“Your family has done a lot more than just have a hand in the music here, though, haven’t they? Is it true that a lot of the buildings around town were made by your grandparents?”
He gave me a quizzical look, causing it to be my turn to have a shy smile.
“I like to read. I grabbed a few books from the library on my first day here, one of them had a little history on Love.”
I swear, if you had looked up “pride”in the dictionary, you would have seen a photo of Calvin’s face at this very moment.
“Yeah, actually, the pillars outside the library were hand-carved by my great-grandpa, and the sign out front was originally hand-painted by my great-grandma, though it’s had to be touched up over the years. And there’s also—” he cut himself off as another thought clearly crossed his mind. “Actually, do you just want to get out of here?”
The surprise must have shown on my face because he quickly corrected himself. “To show you, I mean. Just for a walk down Main Street to tell you about the buildings, that’s all.”
I nodded and couldn’t help but melt at the way he stumbled over his words—not because of the alcohol but because of his nerves—to correct himself so his intentions were clear. It wasn’t a trait I was used to when it came to the men in my previous circle.
“Hey, Cal, you guys heading out?” Garrett called to us from across the bar as we walked toward the door.
“Yeah, I’m just going to show Stella around a bit, and then I’ll walk her back to the B and B after. You want my truck?” Calvin tossed Garrett his keys as I heard a scoff from behind me.
I turned to see the tall blonde I saw outside Cupid’s Cup on that first day glaring my way, and then she quickly turned back to whisper something to her friends before they burst out laughing and looked my way. This evening had been going toowell for me to concern myself with the trials of mean girls, so I brought my focus back to the man who had captured my attention.
“Ready?” Calvin beamed down at me, offering me his arm as he opened the door.
“Ready.” I smiled at him.
Chivalry was alive and well in Love.
I was a damn idiot.The thought repeated itself over and over again as Stella and I walked down Main Street.
I could have stayed on that dance floor with my hands on her hips forever. She felt so damn good moving with my body. The way she swayed, she seemed so free and happy.And I wanted that for her—I really did. But more than anything I wanted toknowher.
I interrupted our dancing to ask her if she wanted a drink so I could talk to her, I felt desperate to hear her laugh. She ended up winning that feat and we spent the entire time talking about me and my family. Now, we were walking down Main Street, discussing evenmoreof my family’s history. I was beyond proud of my family and our story here in Love, but so much about her was still unknown to me, and I craved that information about her like she was the antidote I was so desperately seeking.
After what felt like the millionth question about something in Love, I answered her with an exasperated sigh while still being unable to wipe the smile off my face. She was stunning, and the fact that I had captured her attention for so long made me feel like I had won the damnlottery.
“Enough about me, Stella. I want to know aboutyou. What brings you to Love? And please, not the cliché answer everyone gives ofwanting a change of pace to a small-town life.” After spending the past two hours walking around with her under the star light, I felt we could do better than casual surface level conversation.
She looked down at our feet and grew silent as we walked. I was beginning to worry I had pushed too hard and was about to backtrack when she blurted out, “I was in a really bad relationship.”
As if saying it out loud took away some of its chokehold against her, she took in a deep breath that reminded me of the one we shared on the porch after she had dropped the vase of flowers.
“I decided I was done experiencing life in such a negative way. My parents passed away when I was young and I was raised by my grandpa.”
I started to apologize for her loss but she quickly cut me off.
“Don’t worry about it, really. I was so young when it happened and my grandpa gave me an amazing childhood. And I meanamazing. He was the embodiment of love, if there ever was one. But I lost him a few years ago, too. It just got to a point where I didn’t really feel like there was anything holding me in Utah anymore. So, I just got in my car and left in the middle of the night. The whole drive is a bit of a blur, if I’m being honest. I was going to stop here to gas up anyway, but something about Love really called to me. Plus, I don’t think Trixie would have let me leave, even if I tried,” she finished with a laugh.
I joined in her laughing, because I could imagine it. It was just like Grandma Trixie to take care of those she saw who needed it. And thinking back to how I saw Stella that first night, clutching the blanket and trembling, she definitely needed it.
I wasn’t sure what to do with this bit of vulnerability she hadgiven to me, but I wanted to hold on to it carefully so I could gain more of her trust.
“You did a really brave thing,” I said truthfully.
She beamed up at me and my heart burst with the spark she lit inside me. “Thank you. Your sister and Olivia said the same thing.”
“Those girls know what they are talking about.” I smiled; happy she had fallen in sync so seamlessly with Melody and her best friend. If she was wanting to make new connections and build new relationships, she was already off to a great start. I only hoped I could be a part of that, as well.
“They definitely do. I had a lot of fun with them today. And thank you for taking me out here.” She looked around thoughtfully. “I have a degree in interior design and I just love the look of these old buildings. So getting to know this history is just the cherry on top.”
I felt starved and every bit of information she gave me about herself was my fuel to keep asking her more. “Interior design? That sounds interesting, did you quit your job when you came here?”
