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Not once.
“Maybe you should think about that.”
He grinned. “First you tell me not to overthink and now you’re telling me I should?”
She laughed. “Let me start over. First advice is, don’t overthink the small things. And then the next is…damn…I probably should have written all of this down.”
“What?” Leo asked, feigning surprise. “You’re flying by the seat of your pants here? I had no idea. Bet your dad had a list when he played this game with your mom.”
She stuck her tongue out. “Advice two is find yourself. Third is take a risk. And my new advice, based on this conversation, is to dream.”
He leaned back. “Dream,” he repeated. “Why does it feel like your advice is getting harder, not easier? No wonder I suck at achieving a happy, carefree Collins lifestyle. Not sure how you all manage it.”
She laughed. “Have you met my family? We’re all insane.”
Their dinner arrived, so they turned the conversation to easier things, talk of dreams and finding happiness fading away, as the comfortable, friendly camaraderie they’d shared since high school returned. He told her about Vince’s laziness and his fear that puberty was setting in, and she filled him in on her cousin Fergus’s new relationship with pop star Aubrey Summers.
“So now you have someone else famous in your family,” he mused.
“Crazy, isn’t it? We seem to be magnets for musicians.” In addition to her uncle Sky and aunt Teagan, and now Aubrey, her cousin Ailis was married to and touring with Pat’s Pub’s former singer, Hunter Maxwell, who’d landed a huge record deal after winning the February Stars competition.
Once they were finished eating, Leo asked if she wanted to take the long way home and walk along the waterfront.
Yvonne was in no hurry to say good night to him, so she slipped her hand in his and they meandered along the wide sidewalks, watching the streetlights twinkle on the dark surface of the water. It was a beautiful, breezy, cool evening, a rarity for early August, which was usually humid as hell. Summer typically brought in more tourists, so the streets were a little busier than they were in the winter.
“If I remember right, you have a birthday coming up soon.”
Yvonne grinned. “Yep. I’m about to be dirty thirty.”
He laughed. “Not dreading it?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Age is just a number. And since I refuse to grow up, it’s not going to affect my life in any way.”
Leo chuckled. “Never growing up, huh? That sounds about right. Got plans to celebrate?”
She looked at him like he was nuts. “Have you ever known the Collins family to pass up an opportunity to party?”
“Good point.”
“So, you wanna be my date for it?”
“Depends.”
“On what?” Yvonne asked.
“On how your cousins, uncles and Dad might feel about that. I’ve seen their scare tactics whenever a guy comes sniffing around you Collins women. While that’s entertaining to watch, I’m not sure it would be quite as funny from the hot seat.”
“Are you sniffing around?”
Leo didn’t reply, and for a second, Yvonne feared she’d misread what was happening between them. So she reached for humor, hoping to pull them out of the awkward moment.
“Well, if you’re going to be a chicken shi—”
Leo grasped her upper arms, pulling her toward him in one smooth motion, and then…he kissed her.
Holy shit.
Leo could kiss.
