"You should answer it," Linda told him.
He pulled the phone out and looked at it, shaking his head.
"Hello, Penny," Darius answered. Their eyes met as he listened to the woman on the other end of the phone. “Really?” He rolled his eyes. “This is what you called me for?” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s called extortion.” Linda’s brows furrowed as she wondered what Penny was extorting. “Fine.”
He hung up with a huff.
“Is everything okay?” Linda asked.
"Penny and Isabel want ice cream.” His eyes glittered. “We have ice cream in the freezer but apparently, they want a specific one from some twenty-four hour store that Maggie told them about.”
“Oh…” Linda realized which store they meant. “They want the handmade ice cream.”
“Yes, I see you know which store,” Darius observed.
“I do,” Linda said with a nod and grin.
“It’s not how I was planning on ending the evening but…” Darius gave a resigned sigh. “I’ve been threatened by a very determined Penny…”
“Well then,” Linda said teasingly, her heart lighter than it had been in years. “Come on, it’s not far from here and within walking distance from where you parked.”
Linda reached down and took his hand. She didn’t even think about the gesture before she did it as it seemed like the most natural thing to do. Her heart stuttered and a warmth spread across her stomach when his fingers closed around hers the moment they met.
“Okay.” Darius grinned like a mischievous teenager. The smile took her breath away as she turned and started walking..
"This way," Linda said softly.
Twenty minutes later Heart House came back into view at the end of the long curve of the drive.
The lights were on low in the front room. The porch light was burning. This time Darius pulled up in the drive of the house. He helped her out of the car and then walked her to the front door where Darius turned her gently to face him.
"Thank you," Darius said. "For tonight."
"Thank you," Linda answered. “I had a wonderful time.”
“I hope we can do this again, soon?” Darius asked.
“I’d be okay with that,” Linda answered honestly.
“Good, how about we meet for a walk on the beach tomorrow evening?" Darius suggested.
“Okay,” Linda said with a smile and her heart doing crazy things in her chest.
“Well, then I guess this is goodnight.” Darius lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed the smallest, softest kiss to her knuckles. He held her gaze for a long moment. Then he stepped back, gave her a small smile that did not match the gravity in his eyes, and walked down the path to his car.
Linda watched him drive away.
She stood for a long moment in the warm dark of the porch with the terrifying realization that she might be falling for him. The thought arrived complete, without warning, and she did not bother to push it away. Linda swallowed down the weird mix of panic and excitement before turning and letting herself in trying to ignore where her hand still tingled from his lips. She thought about how her toes had practically curled when they’d kissed and how ridiculous it was that she was falling so fast for a man she’d just met.
As she stepped into the warmth of Heart House, a thought struck her that made her stop cold. Linda turned slowly back toward the dark drive where Darius's car had disappeared, her stomach dropping as the realization landed. He had told her all about his family. About Penny. Isabel. Emma. He had told her nothing at all about himself. Not what he did. Not even his last name.
Linda, you are falling for a stranger.
MICHAEL
Michael let himself in through the side door of Heart House at just past eleven. His shoulders ached from helping Tom with some of the bakery renovations. He needed a shower and some of Linda's peppermint tea.
He closed the side door softly behind him. The big kitchen was dark. The hum of the fridge was the only sound. He set his keys quietly on the side table, slipped off his shoes, and walked through the back hall toward the front of the house. Michael walked as quietly as he could, knowing the kids were probably asleep. As he passed the family room, he stopped as he caught the soft sound of the television.
