And with that, he takes my hand and leads me across the other side of the bridge and to a deck that looks out over a pond nearby. There are wooden benches tucked perfectly in the trees. It’s a cool place to sit and enjoy nature.
He leads me to a bench and reaches back in his bag, coming out with sandwiches. He hands me one, peels back the plastic on his and takes a giant bite.
We sit in silence for a while, chewing on our lunch, watching the birds and ducks. The last of the summer flowers are struggling to hang on, just a few more days. In the distance, a crew is setting up tables and chairs in a big stone pavilion, draped in pink and green. Someone will be getting married here later today.
And it’s the perfect spot for it.
I sigh as I finish my sandwich and pass the wrapper to Declan. I move to stand, but he puts his hand on my arm.
“I have one more thing to give you,” he says with a smile.
“More food? I’m full.”
“No.” He passes me an envelope, and inside are two tickets to see Seattle play football.
“Declan, you must have bought the wrong tickets. These say they play in Seattle.”
“They’re right,” he assures me and drags his hand down my back.
“I can’t just drop everything and go to Seattle.”
“You’re not. The game is two weeks away, and I know that business has slowed down enough that Adam can handle the bar for two days.”
I shake my head, but inside, I’m jumping up and down like a little girl. He just stares at me, that smirk on his lips, until I finally throw my arms around him and hug him close.
“Thank you. I’ve always wanted to see Seattle.”
“I can’t wait to show it to you,” he whispers into my ear.
Who is this man? This giving, sweet, affectionate man?
“What are you thinking?” he asks, tilting his head to the side.
“Nothing.”
“Something just passed through that gorgeous head of yours.”
I don’t want to tell him. It makes me sound mushy and corny, but then I decide what the hell. “I was just wondering who you are, and how have you managed to make me feel so comfortable and easy with you? I trust you, Declan, and I don’t trust easily.”
Now he pulls me to my feet and wraps those long, strong arms around me. My arms are tucked against my chest, and I’m wrapped up in him. He sways us gently side to side, his mouth pressed to my head. I feel him inhale deeply, and then, finally, he whispers, “I’m Declan Boudreaux, and you trust me because I trust you, too.”
Then he pulls back, kisses my forehead, and leads me further into the park.
***
“Thanks for swinging into Charly’s with me,” I say as he parks in front of Head Over Heels. “It’s easier to grab my shoes now on the way home than later when I’ll have to cart them to the bar.”
“How many pairs did you buy?” he asks with a laugh and helps me out of the car.
“Four, I think.”
“You think?”
“There was wine,” I remind him and push inside the cool store. It doesn’t smell like shoes. It smells like lavender and sunshine.
“Well, hello there,” Charly says from behind the counter.
“Hi,” I reply. “How are you feeling?”
“There’s no need to yell,” Charly says while holding her head, making me laugh.
“That good, huh?”
“Rough mornin’,” she says with a sigh. “But so worth it. I have your shoes here.” She lifts a big white bag full of shoe boxes off the floor.
“Can I have one more look at them?” I ask, eyeing the bag the way a kid eyes birthday cake.
“You can look at them all you want,” she says and helps me get them out. “Those blue shoes are amazing.”
I nod, looking down at my feet as I slide them into the blue pumps. They feel great, and will go with almost anything. “I love them.”
“What about these?” Declan asks from the middle of the shop. He’s holding up a pair of grey suede pumps.
“I don’t think I carry those in your size, little brother,” Charly said, earning the middle finger from Declan.
“For Callie, smart ass.”
Charly runs to the back to find my size, then returns a moment later with a box. “These are pretty,” she says.
Declan takes the box from her, pulls the stuffing out of a shoe, then kneels before me and drags his hand down the back of my leg, behind my knee, to my calf. “Give me your foot, sweetheart.”
I brace myself on his shoulder and offer him my naked foot, which he slips into the grey shoe. But before I can put it on the floor, he leans in and presses a kiss to my ankle.
I wonder how Charly would feel about her brother fucking me right here, in the shoe store? Because I’m about to climb him.
“Good eye, Dec,” Charly says. “You know, if you’re looking for a job, I’ll hire you.”
“Why is everyone trying to find me a new job? I have a job, thank you very much.”
I step down on the shoe and, with his hand still cradling my calf, he looks up at me and gives me that half smile, then winks, and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I have fallen head over heels in love with this man.
As completely corny as it sounds, he’s literally swept me off of my feet.
My heart pounds a bit as I step back out of his grasp, then stumble when I almost knock a designer display over.
“Are you okay?” he asks and reaches for my hand, but I pull it away and take another step away from him.
“Fine.”
“Are they too tall for you?” Charly asks, her face creased in concern.
“No, they’re great.” I clear my throat and smile widely. “I’ll take them.” I fumble for my credit card. “In fact, I’ll wear them out.”
Declan is staring at me like I’ve suddenly grown a cucumber out of my ear, and I know I seem completely nuts right now, but I can’t help it.
I’m in love with him.
Holy shit.
Charly’s speaking, but I can’t understand the words through the rushing in my ears. Finally, I sign the receipt—I don’t even give one shit how much it all cost—and make a beeline for outside, dragging deep breaths of fresh air into my lungs.
Does everyone hyperventilate when they discover they’re in love? Probably not.
“What happened in there?” Declan asks as he takes the bag of shoes from me and places it in the back of his Jeep, then waits for me to get buckled in before pulling out into traffic.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I’ve never been a great liar.
“You looked like you saw a ghost, and when Charly asked you if you wanted to keep the boxes, you just smiled and said, good for you.”
“Oops,” I murmur and stare out the passenger window.
“So what happened?”
“Must have been something I ate,” I say and smile brightly. “I feel better now.”
We stop at a red light and he sends me a look that screams not buying it, but he doesn’t press me. And I’m glad because what am I supposed to say?
Sorry, but I just realized when you had your sexy hand on my leg and winked at me that I’m completely in love with you and it gave me heart palpitations and I might have had a stroke?
Probably not a great thing to say.
“I have to get ready for my gig tonight, so I’m gonna drop you at Adam’s. Is that okay?”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll walk you to your car at closing,” he says.
“Great.”
“You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Great.”
He stops at the curb and before he can jump out to walk me in, I grab the shoes out of the back and wave, then rush inside to have my panic attack the way any self-respecting woman would: by myself.
***
“Phone for you,” Adam says later that day as he pulls the cordless from his ear and holds it out to me. We’re both bustling behind the bar, him pouring drinks for a party of twelve that just walked in, and me trying to restock the beer before the evening crowd hits.
“This is Callie,” I say and squat in front of the beer cooler, mentally counting bottles.
“Callie, this is Ray Michaels. I’m a producer at the Travel Channel.”