If he apologized again, she was going to kick him. Softly, though. Just a light tap on the side of his leg. She didn’t want to hurt him. “And?”
He surprised her by cupping her cheek with his large hand, the palm covering half her face. “And I thoroughly enjoyed this.” He bent down and kissed her, lightly this time, before he drew back. Then he held her gaze. “Are you okay?”
If “okay” meant floating on a cloud while melting into a flustered, boneless puddle, then she was absolutely okay. She nodded.
He moved his hands to her waist. “Probably not a good idea for you to stay here,” he muttered, lifting her with ease and setting her on her feet.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
So formal, when less than a few minutes ago they’d been anything but. She glanced at her car parked next to them. And because she’d always believed being straightforward was best, she looked back up at him. “Where do we go from here?”
Confusion flashed in his eyes, then disappeared. He smiled again. “How about an official date?”
Surprised, her pulse tripped again. The idea of a date with Kingston would have seemed ludicrous even two hours ago.
But was it? The time they’d spent talking at the café had been nice, easy, and comfortable, even if she was still tingling from sitting next to him duringThe Quiet Man. But it wasn’t long before she’d forgotten her physical reaction to him and discovered they had a lot in common other than watching old movies. He was extremely smart and well read. Being a true nerd, she appreciated his interest in reading and learning. She already knew he was devoted to his family—when he had the time to be. And when he enthusiastically told her about his volunteer work—without revealing any patient information—he almost had her convinced that she should volunteer at the health department, too, even though the sight of blood made her feel faint.
Then on the drive back to her car, she’d wished the evening didn’t have to end so soon. She’d gotten her wish—and they’d extended their time in the best way possible.
“Olivia?”
His handsome face came into focus, the uncertainty in his eyes surprising her. Confident Kingston Bedford was worried she’d say no. She probably should. She’d gone out of her comfort zone enough tonight, and she didn’t want to end up hurt. But this was Kingston, the most upstanding man she knew.
Not to mention those kisses.“Yes.” She drew in a deep breath. “I’d like to go out with you.”
He grinned and pulled out his phone. When she realized her purse still sat on the passenger seat, she opened the door,grabbed her bag, and shut the door with her hip. Quickly she took out her cell.
“The earliest I have is next Tuesday,” he said, scrolling. “Will that work?”
“Our monthly staff meeting is Tuesday evening. I usually order takeout from the diner while we work. We won’t wrap up until eight thirty.”
He ran his finger over the screen. “Next Wednesday?”
“Church. And I have to be at the library early Thursday morning to set up our biweekly homeschool workshop.” She looked at her calendar. “What about a week from Friday?”
“I’m on call.” He frowned. “How about I call you? I might be able to switch some stuff around, but I need to check with my admin. She’ll kill me if I mess with the calendar without her permission.”
Olivia understood. Calendars were sacred. “Here’s my number.” She told it to him as he entered it into his contact list.
“Cool.” He slipped the phone back into his pocket. “Until next time.” He took her hand and kissed the top.
She almost sighed out loud. Corny, but the perfect gesture. And he waited as she got in her car and pulled out of the lot before getting into his vehicle.
On the drive home, butterflies danced in her stomach. Kingston Bedford. Who knew? She certainly didn’t, and she doubted Anita had ever put the two of them together either, or she would have brought it up to Olivia before now.
But she wasn’t going to tell Anita anything until her and Kingston’s first official date. And maybe not even after that, since the wedding preparations were taking up a lot of Anita’stime, thanks to Karen. Anita and Kingston’s mother could test the patience of a saint, even though she meant well.
No, best to keep things to herself until the right moment. She grinned. Aunt Bea would be so tickled that Olivia had taken her advice.
Next time, she might even try the coffee.
Chapter 1
Eight months later
Kingston yanked at the collar of his white dress shirt while the other groomsmen talked to Tanner, the nervous groom. As the bride’s brother, he knew he should have some words of wisdom to impart to the man who would be his brother-in-law in less than an hour, but he had zip. How could he think about marriage advice when (a) he was still single, and (b) all he could think about was how mad Olivia must be at him?
