“I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“You aren’t. I was waiting for you.” His eyes opened, immediately flashing to mine.
That statement pierced the wall I’d erected, leaving a hole that wouldn’t be filled. “It seemed like you were thinking deep thoughts.”
He focused on the water. “I guess I was. I was thinking about how beautiful it is and how lucky I am to be here.”
A tingle ran down my spine. It felt like he’d revealed something important even though I didn’t know what it was.
“It is.” I was lucky to be here with this unassuming man—someone who didn’t want anything from me.
He shifted forward on the bench, his elbows on his knees as he looked up at me. His hair was curled and damp at the ends as if he’d recently showered. His T-shirt stretched taut over his chest and he was dressed casually in jeans and sneakers. My heart fluttered in my chest.
“Are you hungry?”
“Uh huh.” The thought that this could be a date circled my brain on a loop. We’d showered and made an effort to look nice for each other. We met at our bench and we were sharing a meal. It couldn’t be more date-like.
“I can grab some crepes at Sophie’s Crepes if you want to save our seat.” He pointed at the sign behind us.
“Sure.” I sat on the bench.
“Do you know what you want, or can I order for you?”
My mind immediately flashed to I want you, but I looked away, so he didn’t see the thoughts reflected in my eyes. “You can pick something.”
“Any allergies?”
“No.”
“Be right back.” He smiled and winked before turning away.
Did he have any idea how much younger he looked when he winked? When he smiled, I swore my heart stopped for a second before it started galloping out of control in my chest.
If this was a date, I needed to tell him nothing could happen.
I watched a bird stop on the bricks in front of me, pecking at crumbs until a child ran by scaring it. My mind wandered to last night, Cade listening to my issues, offering his opinion. It was like he’d opened up something inside of me, something no wall would cover up. I jumped when the tourist boat’s horn blew, signaling it was leaving.
Cade chuckled as he sat next to me and dropped a wrapped crepe in my lap. “Did the horn scare you?”
I turned to face him, my hand still covering my thudding heart. “Yes. I wasn’t expecting it.”
“You get used to it. The boat comes and goes all day long.”
Passengers lined the railing of the boat and waved as it pulled away from the dock.
“It’s a good thing I rented an apartment away from here.”
“You learn to avoid the crowds and the boat shows. That’s when it’s crazier down here.” He nodded at the wrapped crepe in my lap. “I got you the Caprese. It’s the best.”
I slowly unwrapped the warm crepe and took a tentative bite savoring the mozzarella, fresh tomato, and basil flavors. “It’s good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I should probably take you somewhere more touristy.”
“I’ve had crab cakes already. What could be more touristy than eating at the harbor watching the boats?”
“Ice cream from one the many ice cream shops while we toured Annapolis on foot.” His tone was light and playful, and I wondered if it was an invitation.
I pictured it clearly in my mind—strolling arm in arm with him, ice cream in my other hand while he showed me what was special about his town. “That sounds nice.”
The sun warmed me as we ate in silence for a few minutes.
Cade cleared his throat. “I wanted to apologize for last night.”
“There’s no need. You already apologized and you were just being honest.” I was touched. I couldn’t think of a time my father or Layton had ever apologized, much less twice for the same thing. They saw it as a sign of weakness.
Cade’s brow furrowed. “Still. It wasn’t my place to point out things about your family. I don’t know you or them.”
“Really? Because it seemed like you did—like you knew what happened. Sometimes it takes an outsider to point out something we can’t see ourselves.”
Cade’s expression was conflicted. “But I didn’t mean to hurt you or tell you something you weren’t ready to hear.”
“I moved here to discover who I am outside my family. Facing the harsh reality of Dad’s motives is a part of that.”
“Who are you?”
I sighed, frustrated with my lack of progress. “I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure that out.”
He finished his crepe, picked up his trash, and threw it in a nearby trash can. He returned to sit next to me, his long legs stretched out in front of him, but he sat closer than before.
A gust of wind blew my hair into my face. I tried to tuck a piece behind my ear, but the wind continued to blow hard, my hands still holding my partially eaten crepe and napkins.
“Here, let me help you.” I felt Cade shift closer to me, his thigh touching mine from knee to hip, as his hand slid my hair behind my ear.
His focus was on my hair, so I took in the faint lines in his forehead, his tan skin, and the flecks of yellow in his blue eyes.
Then his eyes met mine, his fingers shifted from holding my hair to sifting through strands. I wanted to lean into his touch. “Is that better?” His voice was low and intimate.
I nodded, unable to say a word. There was no space between us. I unconsciously swayed closer, wanting his lips on mine.
“Mister, can you help me with my kite? It’s stuck on your bench.”
The voice startled me. I jumped away from Cade. A boy stood in front of us pointing at his kite. The line wrapped the leg of the bench.
“Of course.” Cade stood and slowly unraveled the string while I took deep breaths to calm myself before he handed the kite to the boy.
“Thanks, Mister.”
“You’re
