Murphy twisted a pretend key at her lips. “Safe with me, love.” She studied me. “So, are you still bound for Belle House?” she asked, and ducked her head to look at me. “You can always come home with me, you know.”
I smiled, and it felt genuine. Murphy was indeed a kind soul. “Thanks, Murph, but yes. I’m expected home for Thanksgiving. Lots to prepare and set up for Christmas.” I grinned, and this time it was fake. It felt fake, and it was. I hated it, too. “Family tradition.”
“Gotcha,” Murphy answered. “You know the offer remains open.”
“Thanks, Murphy,” I replied. Then I glanced at my watch. “Oh, I’ve got to run.”
Murphy, who had braided her long lob bangs and had them pinned back, grinned. “I bet you do, love. Where are you off to?”
I turned and headed for the exit. “See you later, Murphy.” I waved.
“Bollocks,” she said behind me.
I wasn’t about to divulge all of my goings-on with Kane just yet. Everything was too new for me. Too fantastic. I wasn’t even sure I was doing the right thing. But as I pulled on the only casual garments I had—my running gear—my thoughts raced at how much I couldn’t wait to get to that park to see him. Just the anticipation of…well, I didn’t know, had me on edge. Pulling on my trainers, I slipped into my running jacket , pulled my hair into a ponytail, and grabbed my camera. Then I was out the door.
Kane was already at the park when I arrived. To my surprise, though, he kept his engine running, leaning against his door with his arms folded over his chest and his legs crossed at the ankles. With my camera strapped over my shoulder, I locked my car and started toward him. He wore a pair of mirrored shades, so I couldn’t see his eyes. But the lines around his full mouth shifted into a smile that was more than contagious. He pushed off then, and started toward me.
As we grew closer, I couldn’t help but smile back. “Hey—”
He walked straight up to me, steadied my head with his big hands, turned it to just the right angle, and covered my mouth with his. Swallowing my greeting. Tasting my lips. Making my knees feel gummy and loose. His tall frame engulfed me, crowded me, and his unique scent of pine and soap and leather swept over me.
“Hey back,” he said once he’d lifted his head from mine. “I’ve been dying to do that all day.”
“Oh,” I said a little breathless. He was still close, and I could see myself in his shades. I glanced down and noticed he wore a small round silver medallion. I lifted it, and it felt cool beneath my fingertips. I looked at him. “A compass?”
Looking down at me, he nodded. “Brax gave it to me for my twenty-first birthday,” he answered. “So I’ll always know how to find my way.” He laughed lightly. “I suppose he’s still waiting on me to do that.”
Such a profound gift between two brothers. I didn’t know what else to say, so I just nodded. “Why is your engine running?”
That smile took over his face again, and he inclined his head. “It’s a surprise. Let’s go before we lose light.”
He walked me around, helped me up into the truck, and then closed the door once I’d buckled in. He jogged around the front and hopped behind the wheel.
As he pulled out of the park, I half-turned in my seat. “How is it you know so many places around here and you’re not even from the area?”
Kane laughed, and I found I really liked how smooth the sound was. “Olivia knows all the great places,” he answered. “It’s not far.”
“I like it better when you’re not wearing glasses,” I confessed.
Kane immediately slid his shades off and looked at me. “And why’s that?”
I shrugged, a little embarrassed. “Like I said before. You speak with your eyes.” I gave him a smile. “When they’re covered up I feel like I’m not really seeing you.”
A slow sly smile captured Kane’s mouth as he looked straight ahead. “You like my eyes, don’t you?”
Heat burned my cheeks. “Well, of course I do.”
Kane chuckled and in the next second we were turning down a long dirt drive. A small sign was nailed to a tall pine that read HANCOCK PRESERVE.
“Olivia said there is a nice lake back here. Wildlife.” He slid me a glance. “Thought you might find some good subjects to photograph.”
“I didn’t even know this was back here,” I said slowly, taking in the scenery that literally popped into view. Tall pears still retained most of their leaves, and they were every shade of red and yellow and ginger and in between. A nice-sized lake set down the hill from a narrow walk path.
“Well let’s see what you can find,” Kane said, and together we started down the path toward the lake. He held my hand as we ambled down the dirt path, and at the bottom, I immediately saw several subjects.
Wordlessly, I squatted close to the water and shot several of an old boat that had been turned upside down on the bank. A bird. A squirrel. At the far end of the lake, two men fished off the bank. I took several shots of them, as the waning afternoon sun caught them in just the right light.
“Can I try?” Kane asked.
I handed him the camera. “It’s an older model, and I’ve got it on manual focus,” I said. “And, well, you know how to focus. Then you press this to shoot.” I showed him the button, and he nodded. He held the camera up and looked at several views before pointing the camera at me.