by Deanna Chase
He chuckled. “Mysterious. I like that.”
“Okay, what do you need help with?” She popped up off the stool and rounded the counter. “I’m starving.”
“Just need to get the salads out of the fridge. I’ve got the rest,” he said.
“I’m on it.” Hanna moved to the stainless steel sub-zero refrigerator and felt a twinge of jealousy. Her own fridge was a hand-me-down from her parents. It was fine, but it wasn’t nearly as pretty or efficient as his. Inside, she found two ready-to-eat salads and pulled them out, noting the goat cheese and walnuts—her favorite. “Yum, Rhys. You’re already scoring points and I haven’t even seen the main course yet.”
“That’s good news,” he said through the window. He’d disappeared outside, no doubt checking on his grill. “Take them to the table. I’ll be right in.”
“Sure thing. Want me to open the wine?” she asked.
“Not yet. I’ve got something else I want you to try.”
“Okay.” She glanced at the small table and let out the tiniest gasp of surprise. It was gorgeous, set with cloth napkins, fresh-cut flowers, and a set of dinnerware she’d pointed out to Rhys months ago in a catalog. But the icing on the cake was the candelabra that illuminated the romantic scene.
She placed the salads down on the elegant blue and gold-rimmed plates and took a seat, waiting as the butterflies fluttered in her gut. Hanna had spent countless hours in this house, but never as Rhys’s girlfriend. She wasn’t quite sure how to act.
The sliding glass door opened, and Rhys strolled in with two plates, one full of tri-tip and the other grilled veggies. The scent of freshly grilled meat filled the air, making Hanna’s stomach rumble.
“Everything looks wonderful,” she said to him as he deposited the food onto the table.
“I hope it lives up to the hype.” He grinned and headed back into the kitchen to pull a glass bottle out of the fridge. It had a rubber stopper and was the type of bottle he’d use for his cider making. Once he made it back to the table, he held the bottle up, revealing the gorgeous golden color. “Ready for a taste test?”
“Absolutely.”
Rhys removed the stopper and filled two glasses. Then he took his seat and raised his glass. “To a new beginning for both of us.”
Hanna raised her glass to his and said, “To a long future full of love, joy, and passion.”
“Passion,” he echoed and clinked his glass to hers. “Definitely.”
“You would latch onto that one,” she said, suddenly feeling shy.
“You’re the one who brought it up.” He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “You’re adorable when you’re embarrassed, you know that?”
“I’m not embarrassed,” she said, feeling like an idiot. Of course she was embarrassed. She’d just toasted to passion and they hadn’t even spent the night together yet. And her nerves were all over the place, making her wonder if she could even relax enough to enjoy dinner.
“Try the cider, Hanna,” he said, his eyes glinting with amusement.
Did he know what she was thinking? She wouldn’t put it past him. He could usually read her thoughts so well she often wondered if he had a direct line to her brain.
“It’ll help you relax, Han,” he said gently. “Come on. It’s just me. How many times have we sat at this table and had dinner together?”
She glanced at the gorgeous table and laughed a nervous chuckle. “Too many to count. But this is the first time you’ve ever lit candles or bought flowers.”
He eyed the table. “I was trying to be romantic.”
Gods, she was seriously messing this up. What was wrong with her? “I know. And it’s beautiful, Rhys. I appreciate the effort. I really do. It’s just… I don’t know, it feels like there’s an expectation at the end of this meal, and now it’s the only thing I can think about.”
He put his glass down. “I don’t expect anything. And I sure as heck don’t expect you to fall into my bed on our second real date since last year. I just wanted you to know how special you are.”
Gah! She knew that. Why was all of this such a big deal? It wasn’t as if she’d never been with a man. She was in her late-twenties for goodness sake. It was just that she’d never been with this man. The one she’d been waiting for since she was a teenager. “I think I might be a little overwhelmed with the intensity of everything.”
He watched her for a moment and then nodded his understanding. “Okay then. Change of scenery.” He grabbed his salad plate and his glass of cider and got to his feet. “Come on. Grab your glass and your plate. We’re moving to the couch.”
“What?” She laughed even as she did as she was told and followed him into the living room.
He took his spot at the end of the couch and patted the cushion for her to curl up next to him. “Right here, love. Just like usual.”
She giggled as she sank into the couch. “Usually we have Chinese takeout and a bad movie.”
“We can try that next if this doesn’t work out.” He took a long swig of his cider and nodded for her to do the same.
Finally, the butterflies settled, and she tasted the cider. She closed her eyes and found the flavor profile to be fresh and crisp with notes of cherry. “Yum. Good gracious, Rhys. This is delicious.”
“You think so?”
Her eyes popped open. And he way he was looking at her, his eyes full of heat, she had the feeling that he was thinking that she was the delicious one. But somehow, now that they were on his old couch, she didn’t feel the strange pressure she felt before despite his obvious desire. She had no idea why she felt more comfortable on the couch, but she loved that Rhys had known exactly how to put her at ease. “I know so. I love it. Is this one you made for Lincoln Townsend?”
“Yep. I’m going to take him some samples later this week.” He sat facing her and tucked a curl behind her ear. “Want to come with me when I go?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. She loved the Townsends and Lincoln especially. It would give her a chance to check in on him, to see how he was doing now that he was done with his cancer treatments.
“Good. Now eat your salad so we can move onto the steak. I thought you were starving?”
“I was, but…” She shrugged and took a bite of her salad. Flavor exploded over her tongue. He’d used some sort of flavored vinaigrette; she just wasn’t sure which. “Pomegranate?” she guessed.
“Almost,” he said with a nod. “It’s a combination of raspberry and pomegranate. It’s good, right?”
“It’s excellent.” Hanna turned her attention from Rhys to her salad, and the next thing she knew, her plate was empty. If she’d had bread, she would’ve soaked up the remaining dressing.
“I guess you liked it,” he said with a chuckle, taking her plate from her.
She pushed herself up off the couch and followed him to the table, but instead of taking the plate of tri-tip and veggies back to the couch, she sat at the table and waved for him to sit across from her. “I’m fine now, Rhys. Let’s enjoy this beautiful table. We can go back to the couch for dessert.”
He gave her a sexy half smile. “Sounds good to me.”
The tri-tip had turned out to be the best meal Hanna had consumed since the last time she and Rhys had been together. The man was a real connoisseur of tender and delicious cuts of beef, and she’d missed his expertise. If left to her own devices, she’d normally just pass because that would mean cooking, something she didn’t really have time to do anyway. Not if she wanted to get a few hours of sleep before heading to work at the crack of dawn.
“Dessert now, or do you want to head to town for a walk along the river?” Rhys asked.
Hanna eyed the empty cider bottle, the one she’d drained, and said, “Do you have more of that?”
Rhys chuckled. “Yes.”
“Okay. Grab it, and let’s head for the river. It’s beautiful out tonight.”
“You got it.” Rhys disappeared into the kitchen for a moment and r
eturned with a full bottle of cider and a couple of plastic cups.
Rhys, who’d only had the one glass of cider, drove them down the hill and parked his Jeep on Main Street. With the cider and two cups in hand, he led an already slightly tipsy Hanna along the town’s special golf cart-only path that led to the river. The moon shone brightly overhead, and the night smelled of fresh dew and cut grass.
“This is really nice,” Hanna said, clutching his arm and leaning into him. “Romantic. It’s the perfect date, Rhys.”
“It’s always perfect with you around,” he said.
Hanna snorted, completely amused by his statement. “That’s pure cheese.”
“Maybe. But it’s the truth.” He kissed the top of her head and continued along the path.
Her heart melted just a little, and she decided that she was good with cheese. In fact, she was all-in on the concept.
“Hanna? Rhys? Is that you?” a voice called from down by the bank of the river.
Hanna pulled away from Rhys and squinted. Down by the shoreline she could just make out the outline of a golf cart. “Wanda? Is that you?”
“Yep. Get down here. The hot spring is fantastic.” Wanda was Abby’s golf cart-racing buddy and if there were shenanigans going on in Keating Hollow, Wanda was usually at the center. Fun was Wanda’s religion. She and Abby had a friendly rivalry with the golf cart races and last Hanna heard, Abby was winning the race count by double digits.
She glanced up at Rhys. “I suppose we should go say hi?”
“Sure. If you want to,” he said, already angling for the shore.
Hanna wasn’t all that interested in visiting, actually. She’d been enjoying her time alone with Rhys and wanted to keep him to herself, but it would be rude to ignore them.
As they moved closer, laughter filtered through the night air, the sound tinkling off the river. And when they crested the gently rolling riverbank, Hanna spotted the second golf cart. Judging from the mud plastered on the side of Abby Townsend’s cart, it was safe to say they’d already raced for the evening.
“Hanna!” Abby called from the water. Faith, Wanda, Brian, Shannon, and the new girl Luna were all with her in the natural spring that was adjacent to the river. “Get over here.”
After kicking off her shoes, Hanna moved to the edge of the river and peered at them. “Who won this round?”
Abby groaned as Wanda sat up in the water and pointed both of her index fingers in her own direction. “My team kicked her lily-white ass. I’m back in the game, baby!”
“We helped,” Brian said with a roll of his eyes. “Without those fire dragons dancing across the river, Abby never would’ve been distracted enough to hit that giant mud puddle Faith caused with her ill-advised water nymph she had trouble controlling.”
The golf cart races were rife with magic obstacles. The rules were there really weren’t any rules, and the drivers often chose their running mates based on what magical talents they had.
“Dancing fire dragons?” Hanna asked. “I’d really like to see that.”
“Then get your pretty ass in here, and I’ll recreate the show for you.”
Rhys cleared his throat. “Are you flirting with my girl, Brian?”
“Me?” the man asked innocently. “Never.”
“Sure, Bri,” Shannon, the woman who ran Miss Maple’s chocolate shop, chimed in with a snort. “Whatever you say.”
Brian was somewhat new in town. He was best friends with Jacob, Yvette Townsend’s fiancé, and had moved to Keating Hollow about a year ago. He’d taken Faith out a few times before she settled with Hunter. Hanna wondered who he might end up with. It appeared he was currently keeping his options open with Shannon on one side of him and Luna on the other.
“Hi Luna,” Hanna said. “How’s it going at the spa?”
“Great,” she said almost shyly as she sunk a little lower in the spring. “Faith has been wonderful, and I really enjoy working there.”
“That’s good.” She smiled at the woman.
“Are you two going to get in here or what?” Wanda asked. “It’s glorious. Especially if you need to recharge.”
Hanna looked at Rhys. “What do you say?”
He shrugged. “We didn’t bring suits.”
Faith let out a loud whistle. “Who needs suits? Just strip down to your underwear. That’s what we did.”
Hanna felt her face flush. “I’m going to need more cider.”
Rhys chuckled and filled a glass for her. “Here.”
“Thanks.” Hanna downed it and asked for a refill.
He leaned in close. “We don’t have to do this if you’re uncomfortable.”
She shook her head. “No. I want to.” Her foot slipped slightly in the grass, making her stumble.
Rhys caught her and chuckled. “Whoa there. You all right?”
“Yep.” Hanna felt wonderful all over, and the idea of cozying up to Rhys in the water was entirely too tempting. Smiling at him, she handed him her cup, discarded her skirt, and tugged her shirt over her head.
Rhys’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he stared at her.
Hanna held his gaze for a moment. Then she laughed and ran into the spring. The water was glorious. It was warm, but not too hot, and buoyant enough that she could just float even in the areas that were too deep for her feet to touch the bottom.
The gorgeous man she’d left on the riverbank tracked her with his eyes until she lifted a finger and beckoned him. Rhys didn’t hesitate. He pulled his shirt and pants off, but before he could plunge into the spring, Hanna called, “Bring the cider!”
Always one to please, Rhys filled both cups and waded in. He passed one to her and sent the other one around for everyone else to taste.
Murmurs of approval went around the group, and soon the bottle was empty.
“Luna,” Hanna slurred slightly. Her vision was starting to get a little fuzzy. Oops. She might have imbibed just a little too much. She swallowed and tried to focus on the newcomer. “Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?”
Luna glanced down at the water as she said, “I’m from the bay area, just north of San Francisco.”
“Oh? Marin county?”
Luna bobbed her head.
“It’s gorgeous there,” Hanna said, squinting to make out her features. But the other woman was just a blur. When Hanna spoke again, her voice was too loud, but she seemed unable to control herself. “I did a photoshoot out in Point Reyes once. I just love the coast, don’t you?”
“It was okay.”
“Are your parents still down there?” Faith asked, moving over to sit next to Luna.
The other woman shook her head. “No. I grew up in foster care. I left as soon as I turned eighteen.”
That was a conversation stopper. Hanna reached out and tried to pat her on the shoulder, but Luna twisted in the water at that exact moment, and Hanna accidentally ended up clocking her in the face.
“Ouch!” Luna cried.
“Ohmigod! I’m so sorry.” Hanna inched closer, wanting to take a look at the damage, but she couldn’t clear her vision and she was having trouble holding her head up. She felt herself sinking in the water and as she took a breath, she sucked in a mouthful of spring water. Her lungs seized, and she started coughing uncontrollably, trying to dispel the liquid. Her eyes watered, and she heard people talking around her, but her vision was turning black at the edges. The stars above had turned into glaring lights, and suddenly she started to panic.
“Rhys! Rhys!” she sputtered.
“I’ve got you, Hanna,” his soothing voice said in her ear. “You’re okay.”
She felt his strong arms around her and the cool sting of the night air. She blinked up at him, not at all sure what had happened. But the world was spinning, and her stomach rolled.
“Let’s get you home, okay?” he said.
“Okay.” She closed her eyes and prayed she wouldn’t vomit on him.
Chapter Seventeen
Rhys stare
d down at Hanna’s peaceful face, his heart full of love. After the cider caught up with her the night before, he’d brought her back to his place, put her in one of his oversized T-shirts, and tucked her into his bed. He’d been torn as to whether he should leave her and sleep in the guestroom or stay to keep an eye on her. She’d been semi-coherent while in his Jeep on the way home, but afterward she’d slipped in and out of consciousness. In the end, he decided he’d never get to sleep if he was worrying about her from the other side of the house.
So he’d pulled on sweat pants, crawled into bed beside her, and held her close enough that he could hear her deep breathing in his ear. Then he’d promptly fell asleep and slept better than he had in years.
The morning light filtered in through the window and shone on Hanna’s face. Rhys propped himself up on one elbow and brushed her tousled curls out of her eyes.
She murmured something and rolled toward him, her hand curling at his chest as her eyes fluttered open.
“Hi,” he said softly.
Her lips curled into a tiny smile. But then she frowned and suddenly jerked back and glanced around. “Um, Rhys?”
“Yeah, gorgeous?” He couldn’t help but be amused by her morning-after confusion.
“What am I doing in your bedroom?” She lifted the covers and glanced down at herself in his T-shirt.
“You were sleeping it off. Too much cider.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Apparently, the combination of the hot springs and the cider got to you, and I had to put you to bed. I considered taking you home, but your car is here. Plus, I didn’t want to dig around in your bag for your house key, so I brought you here and kept an eye on you.”
“That’s all you kept on me?” She scanned his body, her eyes lingering on his bare chest.
Damn, he thought. He’d dreamed of waking up next to her for years, only his version wasn’t quite so PG. “I confess, I did hold you. I hope you don’t mind too terribly.”
She bit down on her bottom lip and glanced away. “No, I don’t mind.” Her face was pinched with embarrassment when she glanced back up at him. “I’m sorry, Rhys. Geez. I didn’t mean to behave like a clueless teenager. Did I really have that much to drink?”