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He let out a sigh. Caleb didn’t know why the idea of finding someone tugged at him in moments such as this. Hadn’t Felicity taught him to be wary? To guard his heart?
As the evening wound down, Caleb realized he and Addie were the last to leave his parents’ house. It felt so comfortable to have Addie in the presence of his family. Strangely, it had felt effortless. And it was pretty obvious everyone loved her.
After saying their goodbyes, Caleb and Addie headed outside. He walked her over to her car. This evening had been perfect.
“Thank you for inviting me over,” Addie said. She was looking up at him. Her eyes were luminous. “You have an amazing family. They were so welcoming, Caleb. I felt like I was an honorary Donahue.”
“From this moment on, you are. My family loves you. You had them eating out of the palm of your hand,” he said with a chuckle.
She grinned. “I love them back.”
For a moment, Caleb forgot Addie was his business partner. He forgot about the Blue Bayou and all of his vows about not mixing business with pleasure. All he could focus on at the moment was Addie. Sweet, gentle Addie. Every day that she was in his presence he felt more and more drawn to her. Addie was becoming someone very important to him. Tonight had only served to reinforce those feelings.
He stepped toward her so that only a small bit of space stood between them. Addie must have sensed something hovering in the air between them. She looked up at him and her lips slightly parted. Caleb placed Addie’s face between his hands. Without hesitating, he dipped his head down and placed his lips on hers. Her light floral fragrance rose to his nostrils. She smelled like roses. With the moon glowing in the heavens, the moment was full of charm and romance. Addie’s lips were soft. He felt her hands resting on his shoulders as she kissed him back. A soft breeze washed over them as the tangy smell of the ocean hung in the air.
When they finally pulled apart, he swept his palm across her cheek. Her eyes were full of questions. He smoothed out the frown on her forehead.
“What’s this little crinkle for?”
“I hope this doesn’t get in the way of anything,” Addie said, biting her lip. “I really like partnering with you at the Blue Bayou. It would be crushing if things went south because we kissed.”
He reached out and swept her hair off her face. Caleb needed to see the expression in her eyes. “We kissed, Addie. That’s not a bad thing. The world won’t crumble because of it.”
She wrinkled her nose. “But it could complicate things.”
“I promise that won’t happen. I won’t let it. Trust me.”
Addie began to fidget. She began twirling one of her curls around her finger. “I’m not used to romance, Caleb. I can count my boyfriends on one finger. And to be frank, he wasn’t much to speak of in the romance department. Our whole relationship was a disaster. We only kissed a few times.” She bowed her head. “I don’t think he liked kissing me.” Her voice had gone soft.
Caleb sucked in a deep breath. Addie was an extremely kissable woman. He hated that some jerk had made her feel otherwise. “Well then, he must have been all kinds of crazy, because you’re a woman who should be kissed frequently, Addie Fontaine.”
She began to laugh, then covered her mouth with her hand. It was such an Addie gesture, he realized. Her movements were full of
shyness. He loved seeing her blush.
“Goodnight, Caleb. We have to get up bright and early, so we should get some rest.”
“Night, Addie,” Caleb said as he began to walk over toward his car. Halfway there, he turned around and called out to her. “By the way, I really like kissing you.”
Caleb grinned and then turned away before Addie could even respond. He then got into his car and revved the engine. He waited until Addie got into her own car and drove away until he departed. He would follow behind her for a bit just to make sure she made it past the coastal road safely. Although according to Addie she had traveled the coastal road many times at night, he just wanted to be sure she was safe. There had been many accidents on the winding road.
This evening had been fun. He frowned. But what about tomorrow?
He and Addie would be working together at the Blue Bayou. He’d made her a promise tonight that things wouldn’t get awkward between the two of them. Should he really have said that? Kissing Addie had felt completely right and natural. But now he was beginning to wonder about the wisdom of kissing his partner. Did he have feelings for her he wasn’t aware of? The desire to kiss her had come out of the blue.
Caleb scratched his jaw. If anyone had told him earlier tonight he would have kissed Addie this evening he would have called them crazy. She was his partner. They were friends. Nothing more.
He prayed it hadn’t been a big mistake.
“The past can be daunting. A lot of us bury our pasts in the hope of erasing old hurts. It never really works though. The best thing is to face it head-on so we can grow from our experiences.”
Jason Donahue
Chapter Five
Addie woke up the following morning wondering if she’d imagined the events of last night. Had she really locked lips with Caleb? She ran her finger over her lips. She would never forget the tender kiss they had shared. For someone like herself who didn’t have a lot of romance in her life, the interlude with Caleb had been something unexpected and wonderful. Although she felt slightly nervous about what might come next between them, Addie figured it was worth it. Kissing Caleb had felt outstanding.
She glanced out the window and sighed as the beautiful sunrise greeted her. Pinks and orange bursts of color announced the dawning of a new day. She felt incredibly hopeful about what the day would bring her. Hope. That word had been missing from her vocabulary for such a long time. At the moment, she felt Tabitha’s presence wash over her. Her eyes misted up.
