“The prime rib sounds delicious, but then, so does everything on the menu,” I swallowed as I looked at the prices. Palmer’s was a charming, casual restaurant near Music Row, but despite the laid back atmosphere, the entrees were expensive. “I think I’ll just get a salad.”

“A salad—what kind of meal is that, woman? I’ve eaten here a few times.” Harve tapped the menu. “The prime rib is top notch. The salmon is good, too. You should try one of those dishes.”

I looked back at the menu. “They’re a little pricey,” I blurted out.

“Hey, I’m buying—get whatever you want.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Yes you can, Sam! Please.”

“Alright,” I took a sip of wine and scanned the menu again. “Thank you. I think I’ll try the salmon.”

“Glad that’s settled. And, by the way, did I tell you how gorgeous you look, Sam?”

“Oh, only a few times since you picked me up,” I smiled. Though I hadn’t had time to really get to know Harve yet, he seemed very sweet. Plus, he was such a hunk!

He grinned at me. “I must say it, because it’s true.” He moved a little closer to me in the booth. “Pretty bracelet, too…another one of your vintage pieces?”

I nodded as I looked down at the art deco bangle on my wrist. I could feel his eyes roam quickly from the bracelet to linger on my curves, and a tingling feeling swept through my body. It seemed like it had been such a long time since a man had given me compliments. Sure, my girlfriends said I looked nice and I got my share of catcalls, but it wasn’t the same as having a hot, interesting man tell me how beautiful I looked. I knew with my curves and size I wasn’t exactly what society had molded to be the ideal woman, but Harve seemed to like what he saw. He was full of compliments when I’d first met him, and now on our date as well. Date—it was hard to believe that I was on a date. It was the first time I’d gone out with someone since Jon had died. A number of men had asked me out in the past, but I’d turned them all down. I’d always come up with some excuse or another. But for some reason, when Harve had asked me out, I’d surprised myself as a “yes” slipped out from my lips. I hadn’t hesitated at all.

“Thank you,” I murmured. “So, tell me about those tats of yours.”

“This black rose here,” Harve pointed to his bicep, “I got when my mom died. This here symbolizes the courage that...”

As Harve talked and shared the stories behind his tats, I couldn’t help but admire his bulging arm muscles. The ink only enhanced his form. I wanted to trace my finger along the swirls of the colors.

“What about you, Sam—any tats?”

“No. I’ve thought about it…I’m just not sure what I’d get.”

“I can see you with a little butterfly on your wrist…a pretty pink butterfly.”

He picked up my hand and turned it so it was facing him. “Right here…” He lightly ran his fingertip along the inside of my wrist.

A shiver ran through me. It was crazy how just the littlest touch from him was such a turn on. My desire for him was through the roof. Calm down Sam, I chided myself. I needed to take things slow and easy.

“So, what kind of a shifter are you?” I asked. Harve was so big he made me feel petite. At my height and size, I was definitely not a small woman.

“Now, how did you know I was a shifter?” he teased.

“I think it’s kind of obvious.”

“Oh?” Harve raised his brows. “Do shifters look a certain way?”

“I mean, well, I…” I could feel my face flushing. What was I supposed to say, that he was bigger than any other man in the room? I hated when guys talked about a woman’s size…maybe he wouldn’t like it if I talked about his.

“Hey, I’m just teasing you. Yep, I’m a lion shifter.”

“That’s so cool. So, is, um…Oscar a lion shifter also?” I wasn’t sure how that worked. If the dad was a shifter, did the kid have to be a shifter too, or could different genes work to make a non-shifter baby? But with Oscar’s size, I was pretty sure he had to be a shifter too.

“He is.”

“Oh,” I bit down on my lower lip. A little part of me was thinking how hard it would be for the other kids on the soccer team to compete with a peer who was a lion shifter.

“He can run faster, kick harder, respond quicker—in general, he can play soccer better because he’s a lion shifter. But he would still have a lot of natural skill and ability even if he wasn’t a shifter,” he smiled proudly.

I grimaced.

Harve, noticing the expression on my face, arched his brows. “Are you upset that he’s a shifter on a team with ‘regular’ boys?”

“I mean…well…it does seem a little unfair.”

“He can help lead the Nashville Kickers to victory!”

“But that’s not the point,” I shook my head.

“Winning is the point.”

“No, it’s not,” I stated firmly.

He pursed his lips as he studied me. “I can see this is one argument I’m not going to win.”

“Right,” I said. We sat for a few minutes in an uncomfortable silence. As much as I liked Harve, his attitude about winning stunk.

“So, um…” Harve’s voice interrupted the quiet, “new topic…I just realized you never told me your last name.”

“Courtland.”

Harve looked thoughtful. “That sounds familiar.”

“You’ve probably seen my shop, ‘Courtland’s Gems’? It’s just a block or so down from the coffee shop.”

His eyes widened. “Courtland’s Gems—the jewelry store…that’s yours?”

“Yep, that’s mine. At least, it’s mine right now. I’m not sure what’s going to happen with it.”

He raised his brows.

“Well,” I admitted, “The store is not doing so well. It’s been struggling for a while, and now this huge jewelry store chain is moving in next door.”

“Eldon’s,” Harve muttered.

“Yes, I guess you saw the ad for their grand opening in the paper. It’s in two weeks! I’ve visited several Eldon’s stores in other counties. I can’t compete with their prices.” I rubbed my hand across my forehead as tears stung the back of my eyelids. “Things are so stressful in my life right now…the store, the kids…”

He leaned in. “I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”

I waved my hand in the air. “Believe me, you don’t want to hear about it.” Things were a mess at Courtland’s and with the kids. Though Jasmine was doing well, Jimmy was becoming rebellious and quite a handful. I really didn’t want to air my dirty laundry to this man. It would probably make him want to run for the hills. Going on a date and meeting someone who seemed like a truly nice guy was the first good thing that had happened to me in a long time.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I want to hear all about it.”

“Well, I…” I paused for a moment—then, spilled my guts. As I fought back sobs, I told him about Jimmy playing up. I shared how bad things were at Courtland’s with the robbery, and how much I hated that big, nasty chain jewelry store Eldon’s. I told him how crushing it was that Courtland’s had always been one of the top jewelry stores in the region, but with online jewelry sites offering rock bottom prices and chain jewelry stores discounting their goods, it felt like I would have to practically give the pieces away to get customers through the door. The opening of the Eldon’s store would likely be the straw that broke the camel’s back and put me out of business.  Courtland’s had done well in the past, but it seemed no matter what I did, I couldn’t compete in the marketplace now.

“It’s all going to be fine. I promise,” Harve rubbed my shoulder.

Tears streamed down my face. What the hell was wrong with me? I couldn’t seem to control myself. All the years of holding everything inside, trying to be strong for the kids after Jon died…now my words were gushing out so fast I could barely catch my breath.

“It’s okay, Sam…relax.” He wiped a few tears from my face and lightly kissed my cheek. I didn’t protest as he wrapped his arms around me protectively.

“I’m…I’m sorry Harve. I…didn’t mean to unload on you like that. It’s been all bottled up inside of me.” My body was still trembling as he pulled me closer.

“Anytime. It will all be fine.”

Somehow, despite everything going on in my life, with his strong arms around me and his words of assurance, I just felt like everything was going to work out. I exhaled deeply. I could feel my body start to relax and I pressed against his warmth. He felt so good. I didn’t want to think about Jimmy playing up or Courtland’s low balance sheet. I didn’t want to think about anything right now except how good it felt to be close to his broad, powerful chest.

“So, about Eldon’s and Courtland’s. I…” he said.

I closed my eyes. “Not now, Harve, please. I just want to relax right now. I’m so done with talking about it.”

“Of course…” he grunted. “I’m here for you.”