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Hallie took a sip of her drink. She considered herself lucky to have Alicia and Meg in her life but - the glass nearly slipped through her fingers as her eyes blurred until the couple sitting three tables away from her were nothing more than indecipherable figures of light and dark shadows. And then she saw it. No - felt it. Glass breaking. Shattering. So much glass! It was everywhere, like a whole wall of it. And it was coming right at her.
She jerked, causing some of the Cherry Coke to splash out of her glass and onto her hand. The glimpse was over almost as soon as it had begun, leaving her breathless, with her heart threatening to beat right out of her chest. A bit wild eyed, Hallie looked around, but there was no glass in sight, large or small, except for the glasses the patrons were drinking out of. She hated how vague her glimpses were. How was she supposed to know where or when that glass was breaking or why or by whom, if all she saw was it shattering? She carefully placed her glass back on the table and used her napkin to wipe her hand. Feeling unsettled, she wrapped her arms around herself, focusing on regulating her breathing.
She wouldn’t let this ruin her evening with Caden. Up until now, she’d had an amazing time with him. She just had to get herself together before he got back.
“Miss me?” Caden asked.
She startled at the sound of his voice, and he put a hand on her shoulder. “Easy there. You okay?”
Then a clatter rocked the restaurant. Her entire body jolted and she looked for the source of the sound.
A waiter had dropped a tray full of glasses, sending them shattering on the shiny hardwood floors. Was that what she had just seen? If so, it was the most inconsequential glimpse of her life. And she would know. While she’d had hundreds over the years, she remembered every single one. Probably because there was never anything she could do about them, except for the one with Blake.
“Hallie?” Caden asked. He hovered over her, but the gentle weight of his warm hand on her shoulder had her looking up at him.
“I’m fine,” she said with a forced smile, hoping he didn’t notice the headcase she was being right now. “I was just thinking I should bring Alicia and Meg here. They’d love this place.”
“Are they your sisters?” He asked, taking his seat and replacing the napkin on his lap.
“Friends. They own the shops on either side of mine. The dress shop is Alicia’s and the cowboy place is Meg’s. They’re great. I think you’d like them.”
The rest of the night went without incident. She talked more about her store and shared some innocent details about her childhood. Caden told her a few funny stories involving his friends, and how he was thinking of buying a house so he wouldn’t have to live in a two-bedroom apartment the rest of his life. His biggest dilemma was if he should get a house like Luke’s that had a lot of land, or one more like Garrett’s that had a bit less land, but with access to a private dock.
The lattersounded way more appealing to Hallie, even if she wasn’t a fan of fishing. Just the thought of sitting on a dock watching the sunset every night was enough to sell her on the idea.
A while later, Caden drove her back to the store where she’d left her car. “I had a great time tonight,” Hallie said, standing in front of her open driver’s side door.
“Me too. I hope you have an awesome time on Saturday at the conference.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, and thank you for dinner. That place really is amazing.”
“I’m glad you liked it. It’s one of my favorite places around here,” he admitted. “So, I’ll see you on Sunday?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Are you sure I can’t pick you up? I don’t mind.” His offer was sweet, but Hallie wasn’t ready to give up her independence yet.
“I’m sure. I’ll meet you there.” She tossed her purse into the car and it landed on the passenger seat. “I just like to have my car with me in case of an emergency at the store, or if Katelyn has to leave early or something. I don’t want to make you miss your friends’ party to drive me to The Mystic Cow in the middle of lunch or during dessert or something.” It wasn’t the greatest excuse, but it would have to do. The truth was, most of the time her glimpses didn’t affect her too much, but there had been a few in the past that made her feel sick or gave her a horrible headache. If that happened while she was at the party, Hallie wanted to make sure she could leave without bothering Caden or his friends.
Caden sighed, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Do you always think of other people like that? Because it’s really sweet and incredibly sexy.”
Hallie hoped the darkness of the night hid the pink in her cheeks. “I try.” She admitted. How did this man always seem to see the best in her? “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“You’d be surprised.” He put his hands on her arms and she swore he was about to kiss her. “Good night. Drive safe. I’ll see you Sunday at eleven.”
“Thanks. You too.” She smiled, feeling a bit flustered, but Caden chuckled, and the air between them felt like it could sizzle and explode into a million stars. Every time they were together, it felt like the rest of the world ceased to exist. Like nothing and no one else mattered, not even the little thing about him bringing her in for more questioning. There was nothing logical about her feelings for this man, who for all intents and purposes was a near perfect stranger. But there was something about him that made Hallie feel safe.
Not wanting to leave the man who’d made her smile and laugh all evening, she finally forced herself to pull away and get in her car.
As she pulled into traffic, Hallie glanced in her rearview mirror, not missing how Caden stood by the curb, watching her drive away. Something shifted inside her, and for the first time, she let herself imagine what her life would be like if they made whatever this was they shared, more permanent.
And Hallie smiled the whole way home.
Chapter 9
“Who’s this I hear you’re bringing to Luke and Orly’s party?” It was the next day, and Blake was sitting across the table from Caden at an all-day breakfast diner near downtown Dallas. The place was packed with patrons, and a few kids were running around getting in the way of the wait staff as they tried to serve the food.
Caden had taken a few hours off to bring his friend to a rehab appointment. Blake could drive, but his shoulder injury made it uncomfortable, painful, even. So, the guys took turns driving him to these appointments whenever they could.
