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Doing her best to ignore whatever was going on between them, Hallie chatted with Orly and Skyla. When there was a lull in their conversation, Caden extended his hand across the table to her. “Walk with me?” He asked with a warm smile that reached his eyes. It was the first real interaction they’d had since sitting down to eat.
Hallie nodded and took his hand. She had been wanting to explore the property and a walk sounded good. Maybe it would also give them time to talk. She stood, and followed Caden as he led her away from the group and toward the dock. “I remember offering to teach you how to fish,” he said.
“Now?” She asked. “I’m not exactly dressed for it.”
Caden smiled. “Not now. But you’d want to at least try it, right?”
Hallie sighed. “I don’t know. I honestly haven’t given it all that much thought. The last few days have been kind of busy for me.”
He nodded. “For me too. Are you having fun here at least? I know I like seeing you talking and laughing with my friends. And you’ve definitely won them over already with that beautiful smile of yours.”
His words were sweet, but Hallie suspected there was something going on behind them that he wasn’t sharing. Asking him felt wrong, so she just smiled. “I like them too.”
“Good,” he said as he put an arm around the small of her back. They walked up onto the dock and stood at the edge. Hallie was mesmerized by all the reflections of the surrounding scenery in the water. The trees looked like they were melting in a large pool of wax. “Can you swim?” Caden asked.
“I took lessons as a kid, but haven’t been in the water since.” She hoped this wouldn’t turn into a swimming party because she didn’t bring a swimsuit. To say she was on edge with Caden was an understatement and she hated that he’d made her feel that way.
He took her other hand and turned her until they were facing each other. He gazed into her eyes, his expression soft and tender. Suddenly, a different kind of tension filled the air between them, only Hallie actually liked this one.
“I like you, Hallie Owens. A lot. I think about you all the time. Probably in ways I shouldn’t. But from the minute I walked into your store, everything about you captivated me. It’s like you have me under this spell and I never want it to break.”
Hallie stared at the man, stunned by his words that seemed to come out of nowhere after the way he’d greeted her earlier. It was like he had two personalities and she finally had her Caden back. Her Caden. That was a slippery slope. She checked herself, but couldn’t seem to regret thinking of him as hers even if she logically knew he wasn’t.
“I like you too,” she said. “A lot.”
That earned her another smile. The kind that made his beautiful gray eyes sparkle in the sunlight. “Can I kiss you?” Caden asked, his gaze soft as he took a step toward her.
The last of her nerves suddenly replaced by desire, Hallie licked her bottom lip and lifted her chin, an invitation for him to move in.
And he did.
Without hesitation, he covered her mouth with his in the most tender kiss. The entire world faded away as her whole body reacted to the man whose mouth was on hers, kissing her, licking her lips until she opened for him. His tongue surged inside, intensifying the kiss, and making tiny butterflies flutter in her belly. Heady with desire, she couldn’t even bring herself to care that all his friends were probably watching their first kiss.
She surrendered to Caden’s slow methodical ministrations, her senses drowning in the musky taste of the steak he’d just finished, and his soft woodsy cologne. He pulled back only when they were both nearly gasping for air, his eyes glazed over with lust and passion, mirroring her own. “Wow.” She whispered.
“Yeah,” he said, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m really glad you came today.”
“Me too,” she said, her mind still spinning, trying to process the best kiss of her life. There was a commotion in the distance, and then someone shrieked.
“Orly!” Skyla called out, loud enough to be heard all the way on the dock.
Hallie turned to see what was going on. All eyes were on Orly, but she didn’t seem to be moving. Before Hallie could decide what to do, Caden was already running to her.
Hallie started to follow, but her small heels made it impossible to run in the soft grass. By the time she reached the table, Orly’s eyes were glazed over, staring at an unknown point in the distance. “Is she okay?” Hallie asked.
No one seemed to hear her, and Orly didn’t answer. Caden sat beside Orly, holding her hand. “Easy, Orly, it’s okay. I got you. Talk to me, Honey. What’s going on?”
As all the men clamored to get closer to Orly, Hallie was pushed aside until she couldn’t even see the woman. Skyla ran into the house and came back a second later with a tall glass of water. She sat on Orly’s other side, seemingly just waiting. They were all waiting, but for what?
“Should we call 911?” Hallie asked. Again, no one paid any attention to her.
“He fell down the stairs. He’s so old and frail,” Orly started to say. “And he’s alone. He has no one and he’s terrified he’s going to die by himself and no one will ever find him.”
What the hell? Hallie couldn’t really see her except for the top of her head, but it was definitely Orly talking.
“Where?” Caden asked.
Hallie’s eyebrows rose until they almost touched her hairline. There was no way this was real.
