His nicknames for her? She’d craved them like a big glass of lemonade on the summer solstice.
She pressed the button on her fob to unlock the door of her Jetta. “This will be a test run. We’ll see how you do. Mack asked me first. It’s my head on the chopping block.”
“I’d go even further than that. I’d say it’s the fate of all of Silver Plum in your hands. But whatever.”
At her dropped jaw, he laughed. “But with the two of us together, there’s no way we’ll fail.”
She bit the inside of her cheek as she backed out of the parking spot, ready to head to the southwest edge of town.
He wasn’t just talking about the project, was he?
Chapter 10
Zane pulled on the collar of his white shirt, cursing his choice to wear a suit to Hannah and August’s wedding. He was hot and stuffy even in the cooler autumn air. He almost wished he could have worn the white pants and shirt his sister had picked out for him for the last wedding.
Weddings, man. Not a good track record so far. Except this time, he was determined to do something, to say something, that would build trust between him and Mabel.
They’d worked alongside each other for a couple of nights doing the windshield survey, and it had gone well. Things had felt good between them. He had to do this slowly.
He was happy for August and Hannah. He’d never seen August look the way he did when he saw Hannah in her fancy gown as she stepped into view, escorted by her father. August—the consummate strong, silent type—with tears in his eyes, seeing his bride dressed in white.
It had filled Zane’s chest with longing. It was like when he held his nephew, Styles, in his arms for the first time. Something had lodged in his chest, a hollow ache, a need for a family of his own.
Now, here at the wedding on the Bailey property with over two hundred guests, it had come again. Seeing the way August looked. Love had done that to the serious guy who kept to himself. And Zane wanted it. He wanted all of that with Mabel.
He held a glass in one hand and what he hoped was an appropriately anti-social look on his face. He figured that if he looked disinterested enough and paid a great deal of attention to his drink that maybe people would leave him alone.
The ceremony had gone well—as far as wedding ceremonies go. Hannah’s uncle from out of state came in to officiate. Zane had done well not focusing too much on Mabel, one of the bridesmaids along with the other KNO women. She’d looked stunning, otherworldly, in that light-blue dress with a glittering clip sweeping her hair to one side. After one long look at her radiance and beauty, he’d done his best to focus on other things.
“Hi, Zane, so nice to see you again,” a voice behind him said. He cringed, cursing his failed plan of avoiding everyone.
He turned to see Scott and Liza, arm in arm. “There’s our favorite hero!” Liza cooed. “I can’t thank you enough for all you did for my Scott.”
Zane rolled his shoulders a little. It was hard for him to accept praise.
WasJust doing my job, ma’amtoo cringey?
“How are you feeling?” he asked Scott.
“Back to normal. Back at the restaurant full time.” Scott pounded his chest a couple of times. “In fact, we’d like you to come to a nice dinner in Bartlett next week. We’d love to have you as our honored guest.” He gestured to Zane’s black eye, which was now a greenish brown. “If you’re feeling well enough.”
Liza peered at Zane’s face. “That is quite the black eye. Did you get in a fistfight?”
“He’s the fire chief too, Liza. He probably got it fighting that brush fire the other day.”
Zane wasn’t about to explain that he’d gotten it right after transporting Scott to the hospital.
“Oh, I did not forget that you’re a firefighter, dear. Which makes it even more important for you to come to the dinner. It would be an honor to have Silver Plum’s fire chief with us.” Liza had laid a hand on his arm twice in the conversation, and he couldn’t back up any more than he already was. There was an enormous tree at his back.
“I’m not sure.” Zane took a drink and then raised it in the air as he surveyed the room. “I might be done with fancy events for a while after this.”
“I bet a guy like you would rather not have to wear high-end clothes. You’re more of a working man, aren’t you? Not that you don’t look great in that suit.” Liza giggled.
Please, for the love of everything holy, get me out of here.
Zane’s gaze took in Mabel across the courtyard from him. She saw him looking at her and brought her hand up in a little wave.
The Jorgensons spoke with him a little more, and Zane was distracted.
