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“Oh yeah. I’ve got you all figured out.”
He laughed at that. He gave her a soft smile and said, “I would love to figure you out some more, Malone.”
The song came to an end. He stopped their steps but didn’t let go of her. They stood there, looking at one another. He cupped her face with his hand and ran a thumb across her cheek. She hadn’t turned to flee so that was good. The heat between them was almost palpable. It took every ounce of self-control he had to not lean down and kiss her right there in front of everyone in the bar.
Her weight shifted, which reminded him of her leg.
“I’m so sorry. Is your leg okay?”
Her body tensed, her back straightening. She blinked and looked down, still not moving away from him. “Yes. It’s fine. All fine.”
“I should have thought of that.”
Her eyes met his. “I’m not that fragile, Chet.” She patted his chest, the moment between them fading. “Thank you for the dance. You are really good at it.”
She looked past his shoulder then back at him. “Our food has arrived. Let’s go eat.”
He followed her to the table, now piled with plates of burgers and fries. She’d raised her guard again, but not fully. The fact that she’d let it down as much as she had was a pleasant and welcomed surprise. As they took their seats again with their friends, Baylee sent him a quick wink.
He smiled and made a mental note to thank her for inviting Meg to dinner. It looked as if he had a better wingman in Baylee than he did in Drew and Tyler.
Chapter Fifteen
Meg reached upwith both hands, stretching tall toward the sky. A deep breath of fresh, cool air nipped at the back of her throat. The temperature was dropping a bit each day. She exhaled and brought her hands down by her sides. She’d begun arriving early for her runs with Chet out of competitiveness; now she looked forward to the time to get her thoughts in order before he showed up.
Besides Baylee, Chet was the only person Meg had spent any length of time with in Silver Bay. Yes, she knew people, friends like Hannah, and now and then she had coffee with Hannah’s friends Maggie and Kate, but those times were few and far between. Whether they were running together or working on the Harvest Festival or times like dinner at Garrett’s, she’d seen Chet every day for almost a week. Normally, this would unnerve her, and yet, she found herself calmer than ever.
Maybe it was the extra miles running. Most nights, by the time she fell into bed, she was so exhausted she barely had time to turn out the light before she was asleep. Some mornings, she awoke with her bedside lamp still on.
As much as she wanted to convince herself that the exercise was responsible for the stronger sense of peace, deep down she knew it began after talking to Rachel about her past. It wasn’t even some big unload either, just a simple statement of the people she’d lost. Opening the door of her heart hadn’t released an overwhelming flood of emotions, but rather allowed a crackof light to shine in, showing her, it wasn’t as scary as she thought to let someone see her pain.
Her phone dinged. She looked down and saw a text from Chet.
Running a few minutes late. Be there soon.
She smiled as she tapped out an answer.No worries.
She put her phone back in the pocket of her leggings. Leaning forward, she ran a hand over the scarred ankle. It was feeling much better.
Chet’s concern for her had been so genuine. His kindness so…honest. So far he had only offered friendship, even though it was clear when they’d danced he wanted more. His patience was causing cracks in the armor she’d worn for so long. Maybe too long. Her gut clenched.No one is meant to be alone in this life.Franklin’s words came back to her.
Meg had been glad to see Chet at Garrett’s. It simply felt good to have him near, and she hadn’t felt that way in a long time.
She reached back and grabbed her right ankle, pulling to stretch her quad muscle. It also had surprised her how much she enjoyed being in his arms as they danced. They had joked about whether he was arrogant or confident, and she knew it was confidence, a fact she wouldn’t admit to him no matter how much he begged.
She switched ankles, remembering how sure he was as he led them across the dance floor and the intensity of his gaze when he said he wanted to figure her out. He’d even called her Malone. No one had done that since she was a firefighter. And instead of it causing a knot in her stomach, hearing Chet say it warmed her from head to toe.
Chet’s voice drew her from her thoughts. “I’m not sure what’s causing that smile on your face, but I’d sure love to be the reason.”
She dropped her left ankle, every ounce of her wanting to reply with a witty remark.
Instead, she found herself saying, “Actually, you are.”
His head tilted and he leaned back.
She took a step toward him, her courage building. “I really enjoyed dancing with you. You’re quite the two-stepper.”
He looked at his feet, but not before she saw a big grin on his face. And was he blushing? It had been a while since she’d seen a manly man like Chet actually blush.
