn’t really about Ryan and Emily, either. It was about me. And my bad luck or my faulty choices or whatever you wanted to call it. I’d thought being mayor might fill the hollow, and maybe it would yet. I just needed to focus on the positive. Time to suck it up, buttercup. I was Brooke Therese Callaghan. I could handle this. I just needed to count my blessings. I had a job, and my health, and my family, and kind of a cute figure . . .
Yeah. It wasn’t working. I still felt like crying. I either needed to get home fast and let those tears flow or come up with better blessings.
“Brooke?”
My mind was playing tricks on me. That voice sounded like Leo.
“Brooke!”
I turned, and there he was. It was Leo. Nice work, universe.
I stopped walking as he approached, taking a moment to appreciate, and lament, the way his jeans and jacket fit. They fit divinely, and my irritation flared. Why couldn’t he have just a little bit of a paunch around that midsection, or a thin spot in that raven-dark hair of his? Why couldn’t his teeth be just a little too big or his chin be a little too weak? But no. His abs were rock hard and flat, his hair was thick, his teeth looked like a toothpaste commercial, and his chin was Disney-prince square with just the hint of a dent. What a jerk.
“Hi,” I said, clearing the sadness and distress from my voice. “When did you get back?”
He reached my side, and there was a moment’s hesitation before he leaned forward to give me a quick and thoroughly unsatisfying hug. “I’ve been back for a couple of hours, but I was at Clancy’s. Where is everyone? I mean, all the regulars? I didn’t recognize anyone at the pub. And why are you dressed up? You look very pretty, by the way.”
I ignored the compliment. “They’re all at Gloria and Tiny’s wedding reception up at the Imperial Hotel.”
“Oh, that’s right.” He slapped a hand against his forehead. “I forgot that the giant and his neon bride were getting hitched tonight. But hey, if it’s at the hotel, then why are you walking down Main Street in the opposite direction?”
We were standing on the sidewalk not far from O’Doul’s grocery store. Not far from the spot where he’d rescued my shoe, and as much as I wanted to be glad that he was there, I couldn’t help but wonder why, if he’d been back for a couple of hours, he hadn’t tried to call me. Probably because, unlike me, he wasn’t wading knee-deep in a swamp of infatuation. Leo had a life far removed from this island. I was just a flicker of a distraction to him. This did not lighten my mood. The fact that he seemed just a little bit drunk didn’t cheer me up, either. “Long day. I’m tired. I’m heading home.”
“Home? It’s like, nine o’clock on a Friday night. How about we stop and have a nightcap, and I’ll tell you all about my trip.”
He listed to the side a little as he said this.
“I think maybe you’ve already had some drinks.”
“Yeah, but the good news is, I can’t drink and drive around here.” He laughed at his own joke, but I wasn’t in the mood to encourage him. I didn’t care that he was tipsy; I just wished those rum and Cokes from the wedding had left me in the same state. Unfortunately, they had not, and I was stone-cold sober. Heavy on the stone and the cold.
This whole grumpy, melancholy mood of mine was catching me off guard. I’m not a pointlessly grumpy person, and I’m not an emotionally indulgent person. I’m sensible. Sensible and intuitive enough to know that the origins of my snarly state of mind could pretty easily be traced back to the fact that this delicious man standing before me was really nothing more than a blip on the timeline of my life. If I chose to, I could throw caution to the wind and have myself a little affair, and it would be thrilling, but then it would be over and my heart would deflate like a balloon. It just wasn’t worth it. I wanted what Emily and Ryan had, and what Gloria and Tiny had. Shoot, I’d even take what Gigi and Gus had, but what I didn’t want was something that lasted a week or two and then was over. I deserved better than that. If I wanted to get married, if I wanted to have children, maybe it wasn’t too late for me, but that wasn’t going to happen with Leo because he was temporary.
“Thanks for the offer, Leo,” I said patiently, “but I think I’ll pass. How was your interview, by the way?” I said that to remind him that I knew he was already halfway out of my life.
“The interview? Oh, it went well. Have a drink with me and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Another time, okay? You go enjoy the rest of your evening.”
He put his hand on my arm as I started to walk away. “Hey, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
I shook my head. “Nothing’s wrong. I really am just tired.” I really was. I wasn’t mad at him. I couldn’t be mad at him for not living here. Could I?
“Did something happen?”
Oh, quite the opposite. Nothing had happened. Not to me, at least. And nothing was going to happen to me because I was practically invisible around here. “Nothing happened, so no need to rescue me tonight, Leo. I’m not Cinderella. I have both my shoes. I really just need to get home.”
“Before you turn into a pumpkin?”
“Something like that.”
“Then how about I walk you home, Mayor Callaghan?” He bowed, tipping again ever so slightly.
“I’m pretty sure I’m in better shape than you, so I think I’ll be just fine.”
“Okay, then think of me as your security detail.”
“That’s comical. You do realize you’re drunk, right?”
He straightened up. “Hardly at all. Give me two ibuprofen and a big glass of water, and I’ll be totally sober.”
I chuckled against my will. “That will take care of your hangover tomorrow, but I’m not sure it will do you much good right now. Even so, water. Go drink some water.” I started walking down the sidewalk.
He trotted along beside me. “I can’t. I’m busy walking you home. Do you have water at your place? Aren’t you the mayor? Isn’t it your job to keep drunks off the street?”
“Technically that job falls to my father, but trust me, you do not want my father getting involved in this. If you’re in the mood for drinks, I suggest you head that way to the Imperial Hotel. Gloria and Tiny’s reception was in full swing when I left.”
I tamped down a sigh. “I’m pretty sure that’s where this conversation started. I left because I’m tired and want to go home.”
“Excellent. I will walk you.”
I didn’t have the energy to take this ride again. “Okay, Boy Scout. You may walk me home.” With any luck he’d have his bearings by the time we got there, then I could send him off to his own place, which, I suddenly realized, was a mystery to me. “Where do you live?” I asked.
“Over that way.” He gestured broadly, indicating he lived somewhere between our present location and the lake.
“Maybe I should walk you home, instead.”
“Ohh, I like the way you think, but what would the neighbors say if I brought some woman back to my rental cottage?”
I guessed I was glad to know that he didn’t make a habit of doing that. Or so he said. “People will say pretty much the same thing if they see you walking me home. Someone saw us kissing on my porch the other night. I got quite the interrogation from the women at Drunk Puzzle Night.”
“Really? What did you tell them?” He looked very eager to hear, but I wasn’t about to get into that.
“So, again, how was your interview? Did you get the job?”
He scowled at my redirection, and we walked for a few feet before he finally answered. “It went well. Thanks for asking. As far as the job goes, it’s really something that’s just being formulated right now. Nothing’s official.”
“Is it in Washington?”
“Part of the time. There would be a fair amount of travel involved. Lots to still mull over. Tell me about the wedding.”
We continued walking, past Tasty Pastries, past Link & Patty’s, past the Episcopal church and its tall white steeple. I told him about Tiny pushing Gloria by the ass into the white bridal carriage and about watching Vera VonMeisterburger doing the Macarena on the dance floor.
“What’s the latest on your book?” I asked as we turned from Main Street to Ojibwa Boulevard.
“My book? Lots of notes, lots of ideas. Talking to your pal Dmitri was very enlightening. I learned a lot of very useful information from him. And I spent some time at the records office, too.”
We fell silent for a few minutes until we got to my place. Light glowed from my front porch as we turned into my yard. Leo seemed to have sobered up a bit as we walked, and now he strolled on up the steps and right to the door. “You’re going to invite me in this time, aren’t you?”
His company wasn’t unwelcome, but all things considered, inviting him in would not be a wise choice. I was feeling utterly vulnerable, and if he hoped to take things to a new level, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d put up much of a fuss.
“This wasn’t a date, Leo. I’m not sure where in the playbook this might fall, but I’d call it an accidental encounter. Definitely not indicative of a sure thing.”
“Call it whatever you want, and I’m not suggesting you’re a sure thing”—he smiled—“but I’m an optimist, and I’d like to come inside and talk with you some more.”
“Talk?”
“Yes. Maybe if we talk a bit longer, you’ll tell me why you left a wedding reception right in the middle of it.”
“My sister just got engaged.” I hadn’t meant to say that. It just popped out.
He turned to face me, the overhead light creating odd shadows and making it hard to read his expression. “That’s two weddings and a funeral so far. This is a busy place.”
“Yep.”
“Is this sister, um . . . Emily?”
“Don’t you like the guy?”
“The guy is fine. I mean, the guy is great. I like him a lot, and he adores my sister. And my niece, Chloe, loves him, too, so now she’ll have a stepfather, and that’s really good news.”
“Okay, so why do you sound like it’s not good news?”
Why, indeed? Why did my chest feel tight and my eyes feel hot?
“Because everyone is getting married or having babies or taking on lovers. Sorry to be so blunt, but even my grandmother has decided to shack up with some guy, and it’s all just a lot to take in at one time. I’ve spent my entire life worrying about everybody else, and I had one chance at marriage and it all went wrong. I missed my turn and now it’s too late.”
I somehow managed to sound both annoyed and pathetic, but thankfully Leo’s reaction was inquisitive rather than patronizing.
“Missed your turn?” He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. “How old are you, Brooke?”
“How old am I? What? Are you trying to make me feel worse?”
His chuckle was rueful. “No, of course not. Just tell me.”
“Thirty-six.”
“Okay, well, I’m thirty-five, and I’ve had my heart stomped on a couple of different times, and I’ve stomped on a few, but I hardly think that means I’ve missed my chance.”
“Sure, but you’re a guy, and you don’t live on an island with people you’ve known your entire life.”
“True, but don’t you get lots of visitors here? Like . . . me, for instance?”
He didn’t even realize what a cruel tease he was. “Sure. Guys like you. Guys who don’t live here. Guys who stop by on their way to someplace else, and then they leave. I’m not interested in temporary. I’m looking for forever.” This was his chance. His chance to tell me that he was different. That maybe he would stick around. He’d buy a cottage and write that book so we’d have time together and see if what we’d started was worth pursuing.
“You don’t have to stay here, you know. You could leave,” he said.
Not the response I was hoping for. “I can’t leave now. I just became the mayor.”
“But you were a teacher before that. Couldn’t you go be a teacher someplace else?”
His comments were all very global rather than personal, and it added to the edge in my voice. “You think I should just up and move to some new, random city on the off chance I’ll meet someone? That’s a bit of a risk, don’t you think?”
“I think just about everything in life is a risk. Even standing still and waiting. Sometimes your best bet is to just jump, even if you don’t know where you’ll land.” Still impersonal. He wasn’t offering specifics. He wasn’t talking about us; he was only talking about me.
“Jumping without a target seems foolish to me.”
He chuckled and let his folded arms drop. “I’m sure it does, but it’s worked okay for me so far. See, here I am, standing on the front porch with a beautiful woman, about to be invited in because I took a chance and escorted her home.”
He didn’t seem so intoxicated now. Just back to charming, self-assured Leo, and I started to wonder if maybe those rum and Cokes were still in my system because suddenly I was the one feeling light-headed. Or maybe that’s because he’d stepped closer.
“So, what if some other woman had walked past you? Would you have decided to follow her home, just to see what might happen?”
His gaze locked with mine, and he took another step forward until his jacket brushed against my coat. “No, Brooke. Not just any woman. You. The truth is I asked you out to dinner that first time simply because you were beautiful, and I liked your smile and really wanted to know why you were wearing someone else’s shoes. And the next time I asked you out because I’d discovered you’re smart and funny as well as beautiful and I really wanted to kiss you. And tonight, I walked you home because the whole time I was away, I kept thinking about getting back here and seeing you again. And I’m not going to lie. I’m really hoping to kiss you again because the truth is, you’ve got me all kinds of hot and bothered, and I was hoping we could spend a little time together. But if you want me to amble on home, I will. I won’t be glad about it, but I also realize you’ve had a lousy night, and if you’re not in the mood for my company, I’ll give you some space.”
Space. He was offering me space. My entire life was nothing but space. Still, everything else he’d said had disarmed me and warmed me and made me feel like someone special. Not just special, but special to him. He’d said “hot and bothered.” He’d said he’d thought about me while he was away. That was a good sign, wasn’t it? So what should I do now? I could send him on his way and go have that little cry I’d been so looking forward to. Or . . . I could invite him in and let him flirt with me and seduce me and make me feel even more special, even if it was only for a little while. Even if it was only for pretend. Leo Walker, with his deep-blue-ocean eyes and linebacker shoulders, could woo me and kiss me and convince me, if only for tonight, that love wasn’t really that far out of reach.
I couldn’t contain the sigh I’d been holding in since first seeing him on the sidewalk. “You should probably come in, but just for a little while, okay?”
“I will be a complete and total gentleman.”
I sincerely hope he doesn’t mean that.
I pulled my house key from my purse and reached past him to unlock the door. He smelled like whiskey and cologne. The combination was vintage-sexy and oh-so-appealing. My mind instantly wondered if that whiskey would be on his lips if we kissed, and then the rest of me flushed with anticipation. Because, come on. Who was I kidding? We were absolutely going to kiss.
He followed me inside as I flipped on the lamp.
“How about that water, or some coffee?” I asked, pulling off my coat while simultaneously slipping out of my strappy shoes.
“Mmmm, whichever you want, but I sure wouldn’t mind something a little stronger.”
“Good, because water sounds boring.” I needed a drink to fend off my nerves because I was about to get some action, and in spite of being very happy about that, I was also tied up in emotional knots. I wanted this. I did. And I knew if I suddenly changed my mind, Leo would respect that, but mostly I was nervous because I wanted him to keep wanting me. I didn’t want him to change his mind or to realize that whatever he saw in me wasn’t really there.
I went to the kitchen and pulled a bottle of white wine from the fridge, and turned to find Leo right behind me, practically in my shadow.
Laughter caught in my throat. “Geez! You’re like a ninja.”
“Sorry. I thought you could use some help.”
“Help opening a bottle of wine?” I reached behind me and pulled the corkscrew from the drawer.
“Sure. I’m trying to be a perfectly helpful gentleman, plus I really need something to do with my hands.” His smile was bashful, which ironically made it sinful. I wasn’t sure where in the Leo Walker playbook this evening fell, but I didn’t really care. He was trying to seduce me, and I was going to let him. I handed him the bottle and the corkscrew, then moved to the cabinet where I kept my wineglasses. I took two from the shelf and held them out to Leo as he deftly pulled the cork and poured a liberal amount into each goblet. We took our drinks to the front room, and Leo took a moment to look around.
The outside of my house was like so many others on the island. Victorian architecture with lots of lacy scrollwork. An oversize front porch with wicker furniture. The inside was more my style, though. I’d had the kitchen remodeled a few years before, changing out old pine cabinets for painted white. I’d splurged on granite countertops and modern stainless-steel appliances. The room Leo and I were in now had a big comfy sofa just perfect for reading and napping. It was ruby red, and everyone had teased me when I’d bought it, saying I’d tire of it soon, but I still loved it. A couple of oversize striped chairs sat on either side of the front window, with built-in bookshelves behind them. On the walls hung a collection of watercolors done by a local artist, and even one done by Shari from the post office. It was one of her more successful attempts from her painting phase.
Leo stepped closer to a large framed picture of me surrounded by a classroom full of kids. “What’s this one from?” he asked.
I sat down on the sofa, trying to position myself while wearing a dress that didn’t really allow for reclining. The skirt was straight, and there wasn’t much give to it. Leo was going to have to work for it. “That picture was taken on my last day of teaching. All the kids wanted me to remember them, so those are their notes on the matting.”
“Dear Miss Callaghan,” he read aloud. “You’re the best teacher ever. Go be a great mare, M-A-R-E.” He chuckled at the misspelling. “Dear Miss C. We will miss you. Thanks for teaching me to whistle.” He turned to look at me. “You taught them to whistle? What class was that for?”
“No class. I used to whistle when I was trying to get them to quiet down and listen. Maybe I should try that at a city council meeting?”
He crossed the room and sat down next to me. Not too close, but not so far that he couldn’t reach me if he wanted to.
“Whistling might work. Or you could wear that smokin’ hot dress. That would get their attention.”
I sipped my wine while taking a moment to enjoy that compliment. He had a bit of facial scruff tonight, and it looked as if I might be able to solve the mystery of whether it was soft or scratchy. “I don’t think June Mahoney cares what I wear.”
“Mmmm, probably not.” He leaned back against the cushion and repositioned himself so he was turned toward me. “So, tell me about your sister getting engaged. When did that happen?”
“Tonight, at the reception. She’s very excited and Ryan is great. Anyone willing to move here and take on our whole family is pretty brave and dedicated. I am happy for them.”
He looked at me as if to gauge my sincerity. “Well, I guess that’s good to hear, but you don’t really think you’ve missed your chance, do you?”
A flush of embarrassment heated my skin, and I took a sip (gulp) of wine. “Feel free to forget I said that. I was just feeling emotional, I guess. Honestly, marriage really isn’t something I obsess over. I mean, I have a big family and a great job. It’s all good.”
It was all good, but it wasn’t necessarily enough.
He shook his head slowly, never taking his eyes off my face. “And how is it that you say you only had one chance? The guys on this island must be morons to not be lining up at your door.”
That prompted an unexpected smile. “That’s nice of you to say, but I think you’re forgetting again that I’m fishing in a very small pond. There’s just not that many guys around here, and the ones who did pay attention when I was younger were not much of a catch. One of them used to eat chalk when we were little kids, and I’m not sure he ever stopped. The other guy got kicked in the head by a horse when he was about twelve, and he never was quite the same after that. He moved away. I think he’s in politics now. Then there were a few college guys. One of them liked to brag about being a feminist, but all he meant by that was he expected me to pay for everything. I think he was less about female empowerment and more about being a cheapskate.” I wasn’t going to tell him about Jason. That would simply be too much.
Leo shook his head. “Guys are jerks.”
I smiled. “Some guys are, but you seem pretty nice so far. It makes me very suspicious. So, what’s your secret flaw? Please tell me now and save me some time.” Wife and kids back home, by chance?
Leo laughed. “Hopefully my flaws are pretty standard issue. I drive too fast, I can waste an entire day watching Star Wars movies, I think poop jokes are funny. But I gave up eating chalk a while ago because it tastes terrible, and I’m more than willing to pick up the tab while still believing in equal pay for women.”
“There’s one other flaw you haven’t mentioned. A pretty big one.”
His gaze shuttered for a moment. “Which is?”
“You don’t live here.”
He visibly relaxed, and reached a hand toward me, stroking my arm. “No, I don’t live here, but I’m here now. I can’t offer you forever, Brooke, because I just don’t know where my job will take me, but I’m pretty glad to be here with you tonight. Can’t that be enough? For now?” He set his glass on the table.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.
“Maybe if we kissed, it would help you decide.” He took my glass and set it next to his.
The ploy was so obvious I had to smile. “You don’t think kissing might just confuse the issue?”
“Not for me.” Now he smiled, too, and my heart gave a little lurch, like that feeling you get when you miss the bottom step and nearly fall. He made it sound so simple, and maybe it was. Maybe I should just let him kiss me and confuse the hell out of me. Maybe I should let him unzip my too-tight dress and remind me of all the ways I was glad to be a woman. Maybe the biggest risk was doing nothing at all.
“I guess a little kissing wouldn’t hurt.”
He sighed, comically, with his whole body, before pulling me closer. “Thank God. If you’d sent me away with no kisses, I’d have to go find that oversexed librarian and see if she was busy tonight.”
I laughed as he pressed his face against my neck, and I felt the warmth of his own laughter caressing my skin. The scruff was the perfect combo of not too scratchy, not too soft. His hand came up to cup my jaw in his palm, and suddenly he was looking into my eyes. His smile faded, and my breath hitched. His thumb traced over my cheek as his gaze traveled down to my mouth and then back up again.
“You really are beautiful, you know,” he whispered, sending shivers along every nerve in my body.
“Am I?” I couldn’t help asking.
“Very, very.” His lips were nearly on mine as he spoke, and I slanted upward, eager to make that final contact. He met me halfway and his kiss melted my resistance, my doubts. I kissed him back, arching and shifting until we were reclining on the sofa. In that moment, I decided Leo Walker was a risk worth taking.
Time lost its meaning as the kisses and caresses continued, and Leo’s motions grew more bold, more insistent, more irresistible. His hand pressed at my waist and moved up slowly, ever so slowly over my breast, the sensations delicious, with my constrictive clothes just adding to the anticipation. My hemline had been nudged a few inches up my thighs, my neckline lowered. His shirt was untucked (I might have done that), and several pillows had been tossed to the floor to give us more access to each other. His back was smooth and warm and taut under my eager fingertips. Everything inside me wanted to explore his body as our legs tangled.
“This dress would look so good on the floor,” he murmured. “Are you sure you want to keep it on?”
I chuckled deep down in my throat and caught his hand as it moved toward my zipper. He lifted his head and gazed down at me, looking outlandishly sexy with his hair slightly mussed. (I might have done that, too.)
“Maybe we should go upstairs.” I hardly recognized the sultry tone of my own voice, and his responding smile was more intoxicating than all the rum and Cokes in the world. This was actually going to happen, and I was as excited as I was relieved. He lowered his head for another deep kiss just as the front door to my house rattled for a long second and then swung open, banging against the interior wall.
“What the fu—?” I gasped as Leo twisted and I arched to see who the hell had just broken into my house. “Dad?”
Harlan’s face went from calm to shocked to mortified in less than one millisecond, and he turned his back to us while I tugged down my hem. Leo tried to sit up and accidentally knocked me to the floor with a ka-thunk as I bashed my elbow against the coffee table.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” I demanded, heat of an entirely different origin coursing through me.
The chief kept his back turned. “Um, I wanted to check on you. You left the reception so early I thought something must be wrong. Looks like you’ve got everything under control, though.” He peeked over his shoulder to where I still sat on the floor. Leo stood and reached down to help me up. Then he extended a not-all-that-steady hand to my father.
“Good to see you, sir.”
Harlan turned around, with his take-no-nonsense, I’m-a-policeman-and-you’re-not expression back in place. He took Leo’s hand with an obvious death grip in a show of machismo, and I sighed from the depths of my toes to the top of my head. How was this possible? How was this happening? I hadn’t gotten any action in nearly six years, and the night I’m finally going to get laid, my dad shows up? Screw you, universe.
“Aren’t you the bartender?” my father asked with the same tone someone might use when asking, are you the asshole who just rear-ended my car?
Leo nodded. “Yes, sir. Leo Walker.”
Another pump of the handshake. “Chief Callaghan,” my dad said.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Dad. Thanks for stopping by, but as you can see, I’m just fine.”
I wasn’t, of course. I was horrified on so many levels, but that was for me to sort out after he left.
He dropped Leo’s hand. “Yep, I see that. Is this why you left without telling anyone? Your sister was worried.”
“She could have texted me. She didn’t have to send the cops.”
“Um, maybe I should go,” Leo said, reaching for his jacket. Harlan looked at him as if to say, yeah, you should.
“No, Leo, it’s fine. Dad? Was there anything you needed to talk to me about, or were you really just checking in?”
“Just checking in, so . . . I guess I’ll be on my way, then.”
My father had checked in on me less than a dozen times since I’d moved into my own house. Once when I’d left the light on in my attic by accident. Once when I’d left my bike near Potter’s Pointe because I’d gotten a flat tire. Once when I’d accidentally butt dialed him and left no message. But for him to pop in unannounced like this was virtually unheard of. Times when I could have used his help, he was a vapor, but not tonight.
“Good night, Dad. See you later.”
Leo looked at me, guilty as a teenager caught stealing beer from his parents’ bar, as my father hesitated, then stepped back out onto my front porch. “Don’t forget to lock up,” he said before closing the door firmly behind him.
“That was . . . unfortunate.” Leo held tight to his jacket, and I had a sinking sensation that our night of wild abandon had just been abandoned. I could hardly blame him. My dad was a lust-kill. Fuuuuuuuuck.
“I’m really sorry, Leo. He never checks on me.” I started picking up pillows from the floor and tossing them back on the couch.
“It’s cute,” he said, without much conviction. “At least he didn’t arrest me.”
We stood there awkwardly for another minute. “Maybe we could pick this up another time,” I finally said. I still wanted to hit the sheets with Leo, but quite frankly, I wanted it to be memorable for the right reasons, not because my dad had burst in unannounced.
Leo chuckled. “I think that’s probably a good idea. My playbook is all screwed up, but I still owe you the nice relaxing dinner. I work for the next couple of nights, but how about Tuesday?”
“That sounds good. Really good. Sorry about tonight.”
He stepped closer, running his hands down my arms until he wove his fingers with mine. He kissed me softly, with a nuzzle and a sigh. “I’m sorry that it ended here, but I’m very glad I followed you home. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
I walked him to the door and scored another slow, sweet kiss before he finally stepped outside. He looked around, clutching the lapels of his jacket together against the breeze.
“Your dad’s not going to be hiding in the bushes to arrest me for jaywalking, is he?”
“Not sure, but if he does, call me. I’ll bail you out. And just say no to the strip search.”