“I didn’t want you to get away this time,” I murmured shyly.
You only got one first kiss with someone, and the butterflies doing flips in my stomach were letting me know that this was one for the record books. If I’d been fifteen, the memory would have gone in a locked journal with some hearts and squiggles doodled in the margins.
Mark’s smile was dreamy, a drowsy sort of affection that I wanted to snuggle up in.
I pressed my fingers to my lips as I regarded him affectionately. The soft skin felt tingly and swollen in the best way.
Mark’s eyes tracked the movement and his expression grew thoughtful all at once.
“What is it?” I asked, suddenly worried.
“Before, why did you ask me if I was with anyone? Why would you assume that?”
My finger instinctively tightened around his belt loop. “Oh, that.” I licked my lips nervously, tasting him there. “I thought you might—possibly—be my sister’s secret boyfriend.”
“What?” Mark’s voice came out loud in the scant space between us, and my attention snapped to his in alarm. Lowering his voice, he spoke softly this time. “Secret boyfriend? Candace, what are you talking about?”
“I saw you and Joan at the Orchard Fest. I thought—I thought?—”
Mark’s frown deepened. “Saw us what?”
“Well, Joan was rubbing your arm. You two were close. It looked like she was comforting you or something. And then you were both smiling at each other.”
Surprise gave way to thoughtful introspection as I spoke. “Candace, your sister and I are friends and co-workers. Yes, she was trying to make me feel better, but there has never been anything romantic between us. Not ever. I’m not—I’m not interested in her that way.” He took my hand and squeezed. “Do you think I’d try to kissyouif I was?”
“Well, no,” I admitted. “But you ran off that night and you wouldn’t talk about it. You seemed to want to forget that our almost-kiss at Firefly ever happened.”
With a shy smile, he admitted, “Because I like you, Candace. And I didn’t want you to feel weird because we work together and have to see each other all the time...temporarily, at least.”
I smiled too, ignoring the reminder of my looming deadline. “I don’t feel weird. I like you too, Mark. So much.”
With another tug of his belt loop, I had him wrapped up in a hug, my arms around his waist and his quiet laughter rumbling against my chest.
Feminine voices drifted in through the open-air space, and I could see now it was nearly dark outside. “I need to go wrangle this event, but more kissing later, yes?”
Mark chuckled again as I took a step back. “Yeah. More kissing later,” he agreed with a grin. Blue-gray eyes lingered on my face, touching every part. It was as if he’d finally given himself permission to look and he didn’t know where to start.
“And thank you for your help this afternoon. I meant to say that earlier, and just now before I attacked your mouth. Thank you for staying late and just generally always being there when I need you.”
His expression was soft as he watched me. “Anytime.”
Hurriedly, I pecked him on the lips and then took off toward the yard and the picnic tables beyond. Everything looked to be under control upon my approach. Someone must have taken the corkscrew away from Mac because I didn’t see it embedded in my brother anywhere. The women were still chatting, and another two bottles of wine had been opened. The cheese board was mostly demolished, and when I came into view, all my guests cheered.
Grinning, I joined them. “Sorry about that. Are y’all ready to paint?”
A round of yesses met my ears, so I gestured to everyone to take a seat in front of a pumpkin. I showed them the stencils for anyone who wanted them and made sure everyone had the supplies they needed to get started.
With the pumpkin painting underway, I circulated and refilled drinks and paint as needed, chatting as I went and getting to know these women who were so important to my friend, Bonnie.
Mac shared a story about finding an entire naked family behind the storage shed over at Grandpappy’s last week. Apparently, they’d been trying to take a weird photo op with a self-timer, their baby inside a pumpkin, and everyone else holding up squash from the farm’s pumpkin patch to cover their private parts.
Everyone was laughing as she recounted the incident amid her shudders.
“I’m scarred for life, I tell you,” Mac said as she put a final flourish on a black cat she’d been painting.
“I’m sure seeing a naked man for the first time was shocking for you.” Brady laughed.
Thankfully Becca prevented well-deserved violence against my brother when she caught sight of something on the property.
