Page 64 of Touch of Heartache


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Lilac laughed and picked up her own, clinking it against his. “To Tildy,” she agreed, taking a sip. Then she held it out again. “And to Silly Sandgrouse and the handsome, patient, supportive man who wears hishead.”

Embarrassed, Nolan seemed the spitting image of his foolish sandgrouse companion then as he raised his glass to hers. “I’ll drink to Silly,” he said. “But as for the rest… I’ll just drink to a beautiful, kind, and supportivefriend.”

Lilac’s smile faltered at that one, but she took a sip anyway. “Just afriend?”

One of Nolan’s eyebrows cocked mischievously. “Did I say who that friend was?” he asked. He snickered as he put his glass back down. “I’m sorry. I did mean you. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want us to be more than that. Just trying to keep itcasual.”

He picked up his fork and dug into hissalad.

Lilac exchanged her glass for her fork and looked out at the park, thinking over her own words thrown back at her. “This is a new beginning,right?”

“Right,” said Nolan. “Though I don’t think we necessarily got off on the wrong footbefore.”

“The thing is, I might have booked us a suite,” said Lilac. “The Tent Tildypenthouse.”

Nolan actually dropped his fork at that. “That’s forhoneymooners.”

“And yet no one had booked it this weekend.” She casually picked up several leaves of greens with her fork. “I know you work tomorrow and if you need to go home first, Iunderstand—”

“Nope,” said Nolan. “I cleared it with my dad. We’re allgood.”

Lilac grinned as she wrapped her mouth around her first bite. “You hoped you’d be out all night?” she asked. “Did I ruin plans to take meelsewhere?”

“No,” said Nolan, clearing his throat as he took a sip of water. “I mean, I was going to ask—maybe get us one of the economy rooms at Tent Tildy. Or a hotel off-siteor…”

That was one drawback of the both of them still living withfamily.

“Well, it’s my turn to treat you,” said Lilac. She put down her fork and bent down to grab her purse, sneakily slipping out just the tip of a very familiar wrapping. “I brought strawberry again,” sheteased.

Nolan’s grip nearly slipped on his glass of water, but he caught it in time before it made a bigmess.

Lilac tittered and stuffed the condom back into her purse just as the waiter came back to fill their glasses with more water. Nolan handed his to the server sheepishly, his gaze flickering from Lilac to the window and back. His elbow went on the table and he cradled his face with his hand. Lilac wanted to crawl across the table and smash all of Queen Animaliao’s finest china to the ground to replace that hand with herlips.

But she could stay civilized for another hour or so. Nolanwasmaking one of her dreams come true. She picked up her champagne glass and stared out at the park again as the park came to life, an electric array of lights against a blacksky.

“Wait for it,” saidNolan.

And then that sky lit up in a great cacophony of scarlet as Tildy’s nightly fireworks showbegan.

“We’re in the best seat for this,” said Lilac, her mouth open into a perfect ‘o’ as her jawdropped.

The colors shifted to blue and green as more fireworks shot up from the lagoon beside thecastle.

“I know,” said Nolan. “I’m loving thisview.”

Lilac shifted her gaze back to Nolan to find him staring unabashedly in her direction. She groaned, but she laughed, too. “Cheeseball.”

Nolan looked comically affronted. “I’ve seen the fireworks,” he said. “Let me enjoyyou.”

Lilac scooched her chair around the side of the table so she could slide her arm through his. “Later,” she said. “Back at TentTildy.”

He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and pressed his lips to hers. “That’s to hold me over,” hesaid.

Lilac leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling a sense of warmth and comfort wash over her from head to toe. He was everything she wanted—who cared if she was older than him by just a bit? Maybe she’d gotten the formula flipped this whole time. Baby-faced college boys had suddenly become herthing.

“Does Tildy really make dreams come true?” whisperedNolan.

“She does,” said Lilac. “But I’m thinking I owe this night all toSilly.”

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