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“Oh boy. I’m outnumbered.” Luna sighed cheerfully.
“Listen, I’ve gotta hit the road. This has been a lot of fun. Thanks for inviting me, Luna. I very much enjoyed hanging out with both of you.”
“Great spending time.” Cullen held out his hand. “Hope to see you again. Maybe when you have your think tank, or whatever. Remember, dinner is on us.”
“Will do. And put out a BOLO, be on the lookout, for a similar table.”
“You got it.”
Luna helped gather his bags and walked him out to his Jeep.
“I’m glad you were able to make it out here.”
He flipped the tailgate open with his key fob. “Me too.”
“And you have souvenirs from your adventure.” Luna handed him the bag with the baseball bat. He lowered the tailgate and leaned in. At first Luna thought he might kiss her. Instead, he pulled her close and gave her a warm embrace and kissed her on the forehead. “Thanks again. I truly enjoyed myself.”
“So did I.” She smiled back.
Luna thought she was six inches off the ground as Marshal Gaines’s Jeep pulled out of the parking lot. He gave her a final wave. She resisted the temptation to blow him a kiss. Maybe she should have. Maybe next time. She still felt the warmth from his embrace, the ripple of muscles through his shirt.
Wiley gave a woof. “You like him, too, dontcha, fella?” She bent over to give him a hug. Wiley rubbed the back of his neck against the back of hers.
The sun was bright, and the sky was deep blue. Almost the color of Gaines’s eyes. She looked down at Wiley. “You know something, buddy? I think I have a crush on that guy.” Wiley yapped in agreement. “I’m glad you approve. So, do you think he likes me?” she asked her pooch. Wiley yapped again.Animal instincts.She hoped.
Luna knew that the odds of anything serious happening between them were very long. He hadn’t even kissed her yet, and she was already thinking ahead.Take it easy. Go with the flow.Charlotte isn’tthatfar away. Two hours. People made that commute every day in some areas, especially large urban sprawls. Sometimes it can take an hour to drive fifteen miles. She was simply calculating. Maybe weekends?OK. Stop.She smiled at herself.At least I still have a pulse!
Chapter Nine
North Carolina
Stillwell Art Center
Luna cut through Cullen’s workshop on her way back to the café. When she entered the workshop, she was once again pulled toward the table. “Hey, Cul? Ya think you could start on that table sooner than later?”
“Oh, Luna. I am really backed up right now. Can you give me a few days, at least?”
Luna stroked the top of the table and lowered her voice. “Don’t you worry. We’ll figure it out.”
“What did you say?” Cullen called out.
“Nothing. Just mumbling to Wiley.” The dog gave a funny whine, knowing Luna was fibbing. “Whose side are you on?” She shushed him.
Cullen appeared from behind an armoire he was working on.
“Why are you so obsessed with that table?”
“Because there is something hidden in it,” Luna reminded her brother.
“It’s probably an old piece of newspaper. Or a grocery list,” Cullen said while he was polishing the new hinges.
Luna walked to where Cullen was standing. “That looks fantastic,” Luna noted.
“Hard to imagine it was sitting along the side of the road. It took a bit of sanding to get all the years of paint off it. There had to be over an inch of it. I can’t believe someone actually used automobile paint at one point.” Cullen chuckled. “The bones of the piece were in good shape, but I had to replace the door panels.”
“Oh, I like the caning you used for the panels. Gives it an updated look. Are you going to stain it?”
Cullen pointed to a few imperfections. “You see right here?”
