I giggled. “Hey, you can never be too sure. I promise we won’t stay around them long. They tend to ask a lot of questions, and I don’t want to put you through that.”
His smile slightly faded, and it only confirmed my assumption was right. If he was uncomfortablewith my questions, I could only imagine how stressed he’d get with both of my parents bombarding him.
My mother rushed over and flung her arms around my neck. I let Declan go so I could hug her back. “Please don’t tell me the wine has already gotten to you?” I asked, laughing.
She stepped back and winked. “Not yet. It’s way too early for that.” Her gaze averted quickly over to Declan and her eyes twinkled. “I’m just happy to see you have a date.”
Declan gave her a knee-buckling smile and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Carington. I’m Declan Parker, Ayla’s neighbor.”
My mother shook his hand. “You can call me Miriam.” She turned and pointed at my father. “And that’s David, Ayla’s dad.” My dad tried to walk through the crowd but was stopped by Gavin Taylor, the owner of Magnolia Hardware. He gave us an apologetic look and waved before focusing on the conversation. “Well, it doesn’t look like he’ll be getting out of that conversation anytime soon,” my mom said with humor.
I moved back closer to Declan. “No worries. We’re just going to walk around and grab something to eat.” Then, my focus landed on Diane, who wasbusy talking with the other ladies. “Does Diane still need me?”
My mom waved me off. “Oh no, she’s fine for now. Your father talked to her and told her what to do before she comes in to see you next week.”
“Okay,” I said, hugging her one more time. “We’re going to grab something to eat and walk around a little more.”
She let me go and placed a hand on Declan’s arm. “I hope you enjoy the festival. It’s one of many we have here in Magnolia Grove.”
Declan nodded. “I’m sure I will.”
Once my mother joined her group of friends, Declan and I walked around downtown Magnolia Grove. We each ate two hot dogs and finished them off with a huge slice of Linda’s famous red velvet cake. There was a whole table dedicated to just her cakes. She had to have made at least ten of them. By the end of the night, they’d all be gone.
My stomach was stuffed, and there were still a couple more hours before the fireworks show. Luckily, a vacant park bench was calling my name. It was nestled right in the shade beside a big-leaved magnolia tree.
“Do you want to sit for a bit?” I asked, turning to Declan.
He noticed the empty bench and placed a hand on his stomach. “Sounds good to me. I think that second piece of red velvet cake did me in.”
I giggled. “Tell me about it. If we didn’t snag them up when we did, there’d be no way we’d get any later. That table will be wiped out by nine o’clock.” We sat down and I pointed at all the trees in the park. “Can you see why Magnolia Grove is called Magnolia Grove?”
Declan chuckled. “I’m assuming it’s because of all the magnolia trees?”
“Correct,” I said, nudging him playfully in the side. “You’re a smart man.”
“It’s a nice town,” he replied as he looked around the town.
I detected a hint of sadness in his tone, but I didn’t want to spoil the moment by asking him personal questions. Right now, I just wanted him to enjoy being with me. When he started to turn his head toward me, I stealthily shifted mine and focused on the crowd so he wouldn’t know I was staring at him. He was a very good-looking man; it was hard not to look at him.
“Do you have to work this week?” he asked.
I focused back on him and stared right into his crystal blue eyes. “Nope. Theoffice is closed. Most of my staff are leaving tomorrow for their vacations. Now, if someone calls in with an emergency, I’ll go in.”
His brows furrowed. “By yourself? What if someone needs a tooth pulled? You don’t need help?”
“Please,” I said with a snort. “I can do that in my sleep.”
Declan seemed impressed by the smile on his face. “Looks like you can do anything.”
I smirked. “I try.”
His phone started to ring and I watched him slide it out of his pocket. He stared at the screen for a minute, almost as if he was contemplating answering it. After rejecting the call, I saw his screen light up again. This time, he shut off his phone completely.
I waited for him to look at me, but he kept his focus on the people around us.
“Is everything okay?” I questioned. The tension around him was palpable.
Declan clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, sadness and anger radiating from him in waves. “I wish it was.”
