Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
A ll day, the only thing Declan could think about was that kiss.
And his promise: We are definitely going to talk about this later.
Later hadn’t come last night, since Cody had stayed to help clean things up. He’d given Declan more than a once-over, his gaze wary. As if he knew what had happened. As if he knew how Declan felt about Lily.
Well, Declan was tired of holding it back.
And if Lily responded to the note he’d slipped her during their evening rush—if she came here, now—he was finally going to tell her.
I’m falling in love with you.
Of course he’d known it—maybe even weeks ago, but…
Yeah, that kiss had confirmed it. He could still feel her in his arms. Maybe had never forgotten really. But he couldn’t escape the feeling that she belonged there. And him, with her.
He glanced at his watch again. 9:06. She was late. But not too late. And Lily was known to lose track of time. That could be all her lateness meant.
Then again, maybe late in this case meant not coming .
Huffing out a breath, he shifted the picnic basket from one hand to the other, scanning Blueberry Boulevard and the eastern end of Main Street from his spot in front of the Blueberry Hill Park sign.
A couple stepped out of Doug’s Market across the road, and some tourists meandered down Main, but there was no sign of the lavender-haired beauty that had stolen his heart for the second time.
The sound of children’s giggles reached his ears from the playground, but there were fewer families inside the park now that the sun had almost made its descent for the day.
With his free hand, Declan pulled his phone from his back pocket, stared at his notifications—all emails, all trying to sell him something that would make his life better. But he didn’t need a coupon to Chicago’s finest restaurant, or the latest time-saving app, or a membership to the coolest gym.
He just needed Lily. Here, with him. Preferably in his arms again.
And then, like a vision, she appeared at the end of his line of sight. She was riding that pink bike down the cobblestone street, bouncing as she flew, the edges of her purple skirt fluttering with the movement.
She was wild and fierce and beautiful, his Lily.
Declan swallowed against the dryness in his throat, just watching her as she slid her bike to a stop in front of him, breathing hard. “I’m so sorry I’m late!” She dismounted and secured the bike into the rack. “I had a very chatty customer right there at the end.”
“I thought maybe you’d decided not to come.”
She made a face. “I’ll be honest. I considered it. But after…” Even with the dimming light, he could see her cheeks flush a gorgeous pink. Was she thinking about their kiss? “Well, I thought maybe it would be best if we talked.”
“Good.” He cleared his throat at the hoarseness there, straightened, lifted the basket. “But first, let’s eat. You hungry?”
“Oh my goodness, starving!” She eyed the basket. “More of your mom’s food?”
“Not this time.” After his confrontation with his parents at dinner last night before his kiss with Lily, he’d avoided his whole family all the rest of the evening and today. “Thought we could try the new fish and chips place.”
“Yum! Lead the way.”
They walked toward a grouping of picnic tables under the shade of some elms. A few cyclists or pedestrians passed, out for a moonlit ride or stroll along the main park pathway, but for the most part, it was just the two of them.
Declan set the basket on the ground and pulled a red-and-white-checkered blanket from inside.
He spread it on the old wooden table, covering a few stains and sticky spots.
Then he grabbed a small plastic vase with a bouquet he’d purchased from the new florist near the fudge shop.
He placed that in the middle of the table.
“Look at you, getting all fancy,” Lily teased, but there was a delighted sparkle in her eye.
“Nothing but the best for you, Lil.” Declan winked, and his chest lightened to see that blush steal over Lily’s cheeks again.
He liked this version of Lily. The version that didn’t hate him. The version that felt very much like the one he’d fallen for, only older, with a deeper sense of self.
The kind of woman that could make a guy stick around?
Maybe.
He finished setting up for dinner with two disposable clear plates, two sets of silverware rolled up into napkins, and containers with their food—battered slices of fish, coleslaw, and crisp fries, with enormous brownies for dessert.
“It looks amazing. Thank you for going to all this effort.” She slid onto the bench across from him.
He reached over the table for her hand. When she placed it inside his, he squeezed. “You’re worth it.” Then before she could respond, he bowed his head, prayed, and asked the Lord to bless their food.
He added a silent prayer for strength and a clear head to say what he needed to say. Maybe some courage too.
Then they dug in, falling into easy conversation about everything but their kiss and the growing awareness between them.
She told him about Florida and how, despite loving being home, she missed Sadie and the warm weather.
He talked about Chicago, how she’d love some of the art galleries there.
Before Declan knew it, an hour had flown by.
Their food had been eaten, including those brownies—the chocolate of which he could still taste on his tongue—and other than a chorus of cicadas that had joined their conversation, they might as well be the only two people in the world.
It was time.
At a pause in the conversation, Declan pushed away from the table. Stood. “Want to take a walk?”
“Sure. I could use it after all that rich food.”
Together they cleaned up their table, tucked the picnic basket behind a tree to grab on their way out, and turned onto the trail that looped the park.
For a while, they were both silent. Because how did he begin to talk about something so huge? And maybe it wasn’t so huge to her, but it had taken up all the space in his head.
Their future.
Please, let them have a future.
Before Declan could figure out how to start, Lily said, “So. One week left until the festival.” In the light of the full moon, the blue cast lit the meadow of fresh-cut lawn. “How do you think things are going?”
Declan stuck his hands in his pockets. Not exactly the beginning he’d had in mind, but he’d go with it. “Your latest marketing tactics seemed to have really brought in the crowds. I think you might be ahead again.”
“And how would you feel about that if I was?”
“I’d be proud of you.” He glanced over at her, uncertain what she might read on his face. “I am proud of you.”
Her eyes shone. “That means a lot. I’ll admit, doing this well has surprised me, especially after what happened with business school.
” As they rounded the bend, her face suddenly grew serious again.
“I couldn’t have done it without you, though.
And I don’t want you to resent me for that. If, you know , I do win.”
“I’d never resent you, Lily.” How could he?
Because Brandon was right.
He was crazy about her. Lily was his sunshine and laughter, and she grounded him. She was the bergamot to his milk chocolate. The lavender to his rocky road.
“Maybe you wouldn’t, but your family sure would.” Her beautiful eyes were full of emotion.
“Just like your family would resent me if I won.” He stopped walking, turned toward her. “But are we going to keep letting them determine what we do with our lives?”
Because, yeah. His family would never, ever accept how he felt about her. So what was he going to do about it?
She frowned. “Maybe it’s futile.” She kicked off her sandals and walked across the grass, only a step in front of him. In the moonlight her pale blonde hair glowed like a halo.
“It doesn’t have to be.” He reached for her, captured her hand, and turned her around to face him. “Lily, I can’t stop thinking about that kiss. About you.” He swallowed hard. “About us.”
It took her a beat, a moment that lasted far longer than it should have, but finally, she said, “I can’t either.” Before he could breathe out a sigh of relief, she added, “But it doesn’t change the fact that our families hate each other. Or that you’re leaving.”
“I don’t have to.” The simple truth of Brandon’s words flooded in. “I could stay, or you could leave with me. Come to Chicago. We could go anywhere, really. Back to Florida, if you wanted. We could find a way, Lily, if we really wanted it.”
I know I do.
“I just don’t see how it would work.” She dropped his hand and resumed walking barefoot in the grass. “We tried it once, and it ended so badly. I don’t want that to happen again. Now that we’re friends again, I couldn’t stand to live in a world where you hated me.”
“I could never hate you, Lily. I never did.” At her serious side eye, he shook his head. “Besides, like we’ve both said, we’re not kids anymore.”
“You’re right. We aren’t, but we are still who we are. A Kelley and a Hart. One of us is still going to lose our fudge shop.” She made her way toward the now-deserted playground, stepping up onto a balance beam on the ground. “Our two families still can’t let go of decades-long hurt and hate.”
He followed alongside her. “ We could be different.”
“And do what? Leave our families?” She hopped off the balance beam and headed right for a pair of swings.
“I don’t know about you, but being back here, I guess it’s reminded me how much I missed home.
And I don’t want to leave again, not if I have a choice.
” Tossing her sandals to the side, she lowered herself onto a swing.
He joined her, turning on his swing to face her. “Then don’t. We can stay. We can fight. Whatever the results of the competition, we figure it out from there. As long as we’re on the same page.”