“It was worth a try,” I say, shrugging.
“I’ll walk in front of you?” she suggests. Her eyes are bright and full of mischief.
“Yes, let’s try that, because if I don’t move away from you, it’ll never go away.”
She walks just ahead of me, but reaches her hand behind her back to ask for mine. I place my hand in hers, and it feels like home in a lot of ways. It feels comfortable and exciting at the same time.
Outside in the cool, crisp air, I take several deep breaths, and my body calms down.
Maria’s eyes drift lower, and she nods, satisfied. “Waffles?” she asks.
“I hope they have butterscotch sauce,” I say, holding my hand out to take hers again.
She threads her fingers through mine, and I pull her closer.
I fucking fell in love.
Kazimir. The guy who never wanted to commit to anything.
He got married, and he fell in love.
I laugh quietly at myself as we walk together toward the warm glow of the coffee shop ahead of us.
I fell in love, and I don’t have a single regret about it.
Chapter 22 - Artur
Joseph took Maria out this afternoon to distract her so that the rest of us could arrange a little surprise for her. It’s our last night here at Whale Cove, and we wanted to make it special, so we’re cooking dinner for her.
Slow-cooked stew with vegetables and lamb so soft that it falls off the bone. We’ve been stewing it on low for hours, and it smells incredible.
“Is the rice done?” I ask when I hear their car arriving outside.
“Yes, I’m busy putting it in a dish now to put it on the table,” Benedikt calls from the kitchen.
“Because they’rehere,” I shout back.
“Shit, Kaz, hurry up and grab the wine glasses,” Ben shouts.
I jog toward the kitchen to help them with the last-second touches so that everything looks perfect when she walks in.
I’ve made a massive fire in the living room, which opens up to the dining room, so the entire space is cozy and warm.
I’ve turned the lights really low and placed candles around the room for a romantic and intimate vibe.
The table looks great. I’m rather proud of what we pulled together. It looks like a luxurious restaurant with top chefs cooking top-quality menu items.
My eyes trace over the table to do one last check.
“Where are the rolls?” I ask, just as Kazimir walks in with the freshly baked rolls that we got from the bakery this afternoon.
“Butter is on the table. Rolls are here. We’re good to go,” he says.
I hear Joe and Maria laughing as they walk into the villa.
“Brrrr,” Maria says, shivering when she shrugs off her jacket. “I’m so happy you guys made a fire. It’s freezing outside! … Oh my word, what smells so amazing?” she says loudly.
Joe takes her hand, a grin on his face as he leads her to the table.
