Chapter 12 #2
‘No,’ said Danny firmly. ‘It was… it is— everything.’ He let out a huge yawn. ‘Sorry.’
Michelle smiled and shook her head. ‘Be quiet and eat your tea.’
‘Dad’s right,’ chuckled Danny, ‘you are a cheeky mare. So… will you tell me more about your diner plans?’
‘I will… but not tonight,’ said Michelle. ‘I want to do it properly. I mean… if you don’t mind?’
‘Course not,’ said Danny, thinking of all his ideas for the garage. He was so excited to share them with his dad now that Keith was on side. ‘I get it.’
They fell into comfortable silence while Danny cleared his plate.
‘That was epic,’ he sighed, putting his knife and fork down at last.
Michelle promptly bounced to her feet and started to clear the table.
‘Hey,’ he said, ‘there’s no way I’m letting you wash up on top of everything else!’
‘I don’t mind…’
‘Absolutely not!’ said Danny, getting to his feet and blocking her route to the rubber gloves.
‘In that case, I should probably get going,’ said Michelle.
She’d frozen to the spot and was looking him dead in the eye.
‘Probably,’ agreed Danny, not daring to move a muscle in case she made a break for it.
‘It’s getting late.’
‘It is,’ he agreed.
‘And you must be tired.’
‘Exhausted,’ said Danny, taking a tiny step closer. ‘In fact… I’m quite keen to head home to bed.’
Michelle’s breath hitched slightly. ‘Danny…?’
‘Yeah?’
‘Walk me to the car?’
Danny grinned, even though his heart sank a little. ‘Sure.’
Outside, the evening air was soft and warm, filled with the scent of Keith’s climbing roses and the sound of birds bedding down for the night. Michelle had parked the Buick beside the cottage, and in the gathering dusk, its red paintwork seemed to glow.
‘Beautiful evening,’ said Michelle.
‘Beautiful,’ agreed Danny, not taking his eyes off her face. In the fading light, she looked almost ethereal.
‘Thank you,’ she said quietly.
‘Hey, that’s my line!’ he said with a smile. ‘Anyway, what on earth for? You’re the one who swooped in and saved the day.’
‘Thanks for trusting me with your dad,’ she said. ‘I really like him.’
‘By the idiot smile on his face when I got home, I’d say the feeling’s mutual,’ said Danny. ‘And I know you don’t want to go into a bunch of details this evening… but I’m really looking forward to hearing more about your plans for the old showroom.’
‘You are?’
Danny nodded.
‘Well, that’s good… because your dad’s invited me over tomorrow afternoon to go through it all with you both,’ she said, her face a picture of nervous excitement.
‘Blimey, that man’s a fast worker!’
‘Even when he’s just out of hospital,’ laughed Michelle. ‘Anyway… I’ll see you tomorrow?’
‘Can’t wait,’ said Danny, ‘and thank you for being amazing.’
Michelle’s cheeks turned pink. ‘I’m not amazing. I just… I wanted to help.’
‘You are, and you did,’ said Danny. Without thinking, he reached out and took her hand.
‘Danny…’ She stared at him in surprise, but she didn’t try to pull away.
‘I know we’re complicated,’ he said quickly. ‘I know there’s all the weird history between our dads, and I know you’ve just come out of a relationship.’ He took a deep breath. This was going horribly. ‘I know I should probably give you space and time and all those sensible things…’
‘But?’ she prompted softly.
‘But… I’ve been waiting for you for years,’ he said. ‘And I’m tired of waiting.’
For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, letting go of his hand, Michelle reached up and cupped his face, her thumbs brushing over his cheekbones.
‘Then don’t wait,’ she whispered.
Danny didn’t need to be told twice. He lowered his head and kissed her, softly at first, almost hesitantly, giving her time to change her mind. But Michelle kissed him back, her hands sliding into his hair.
He backed her gently against the Buick’s smooth curves, deepening the kiss, pouring every moment of longing he’d ever felt for her into the connection. Michelle let out a soft moan that went straight to his head, as her body melted against his.
When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathing hard. Danny rested his forehead against Michelle’s.
Above them, the first stars were beginning to appear in the darkening sky. The Buick’s chrome reflected the light from the cottage windows, and somewhere far in the distance, a bell chimed the hour.
‘I should head home,’ said Michelle, sounding reluctant. ‘My parents will be wondering where I am.’
Danny nodded, then pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
Michelle giggled.
‘What?’
‘I just realised I sound like a naughty teenager!’ she laughed. ‘Hey, will you do me a favour?’
‘After today? Anything.’
‘When you’re out and about tomorrow morning, any chance you could pop Mum’s bike down to the carpark?’ said Michelle. ‘And?—’
Danny leaned in and kissed her again. She looked so adorably apologetic that it had been impossible to resist.
‘Of course, I can,’ he said, pulling away before the urge to scoop her up in his arms and carry her to his place got even stronger. ‘And?
Michelle blinked. The kiss had clearly thrown her off track. ‘And? Oh… right. One of the boxes in my car is marked Uni Notes. It’s got all my figures for the diner in it… I could do with going through it all before tomorrow afternoon.’
‘I can get it for you now, if you want?’ said Danny. ‘It won’t take me a second…’
Michelle shook her head. ‘It can wait until tomorrow. Go back in and check on your dad. I’m not sure he’s quite used to navigating that cast of his yet.’
Danny nodded. ‘I’ll bring it across to the town car park in the morning with the bike. I’ll leave it in the Buick for you?’
‘Perfect.’ Michelle smiled at him, a soft, wonderful smile that made his heart pound. ‘You’re my hero.’
‘Right back at you,’ he said, his voice strangely tight. ‘Now, you’d better leave before I start begging you to stay.’
‘See you tomorrow.’ Michelle opened the door, slid behind the wheel and started the engine before winding down the window. ‘Goodnight, Danny.’
‘Goodnight, Michelle.’
Danny stepped back and watched her reverse carefully out of the little parking area. Then she turned and waved before driving slowly away.
For a long moment, Danny stood in the gathering darkness, touching his lips and grinning like an idiot as he watched the Buick’s taillights disappear around the corner.
Elvis appeared beside him, tail wagging.
‘What do you reckon, boy?’ said Danny, bending to scratch behind the dog’s ears. ‘Think she likes me?’
Elvis woofed softly.
‘Yeah,’ said Danny, still grinning. ‘I think so too.’