Crossing Paths (9 page)

“I don’t really need much. Just tell me if you think I should wear this dress…” I hold up the blue dress I just bought in one hand. “Or this one.” My other hand lifts a black dress that shows a little more skin. “Now, remember, I’ll be on a first date with a professional guy.”

June laughs. “Do you really like this guy or something? I thought you said you didn’t know much about him.”

I give her a glare.

“I would pick the blue one,” she says, holding her hands up in surrender.

“Thanks, June.” I run over and hug her.

I take a quick shower and settle in at the bathroom mirror. June walks in and hops up onto the counter. Her legs are swinging back and forth as I put on my makeup and then do my hair.

“Don’t you have to get going? What time are you supposed to be at your parents’ house?” I ask.

“Oh crap.” She hops off the counter and rushes out.

I can hear her running through the apartment. I lay my hands flat against the counter, taking in a deep breath. The sooner she is out of the apartment, the sooner I don’t have to worry about her running into Liam.

“Have fun tonight, Caroline, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

I can tell she is smiling as I hear the sound of the door closing behind her.

Suddenly, I am alone and nervous as hell.
I am going on a date with Liam. What if he is meeting some other people there, and he doesn’t pay attention to me? But then, why would he want to pick me up and spend time alone with me in a car?
This whole insecurity thing is driving me nuts. I have never acted this way before.

I finish putting on my last coat of mascara before I go and sit on the couch. The bright red digital numbers of the clock read 6:17, but I know it is a few minutes fast. I need something to pass the time. I turn on the radio, but nothing good is on at the moment. I switch on the TV and find nothing good there either. Walking to the kitchen, I grab a bottle of water, come back, and sit on the couch.
Only 6:21?

At six thirty precisely, I hear a light knock on the door. Standing in front of the closed door for a short moment, I take in several deep and even breaths. I thought deep breaths were supposed to be calming, but apparently, the MythBusters need to do some investigating on that one.

I open the door slowly, and Liam is standing there. He looks amazing in a light blue button-up shirt with a jacket and dark dress slacks. His hair is short but still long enough to be messy although I am sure he took some time to style it that way. His smile brings warm light into the room. My deep breathing routine was pointless because I suddenly feel like I can’t catch my breath. My heart is pounding. I can’t swallow.
Breathe, damn it.

“Caroline, you look…” He pauses and takes a breath. “Beautiful.”

Liam stands casually with one hand in his pocket and the other hand held out to take mine.
Did he just say beautiful?
I touch my hand gently to his, and immediately, the breath rushes back into my lungs. If his touch has this impact on everyone, he should look into a job at the ER. He could save lives with that kind of superpower.

“Let’s go enjoy some charity fun,” he says pulling me into the hallway.

We walk to his car, his hand rarely leaving the small of my back. His touch feels strong, and when he moves away, I find my body wavering in its absence. He opens my car door, and I sit, impatiently waiting for him to get to the driver’s side door. I don’t want to waste a moment of time with him tonight. I watch in the mirror as he walks to the other side of the car.
Damn, his butt looks good in those pants.

The drive feels relaxed and easy. We talk about our work week and listen to music filtering through the car speakers. As we get closer to the event, my heart starts to race. I feel nervous, hoping everything has turned out well.

We arrive right on time. The warm night air is perfect as we walk through the doors. Tables with bright yellow tablecloths are scattered throughout the room. Each one features a different item up for auction. Surrounding each item is a masterpiece of colorful tulips entwined with greenery and woven into curly willow branches. The centerpieces, designed by Audrey and me, will be sold tonight as spring wreaths. I take a few seconds to marvel at the beauty that Audrey and I have created.
The charity is sure to benefit from our efforts.

“Everything looks wonderful,” Liam whispers into my ear.

“You think so?”

He nods once as he smiles down at me. We mingle and take a look at the silent auction items. For the rest of the evening, we have little alone time. He leads me to the bar several times to ensure our drinks are full. Each time, he orders water for himself and whatever drink I prefer. I watch him as he talks with others. Although he engages them in meaningful conversations, he never leaves my side. Throughout the night, I can feel his touch. Sometimes, his hand rests across my back or on my upper arm. Other times, he lightly touches my shoulder or grips my waist. I find myself longing for his touch to linger, but he never keeps his hand steady in one place.

Audrey, my boss, catches a glimpse of me from across the room, and she heads over with her husband to say hello. Her eyebrows rise in approval as she sees Liam with his hand placed at my waist. I introduce them to one another, and Liam says hello as he shakes her husband’s hand.

“Caroline, do you think we could talk in private for a moment?”

I look to Liam who is already sharing stories about fishing with Audrey’s husband. He gives me a quick glance, and he nods.

“Sure, Audrey.”

As we walk away, I begin to worry that something has gone wrong.
Did I remember to mark each auction item? What if someone thinks the colors are too bright?
We walk into a nearby hallway, and Audrey turns to me, grabbing me by my arms.

“He is so good-looking. Are you two dating?” She smiles.

“Oh, Liam?” I ask, confused.

“Yes, Liam. Oh my gosh, if I wasn’t a married woman, you would have to fight me off. You better get your claws in that one!”

I begin laughing. “You scared the crap out of me, Audrey. I thought something was wrong.”

“No, everything is perfect. No one has said anything negative about the event. They love it all. What I really want to know is if you are dating that little bit of hotness out there.”

“No, but maybe,” I answer, laughing again.

“Well, turn that maybe into a yes soon. Wow!” She swipes her hand across her forehead, wiping away the fake sweat apparently caused by Liam’s hotness.

“Okay, okay. Sheesh. Settle down, girl.”

“Let’s get you back over there before some piranha snatches him up.”

When we walk back into the room, Liam and Audrey’s husband are still talking. I am in awe of Liam’s ability to converse about nearly any subject as he presents himself with such charm.

Audrey slips her arm around her husband’s waist and gives him a small hug. “Honey, don’t you think Caroline did a wonderful job?”

“It’s better than wonderful. I know the charity is appreciative of all your work,” he says.

“I think we should head over and buy a wreath for my mom. She’ll love what you’ve designed,” Liam comments.

I feel my face begin to blush as Liam takes my hand in his and leads us away. This is the point in the evening when I should remind myself to be careful. Unfortunately, my mind seems to be on the losing end of this tug of war as my heart leaps from my chest when he whispers into my ear.

“Caroline.”

I look up at him with my mouth slightly agape.

“They said they’ll deliver it to the house. Are you ready to head home?”

What? It’s time to go already?
“Whenever you are,” I answer.

“I’m really more curious about what would make you happy,” he says, his hand lingering on my waist. His eyes are fixed on mine, and we stand silent, staring at each other.

Eventually, he turns and leads me to the car. We drive to my apartment without a word to one another as music plays softly. I can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking.
Did he have a good time? Did he wish we could have talked more? Did he think I talked too much?
By the time we pull into the parking spot, my mind is going nonstop.

We walk together to my apartment door.

“Thanks for tonight,” I say as I turn the key to unlock my front door.

Leaning back against the door frame, I look up and meet his gaze. His deep brown eyes are trained on me, and my glance does little to deter him. As if in slow motion, his hand reaches up to my chin, and his lips touch my cheekbone. I have never felt a kiss so soft. It’s as if he uses only the weight of feathers to touch my tender skin. His lips linger on my cheek as his hand squeezes my arm lightly. When he pulls away, I realize I’ve been holding my breath. When he lightly brushes his thumb across my cheek, the air rushes back into my lungs.
There is that lifesaving power again.

“Are you busy tomorrow?” Liam asks, leaning in closer with his hand now at my waist.

“Work project…I mean, no, um…no. I have a few finishing touches to put on a work project, but it won’t take long,” I say.

“I have an extra ticket to the baseball game tomorrow afternoon. A buddy and I are going. You could come along if you want.”

I see what looks like a little glint of hope in his eyes.
How am I supposed to say no to that?

“Sure. What time should I be ready?”

“Noon. We can grab some food at the ballpark if you’re okay with a late lunch.”

“Okay.”

Liam gives me a sweet smile. “See you tomorrow. Tonight was fun.” He slowly turns and walks toward the stairs.

I watch him as he walks away until his figure disappears behind the glass door leading to the stairwell.

I dance straight to my room. I kick my legs and thrash my arms in an uncontrolled fashion, squealing, before I throw myself onto the bed with a ridiculous grin on my face.
I can’t believe this is really happening. Am I falling for June’s brother?

I need to find a way to tell her before this gets out of hand.

Friday

Caroline’s sweet blue eyes had mesmerized me all night long. If we hadn’t been in a crowded room full of other professionals, I would have given her a real kiss hours ago. But standing at her front door, I froze. I couldn’t decide what I should do. I knew my sister would be pissed if she knew we were spending time together.

In the end, I kissed her. I kissed my sister’s best friend. Granted, it was only a kiss on the cheek—not that I didn’t want to do more, believe me. That kiss, although brief, was one of the sexiest experiences of my life. She just stood there in that beautiful dress, looking up into my eyes when my lips left her skin. I have no idea if she was waiting for me to kiss her on the lips or just waiting for a good-bye, but next time, I don’t think I’ll be able to hold back.

What’s even more unbelievable is that I invited her to a baseball game, and I don’t really have an extra ticket. I’ll have to ditch one of my friends to take her along. Eli wouldn’t be a good choice. He would never let me live down the fact that I shoved him off for a girl. James would be the more logical choice since he has a wife and kids. Maybe he won’t harp on me too much.

I pull out my phone and lean against my car. I call James, dreading the conversation.