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She leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her man’s lips as he rubbed a large palm up her thigh. Happiness for my friend spread through me. They were so obviously in love, and it was almost painful to witness.
Next to Lee, everything felt off kilter.
Our normally playful and relaxed banter was stilted and uncomfortable. Suddenly a man I had known for years felt like a stranger. Old Annie would have laughed and told him about how I was walking downtown when a pair of my underwear found their way out of the bottom of the pants. Apparently they’d been stuck to the inside of the pants, and I hadn’t noticed. I had to quickly use my stealthiest maneuver to snatch them up before anyone noticed a hot-pink thong in the middle of the sidewalk. Lee’s face would screw up in disgust at my story. His handsome features would twist up in horror before he would break out into a devastating grin and bend over with laughter.
Instead, we awkwardly stood next to each other and let the silence stretch like a cavern between us. I looked at him and took a deep breath. I still had no idea why he didn’t just let Charles win the dates. For years I watched Lee dodge commitment and anything even remotely resembling a real relationship since Margo.
He was the kind of man who could make you believe in fairy tales and happily ever after, only he’s never been there in the ever after.
Losing Lee would mean losing my entire family, and I couldneverrisk that.
Watching Lee with another random woman after knowing what it felt like to be kissed by him would be hard enough. The thought of losing my relationship with the Sullivans as well felt like drowning.
I tried taking a deep breath and sweeping those thoughts aside. We were already here, and curious eyes were sliding over us, soft smiles playing at my friends’ and neighbors’ lips.
All I could think about was the fact I knew exactly what his kiss tasted like and how it felt to have his wide palms creep up my rib cage—an image that caused dangerously low flutters in my core.
When Lee’s rough fingers brushed against mine as we walked through the crowd, my hand jerked up, and I crossed it to rub the opposite arm, trying to act casual and completely failing. A nervous chuckle was all I could manage.
While my feelings were very, very real—and rapidly spiraling out of control—the years of tamping down giddy giggles or batted lashes made it nearly impossible to contain myself when Lee openly flirted, or complimented me and leaned in close.
It was like the Lee I had come to know had been dialed up to eleven.
When I spotted Lark and Penny up ahead, I sighed in relief at the escape from the awkwardness.
“Hey, there’s Lark!” I picked up my pace and left him behind as I walked up toward her and Penny.
“Hey, gals!” I called out with a wave.
Penny beamed up at me. “Ahoy!” she shouted with a wide, toothy grin.
Lark laughed, and her hand lovingly stroked down Penny’s hair. “I think it’sHoi, Pickle.”
Penny shrugged and took a generous bite of a caramel stroopwafel. Around the bite of the chewy waffle and caramel, she grinned. “Ahoysounds way cooler.” Her assessing eyes slanted toward Royal, who was still showing off in his lederhosen. “These people are weirdos.”
Lee stepped up behind me, and he placed a hand over my shoulder, his fingertips grazing my collarbone. I immediately stiffened under his touch.
He sniffed visibly.Sniff. Sniff.“Does someone smell...” He looked around and continued to sniff at the air. “A rat?”
A smile broke across my face as Penny’s eyes went wide. Her uncle Lee was constantly calling her his little rat. He grunted in her direction like a boar and a squeal peeled out before she took off running. Lee chased behind her as she dodged through the crowd. He quickly caught up, hoisting her into the air and onto his shoulders.
I breathed a sigh of relief that a little space finally broke the tension.
Lark returned her attention to me. “You haven’t been answering my calls or texts.”
I gave her a pleading smile. “I’m sorry, I know. This is just...” I gestured between Lee and me. “Weird.”
“Really?” she asked in disbelief. “I feel like the entirety of this town let out a sigh of relief when Lee bid on you. It’s like we were all just waiting for it with bated breath, and the unbelievablefinallyhappened.” Lark was practically swooning.
I laughed nervously and pushed a curl away from my face. “Yeah, I don’t know what that was. I think Lee just got all worked up because Royal was showboating.” I gestured toward Royal. “Again.”
Together we looked at Royal, strutting like a peacock with Millie Reed as they moved toward the area to play a game labeledSjoelbak. It kind of looked like some kind of Dutch shuffleboard.
Royal was one pair of wooden shoes away from being completely ridiculous.
Lark shrugged. It was common knowledge that Lark had some strange soft spot for Royal King, though no one really knew the true reason behind it. Seeking any excuse to get the attention off Lee and me, I decided to just go for it and ask, “Are you ever going to tell me what the deal is between you two?”
Lark looked at me, and a small smile hooked at the corner of her mouth as she looked around. “You really want to know?”
