Angling toward him, I peek at him out of the corner of my eye. “What would that be?”
“To find a hidden investment.”
“Ah.” I tilt my shoulders away again and watch Roman toss pieces of his cone in the water for the ducks. “The cottage.”
“No, Summer. You. The cottage is just a good cover.”
My gaze runs back to his, and if I could, I would kiss him right now. But displays at home are one thing. Kissing in public is a whole other. “Do you mean that?”
“I always say what I mean.”I believe him.
My heart beats strong. I want to touch him, to kiss him, and to be held in his arms again. Reaching over, I slip my hand between our legs and scrape my nails over the cotton of his pants. With his eyes ahead on his son, he whispers for my ears only, “Did I tell you how much I liked kissing you?”
“I think I missed it if you did.” I quirk a silly grin at him. “Tell me again.”
“Hey, Summer,” a familiar voice cuts through the conversation from behind us.
I turn to the side to see the face that matches that voice. “Hey, Brandon. How’s your mom?”
He stops and looks back. “She’s doing well. I’ll let her know you said hi.”
“You do that. Take care.”
When I settle back onto the bench with Daniel next to me, I glance over at him. His eyes are still stuck on Brandon, though. “Friend of yours?”
Dropping my head in hopes of pulling his attention back to me, I ask, “Do I detect a note of jealousy?” It’s not so blatant but fun to call out.
“Just curious,” he says, his eyes still tracking Brandon as he walks away. “I was under the impression this town was retirees and?—”
“And not hot firemen?” He leaves me no choice but to tease when he wants to ignore the question.
“He’s a fireman?”He’s definitely jealous.
Generally, I’ve noticed that Daniel is pretty laid back, so it’s cute to see him get a little wound up. Makes me want to see how he is on the ice if he’s being told to soften his image. “And a paramedic. Our town is lucky to have him.”
Standing up, he tugs the bill of his hat down his forehead and pulls his sunglasses from where they’re hooked on the neck of his shirt. “Did I mention I’m a professional hockey player?”
“Not at first.” I stand, turning around to lean on the railing to face him.
“MVP seven times in my career,” he states like he’s on a mission to prove himself. Men. I grin and let him. “I know you’re not into hockey, but that’s the second all-time record.”
Should I?Probably not. But I can’t resist, so I ask, “Who holds the top spot?”
Annoyance gets the better of him, and he huffs. “Wayne Gretzky.”
I toss out a casual shrug. “Did either of you ever rescue a kitten from a tree?” I bat my eyelashes before Roman runs up the steps to join us again.
Daniel sweeps in front of me, picking Roman up. “How were the ducks?”
“Hungry. Can we bring food next time?”
“Sure. You ready to go?”
“Yep.”
Holding Roman’s hand, they’re about to pass me when Daniel stops, and says, “I don’t know about Wayne, but I have the key to the city of Philadelphia after saving a woman from a car that caught fire outside the arena.”
“Brandon doesn’t stand a chance against you, Sutton.” Pressing my hand to his chest, I smile to myself, happy as a clam. “And just for the record, you never had anything to worry about. Brandon Culver has been in love with my sister Fall since they were in middle school.” I pat him and then drop my hand to tuck into my pocket. “And he’s not my type.”
