Chapter 16
The parking lot outside the council chambers was almost empty by the time Dave found Beth.
She was standing beside her truck with her keys in her hand, looking back at the building.
“Hi, Beth. You spoke really well at the meeting,” Dave told her.
Her smile was more relieved than happy. “I was nervous. I was breathing so fast that I thought I was going to hyperventilate.”
“None of that showed,” Dave assured her. “The mayor seemed to appreciate what you said about the children.”
Beth nodded. “Most of the people at the meeting, including the mayor, have had to juggle their jobs with doing the best for their families. The arts center will give parents another option where their children can learn new skills and make new friends. I’m just glad they’re happy with the progress we’re making.
” Beth tiled her head slightly. “Thank you for what you said.”
Dave put his hands in his coat pockets against the cold. “I wanted to let everyone know how well you’re doing.”
“It helped. More than you probably know.” She looked up at him, her breath fogging between them. “I’ve never done anything like that before. Stood up in front of a room and just spoken, without a script, without talking myself out of it first.”
“You were confident and honest,” Dave told her. “That’s all people want, regardless of what the situation is.”
Beth sighed. “I guess you’re right. I just have to remember that before I make three contingency plans for something that might never happen.”
Dave laughed. “That’s my girl.” His smile disappeared faster than it had arrived. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean you were my girl… I just meant…”
Beth’s eyes widened. “It’s okay. I know what you meant.”
Dave could have kicked himself. He’d spent most of his adult life choosing his words carefully, and now, when it mattered, he’d blurted out the one thing he had no business saying.
Except it hadn’t felt wrong. That was the problem.
Beth looked at the keys in her hand, then back at him. A strand of hair had blown across her cheek. Before Dave could think better of it, he lifted his hand and brushed it away.
Beth went completely still.
So did Dave.
His hand lingered for half a second too long, close enough to feel the warmth of Beth’s skin despite the cold night air. Her lips parted slightly, and something shifted in her expression. Something that made his heart beat harder.
“Sorry,” he murmured.
Beth bit her bottom lip. “You say that a lot.”
Dave frowned. “Do I?”
“You say it whenever you do something you think you shouldn’t.”
He searched Beth’s face. “Maybe I’m trying not to make a mess of things.”
Her gaze dropped briefly to his mouth before returning to his eyes. “Are things a mess?”
“No.” His answer came too quickly. “That’s what I’m trying to avoid.”
Beth gave a soft laugh, but there was nervousness beneath it. “That makes two of us.”
The wind moved through the parking lot, stirring the bare branches of the trees along the sidewalk. Beth shivered.
Dave frowned. “You’re cold.”
“A little.”
He stepped closer without thinking. It wasn’t enough to touch Beth, but it was enough that he could smell the faint scent of her perfume. Enough that if either of them moved forward even a few inches, the decision would be made for them.
Beth looked up at him.
For one impossible moment, Dave thought about kissing her.
He wanted to. More than he’d wanted anything in a long time. The realization should have sent him backing across the parking lot. Instead, he stayed exactly where he was.
Beth’s breath caught.
And Dave knew. Whatever this was between them, he wasn’t imagining it. She felt it, too. His gaze dropped to her mouth.
Beth swallowed. “Dave…”
The way she said his name almost undid him. He could kiss her. He was almost certain she wouldn’t stop him. But almost wasn’t enough. Not with Beth.
He eased back a step.
The disappointment that flickered across her face was so quick he might have imagined it.
“I should let you get home,” he said.
Beth looked at her truck. “Probably.”
Neither of them moved.
Dave smiled. “We’re not very good at saying goodnight.”
That made her laugh. “Apparently not.”
He liked her laugh. He liked far too many things about her.
Beth reached for the door handle, then stopped. “Dave?”
“Yeah?”
“When you said ‘that’s my girl’…”
He braced himself. “I really am sorry.”
“I know.” Her smile was soft now. “I just wanted you to know that I didn’t mind.”
For a moment, Dave forgot how to breathe.
Beth opened the truck door. “Goodnight, Dave.”
“Goodnight, Beth.”
She climbed inside and closed the door.
Dave waited until the engine started before heading toward his own truck. Halfway there, he glanced back. Beth was still sitting behind the wheel. Watching him.
She looked away the instant their eyes met.
Dave smiled to himself as he kept walking. Avoiding a mess was beginning to look a whole lot more complicated than he’d thought.