CHAPTER NINE
An hour later, Declan and I strolled hand-in-hand through the wide open park across the street from Sauvage, taking our time as we perused the large, artificially made pond and its occupants.
I could see the parking lot and my car from this distance, and even caught a glimpse of Declan’s tricked-out black and gold Harley-Davidson.
Nevertheless, he was proud of his motorcycle, and I truly enjoyed listening to him talk about something he was passionate about, despite my confusion.
I was sure that I could go on and on for hours about a book I read, and he would listen. As a matter of fact, I did get into the latest book on my Tbr, and like I already suspected he would, he listened to my overly exaggerated commentary with an invested smile.
There was a natural lull in our conversation, and Declan asked, “How are your ankles?”
Confused, I looked up at him.
He blushed so hard his face was pink. “You, uh… mentioned at the bar that night that your rheumatism affects your wrists and ankles the most. We’ve been walking around for some time now, and you’re wearing heels. I was just checking to make sure you were comfortable and not in any pain.”
What the—
He needed to shut his face before I did something stupid, like fall in love with him.
My face warmed, and my heart was beating so fast it was in danger of tripping out of my chest. “You remembered that?”
He cleared his throat, blushing even harder. “Of course. I remember everything about you.”
I smiled up at him, my heart so full I could cry. No one—besides my mom—ever really checked in on me like that, and I found I didn’t know how to react. Did I thank him or burst into tears? Because I wanted to do both.
Unfortunately, I was in a bit of pain. It started creeping in about fifteen minutes ago, and if I didn’t get out of these heels soon, I was in danger of not being able to walk tomorrow.
Luckily, I’d planned for such adversities and had brought along a pair of gold sandals that also went with my outfit. I just needed to retrieve them from the car.
I grimaced. “I am in a bit of pain, actually.” And as soon as the words left my mouth, Declan grew pale.
“What?” he blurted out. “Why didn’t you tell me? Now I feel like an ass for dragging you around this godforsaken duck pond instead of getting you off your feet. All because I wanted to spend more time with you.”
I chuckled. “First of all, the ducks were super cute. Maeve over there was particularly interesting.” I pointed at an aggrieved-looking duck that was busy herding its ducklings away from the annoying humans.
“And two, the pain only started a few minutes ago. It’s not bad.
It’s actually quite manageable. I just need to get out of these heels and off my feet for a bit. ”
I yelped as Declan scooped me up in his arms, bridal style, and carried me the few feet to one of the many park benches.
“Why do you keep doing this?” I asked, clinging tightly to him.
He shrugged, powerful shoulders shifting under my weight, then carefully lowered me to the bench. “I like how you feel in my arms.”
“That’s not—”
“Also, Maeve?” he asked, cutting me off. “You named the duck Maeve?”
I nodded as though all of this made perfect sense, and he was merely slow. “And over there is Winslow and Mecca. They’re twins, but they like to pretend they didn’t share an egg for twenty-eight days. Over there is Brett and Bartholomew, and to their right is Lydia and Hyacinth.”
Declan looked from me to the ducks, then back to me again. “Why am I not surprised you know the incubation period for hatching a duck’s egg?”
I shrugged. “I’m a kindergarten teacher. It comes with soothing temper tantrums and removing gum from curly hair.”
Declan threw his head back and laughed. And it was the most wonderful sound I’d heard in months.
When his laughter died down, I told him about my backup footwear in the car, and he took my keys, ordered me to sit tight, and promised to be back in a flash.
What he truly wanted was to carry me to the car, stating that he wasn’t comfortable leaving me only in the park, even if it was only for a few minutes.
Which meant spending the last ten minutes pointing out numerous couples milling about on their evening stroll, assuring him that I wouldn’t be alone.
Not to mention that the park was well-lit and in a well-traveled area.
I was also in shouting distance of him if I were ever in trouble.
To say nothing of the police car that was parked at the café right across the street from me. I was perfectly safe.
Declan grumbled a few choice words under his breath, then reluctantly left to go fetch my sandals.
He’d expressed, at length, his concern about me being in pain and on my feet for much longer. But letting him take me to the car meant that our night would be over, and I wasn’t ready for our time to end just yet.
Curious to know what time it was, I reached into my purse for my phone, pressing down on the power button until it came to life. I didn’t want anyone or anything to interrupt my date with Declan, so I’d powered down the device before walking into the restaurant.
The second the phone started up, a host of messages and missed calls started streaming in—every single one of them from Seth.
My heart picked up speed.
What was his deal? Surely he wasn’t injured and needed help; he had Lacey to drive him to the emergency room if that were the case. And it was clearly not the case.
When the phone eventually stopped vibrating with notifications, I glanced at the screen, discovering twenty-six missed calls and forty-three text messages, each text a variation of the same thing.
Seth: Where are you?
Seth: Why aren’t you answering my calls?
Seth: Why can’t I see your location? Did you turn off your location or your phone?
Seth: Melodie, I’m serious. Pick up the phone!
Seth: Don’t make me drive all over town looking for you.
Seth: Mellie, I swear to God if you don’t answer the phone, I’m calling 911 and reporting you missing.
And on and on it went.
I was so caught up in scrolling through Seth’s frantic messages that I hadn’t heard Declan’s approach.
“Mel?” Declan called, in a tone that indicated he’d tried getting my attention more than once.
My gaze snapped to his, and he looked at me with careful concern.
“Are you okay?” he inquired gently, as he dropped to his haunches and started undoing my heels.
I opened my mouth to answer him when my phone rang, and Seth’s name flashed boldly across the screen.
I quickly powered down the device again and dropped it into my purse, my heart rate slowing with the action.
Or maybe it was the gentle caress of Declan’s hands as he skillfully massaged my ankles and the balls of my feet, before carefully tucking each foot into the cushiony softness of my sandals.
Smiling at his handy work, he looked up to meet my gaze. “Better?” he asked, and I felt like bursting into tears and sobbing my heart out at the warmth and kindness of this man.
“Better.” I nodded. “Thank you.”
“You're very welcome, darling.”
Then he rose to his full height, taking me by the hand and carefully coaxing me off the park bench.