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His arm pulled her closer. “It’s a great idea. But to be honest, it will never happen, and I can live with that. I don’t want to see people in their lowest moments; they might say things that could come back to haunt them if it was caught on film. There’re benefits to keeping the camera crew out of the locker rooms after games.”
She put her hand on his chest. “Aw, you’re secretly soft-hearted. You just don’t want people to know it.”
They’d moved nearer the darker part of the garden where there was a pond with koi still in it. Dawson stared in surprise. “Don’t they take the fish out of there? Can they survive if it freezes?”
Piper nodded. “Actually, they can. They’re very hardy fish as long as the pond is deep enough and doesn’t freeze completely. If it does freeze, there needs to be a hole in the ice to let air in. But I think this pond must have some kind of heater.”
She knelt down and held her hand above the water. “Yes, look. You can see the heat rising. It’s probably not very warm at all. Just enough to stop the water freezing.”
“So, you learned about animals as well as plants.”
She held out her hands. “I learned about gardens, and lots of gardens contain ponds. So, it makes sense to learn about frogs, toads, newts, fish. Birds, too. I’m not just a plant girl.”
“I never thought you were.” There was sincerity in his voice, and it made her catch her breath.
For a moment, she thought he might kiss her, but instead, his hand snuck around her waist again and he led her back around the curving path. Her words echoed in her head, but her stomach had dropped.
She wanted him to kiss her. She really, really wanted him to kiss her. And she hadn’t quite known that until this moment.
All of a sudden, she realized how close they had over the last few weeks. How much he filled her thoughts and occupied her time. How well they actually fit together.
But they’d never had that conversation. Not at all. And if this was all in her head, she would feel like a fool.
She was staking too much in this. She had to keep her head in the place it should be. Solving clues. Getting lost in daydreams about her and Dawson was wrong—not when they could both achieve something good for so many people.
“I think it’s time to go home,” she said in a shaky voice.
“Oh.” Dawson stopped walking and looked at her. He looked disappointed. “Are you feeling okay?”
She lifted her hand to touch his on her shoulder. “Yes, just tired. The last few days have been… something.” She couldn’t find the right word to describe how overwhelming everything had been. “It’s like a clock is constantly ticking over our heads. I keep worrying we won’t solve the clues in time, and the opportunity that we had, will slip through our fingers. I’m worried about losing focus. About being distracted by other things. The plans that we have, they could help our whole neighborhood.” She lowered her voice. “This could be the opportunity of a lifetime for the place where we live. I want to make sure I keep concentrating on doing my best for them.”
He gave a nod of his head. “Of course. Let me organize us a ride home.”
She couldn’t be selfish. She couldn’t let this be about her and Dawson right now—no matter what her brain and sensations told her. Could it be about Christmas? About both of them feeling lonely and vulnerable at this time of year? She just didn’t know. Her brain was so mixed up. Maybe they could kiss and everything would be wonderful? Maybe she would try to kiss him, and end up with a polite rebuttal that would embarrass them both, then they would struggle to work together on the next clue.
She couldn’t risk that. Not at all. Not when so much was at stake.
Dawson moved into control mode, and they walked back down to the entranceway where one of the doormen summoned them a taxi. They sat in virtual silence on the way back to Beechwood Park, and when the taxi halted outside her house, Piper was quick to bend over and kiss Dawson on the cheek.
“Thank you,” she said, stopping him from accompanying her from the taxi. “Call me tomorrow and we’ll spend some time on the clue.”
He gave her the longest look, one which tugged at every one of her heart strings before he replied in a deep voice, “Sure.”
She was through her front door with it firmly closed behind her before the tears started to fall, even though she wasn’t entirely sure why.
Chapter Eleven
Dawson wasn’t quitesure what to do. He stared at the clue card once again.
With the promise of youth,
Find the lesser known of three royals,
Following the local tradition
To ensure no spoils.
He hadn’t quite nailed it, but he was almost certain he knew partly where this clue was taking them. So, why hadn’t he already phoned Piper and let her know?
