It might be crazy, but after all the thought she’d given this the last couple of days, no one, not even herself, could accuse her of being heedless or impulsive. She had that much going for her. And while she was a little floored that she’d actually done it, the excitement of possibilities was rapidly starting to overtake the shock.
Of course, that assumed that Charlotte was right about Declan’s intent. He’d flirted and asked her out to dinner, but that meant only slightly more than nothing. She might be making a big deal out of nothing at all. Maybe what she saw as “flirting” was just his way of being friendly, and she was reading way more into this than he intended. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d jumped into something she’d misread and was left looking foolish. At least he’d be gone later if it turned out she was wrong. It had taken her months to be able to look Quinn Haslett in the face after that Valentine’s Day fiasco five years ago.
Argh.
But misunderstood or not, she had dinner plans for tomorrow night. And she’d just have to deal with whatever that might or might not mean.
She’d hope for the best and deal with whatever happened.
Because Charlotte was right. She had nothing to lose.
Chapter 8
Bodine’s was an unassuming-looking place in one of the Victorian-style houses on the Mobile Bay side of Magnolia Beach with nice views of the water. It was cozy and classy, but infused with that laid-back attitude that permeated everything here. Declan was glad he hadn’t worn a tie.
Though it was the off-season, the restaurant was busy, so that was a good sign. Even so, they got a table easily—possibly because the hostess greeted Shelby with a hug and said, “I’ll tell Chris you’re here.”
“Chris?” he asked as they fell in step behind the hostess on their way to the table.
“The manager. He’s a friend.”
Not only did she know the hostess and the manager, but she waved to the bartender, spoke to half a dozen tables, and stopped to hug at least three other people.
Declan knew he shouldn’t be surprised, really, but good Lord, did Shelby really know everyone?
“I’m sorry I didn’t introduce you,” she said as she placed her napkin in her lap, “but we’d never have gotten to the table if I did.”
“I’m surprised you’re ever able to accomplish anything.”
“It can be a challenge sometimes, especially when you’re in a hurry and just need to do something really fast, but it would be rude not to at least speak.”
“And I guess you can’t be rude.”
“A little politeness and small talk never killed anyone,” Shelby said airily. Then she dropped her voice. “The thing is, these people also know my mother and my grandmother, and if they find out I’m being rude to people for no reason, they’d kill me.”
“It must be like having Big Brother watching you all the time.”
Shelby raised an eyebrow. “If you’re not doing anything you’re ashamed of, what does it matter who sees you do it?”
For some reason, that felt like a compliment. “You have a point. So what’s good here?”
Shelby hadn’t even opened her menu. “Everything. I’m going to have crab cakes, but there’s nothing bad on the menu. The snapper and the grouper are both really popular, too.”
Seafood was definitely Bodine’s specialty, but it had the requisite steak and chicken entrées, too. It all looked good, and with this many locals in the place, he had to assume it was. While Shelby had described Bodine’s as “pricey,” the place was a steal by Chicago standards. He might not be counting pennies these days, but he wasn’t so far gone from those times that he couldn’t not look at prices, either. Everything was just cheaper in Alabama—another reason for folks to winter down here, it seemed.
“Hey, Shelby.” Their server, a young redheaded woman, appeared with ice water and a basket of steaming hush puppies. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I’ve just been busy. How are you?”
“The same.”
“Caroline, this is Declan Hyde. He’s staying at the marina this fall.”
Caroline’s eyes widened. “Oh. Nice to meet you.”
The tone of that “oh” told him exactly how she’d heard of him, and the twitching of Shelby’s lips meant he was right. The infamy bordered on ridiculous, really, but he just answered with, “Nice to meet you, too.”
They ordered, and once Caroline left, Shelby leaned forward to say quietly, “I may not have introduced you on the way in, but everyone will know who you are when you leave.”
“I don’t doubt it. I only wonder if I’ll ever live it down.”
She shook her head. “Your grandchildren will be able to come visit and hear that story.”
“Jeez. All I wanted was a nice, quiet vacation. So much for anonymity.”
Shelby’s forehead wrinkled. “I guess I should have asked first. We could have gone someplace out of town if you wanted to be incognito.”
“You’re conflating two different things. I’m not trying to be all man-of-mystery, and I don’t have anything to hide. I’m just not used to being infamous, so it’s a little weird. Cut me some slack.”
“I refuse to believe you’ve always lived the life of a hermit.” She leveled a look at him over her glass. “Everyone knows people.”
“There’s a difference between having friends and knowing everyone within the city limits,” he teased.
“Even in big cities you have to know your neighbors, at least.”
“I was a student with at least one, if not two, part-time jobs for almost ten years. I barely had time to sleep, so I certainly didn’t have time to get to know my neighbors.”
Shelby blinked in surprise. “Wow. I didn’t know it took so long to become an architect. My uncle is a doctor, for goodness’ sake, and it only took him a little longer than that.”
He shrugged. “Well, you don’t want buildings falling on your head, do you?”
“Definitely not. That would be bad.” She leaned forward. “But what about when you were a kid?”
“Why does this bother you so much?” he countered.
“Well, I’m a curious person by nature to begin with—”
“I’d have gone with nosy.”
Shelby shrugged that off. “You wouldn’t be the first,” she said, picking up a hush puppy. “But I’ve never lived anywhere other than here, so it doesn’t take much to interest me. Plus . . . it’s just weird.”
That made him laugh. “Have you stopped to think that maybe Magnolia Beach is the anomaly?”
“Oh, I know we’re not exactly the norm for anything, but I can’t wrap my head around living someplace and not knowing your neighbors.”
“I knew who they were, but I didn’t know them.”
“How is that even possible?”
“Well, we didn’t exactly hang out on our front porches. The weather in Detroit six months of the year makes that a problem.”
“And the other six months of the year?”
He thought about not telling her—or at least softening the truth—but what did it really matter now? “We lived in a pretty rough part of Detroit when I was a kid. I didn’t necessarily want to get to know my neighbors, and they certainly didn’t want me in their business.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
Well, that shut her down. Not that he minded. It wasn’t a topic he particularly enjoyed, and in fact, avoided whenever he could. “Do you always ask people so many questions? Or is it just me?”
“I’m afraid I interrogate everyone. Honestly, that’s the best part of living in a tourist location. I get to meet all kinds of people.”
“Well, I guess if you know all the residents already, that makes sense. Interrogation tendencies aside, you have good people skills.”
She grinned. “Why, thank you, sir.”
Caroline reappeared with steaming plates that smelled amazing. His stomach growled in response, causing Shelby to smile. “Go ahead. Try it.”
He took a bite of his fish, which melted in his mouth and slid down his throat in lemon-buttered goodness. “This is delicious.”
“Told you.” She took a bite of her crab cakes, making a blissful face as she swallowed. “So where’d you go to school?”
He bit back a smile. At least she found him interesting and wanted to know more. That boded well. “University of Illinois at Chicago. You?”
“Magnolia Beach High.”
“No college?” That was a little surprising. From what he’d been able to gather, the Tanner family seemed to be fairly well off, so money probably wasn’t a limiting factor, and with a doctor and a mayor in the family, they probably valued education, and she’d mentioned younger cousins away at school. It just seemed odd that she hadn’t gone somewhere. But then, he was the first in his family to go to college—and he’d nearly killed himself to do it—so he was probably more touchy about it than most. He couldn’t imagine not wanting to go to school.
She shook her head. “I’ve always known I wanted to take over the marina. I didn’t need to go to college to learn how to do that.”
Maybe it was practicality, then. “Well, from what I’ve seen, you’re good at it.”
“I try.”
There was something odd about the way she said it. It wasn’t false modesty or self-deprecation, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what was off about her tone. “Officer Rusty sang your praises.”
“If you want to know where to find fish, yes, I’m your girl. That’s all Rusty really cares about.” Shelby was actually squirming a little. He’d hit a nerve, but damned if he knew how or why. A split second later, her voice and posture changed completely. “But that’s just one of the things I like about my job. I get to be outside. I couldn’t stand being cooped up in an office all the time. No offense,” she quickly added.
He still didn’t know what had just happened there. “None taken. I’m just not the outdoorsy type. That’s why I design buildings, you know. To keep all that outdoors away from me and other sensible people. No offense,” he teased.
She laughed and shook her head. “You’d get along well with my brother. Jamie will happily stay inside on the most beautiful of days. We think they might have switched babies at the hospital.”
“A Tanner oddity?”
“Definitely. We all like fishing and camping and the outdoors, and my cousins all play pretty much every sport there is. Most of them have office jobs now, but Jamie is the only one who intentionally remains indoors, delicate little flower that he is.”
“Is that how you see me? A delicate hothouse flower?”
She gave him an assessing look that was almost frightening in its intensity, almost as if she really were judging the depth of his psyche. Then she shrugged. “I don’t quite know what to make of you, Declan Hyde.”
Was that a good thing? “Um . . .”
“So that’s why I’m here.”
That was an even odder statement. “Excuse me?”
“I have to admit that I’m very curious about what makes you tick,” she said gravely, like he was a specimen on a slide to be analyzed, but then that grin broke through and she winked at him. “Plus, you’re kinda cute.”
“Well, I don’t know quite what to make of you, either, Shelby Tanner,” he countered, trying to mimic her accent. “But you’re more than just kinda cute.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Are you flirting with me?”
“You’re just now figuring that out? I must be terrible at it.”
“Maybe I just don’t get Yankee-style flirting.”
“First of all, I’m not a Yankee. I’m from Michigan.”
She waved a hand airily. “Same difference. You’re all Yankees to me.”
He’d argue geography another time. “Second—and let me be very clear about this—I am very much flirting with you.” He put down his fork, leaned forward, and pinned her with a stare. It was time to get serious, and he had absolutely nothing to lose. “You are beautiful and funny and have amazing legs. I’m being a gentleman and keeping my hands to myself, but it’s a hell of a fight. I’ll sit here and talk to you all night long if you like about any subject you want, but it’s not going to keep me from wondering if you taste as good as you look and hoping you’ll let me find out. Soon.”
Shelby’s eyes were round and getting bigger with each word.
“Tell me you’re not interested, and we’ll go on like we were before. I’m a big boy, and I can handle it. I’ll go back to my hermit cave on the Lady Jane and leave you alone. Or I can keep trying to flirt with you until you decide about me. I’m willing to put in the effort. I can’t offer you anything permanent or even long-term, but you know that already. I’d like to make the most of the time I will be here. With you, if that’s possible.”
Shelby swallowed. He might have thought he’d just been flirting with the idea, uninvested either way, but the reality was proving much different.
“I want you. I’m not trying to be crude, just honest.” He sat back in his chair and picked up his glass. “And now you know my objective, so there’s no chance of a misunderstanding. How it plays out from here is entirely up to you.”
He could literally see Shelby’s pulse fluttering in her throat, and her breath was quiet and shallow. He’d shocked her—hell, he’d shocked himself—with his bald words, but he was dead serious and couldn’t regret speaking the truth. He wanted to think that she was at least somewhat affected by his honesty, because it had had quite an effect on him. If she shot him down, he’d back down quietly, but he couldn’t help hoping.
Shelby blinked. Twice, and the lips that had parted slightly in surprise when he started speaking closed as she cleared her throat and swallowed hard. She didn’t say anything, but neither did he. He’d told her the ball was in her court, so he had to let her make the next volley.
But she seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time deciding. When she reached for her glass, Declan had a momentary worry she was about to toss it in his face. But she just calmly took a sip, dabbed her lips with a napkin, then grabbed their waitress as she walked by. “Can we get the check, please?”
Caroline looked at their half-eaten plates, obviously confused and concerned. “Is everything okay?”
Yeah, that was the million-dollar question. He realized he was holding his breath waiting for Shelby’s answer.
Shelby’s eyes met his. Then she smiled before cutting her eyes back up at Caroline. “Yeah. Everything is great. There’s just something we’ve got to go do.”
He couldn’t get his wallet out of his pocket fast enough.
* * *
I can’t believe I just did that.
Her heart was pounding in the base of her throat, and she seemed to be having a difficult time getting oxygen to her lungs. It was making her light-headed.
But there was a slow burn warming her low in her belly, fanned by Declan’s words. His simple, honest, and raw words. The little voice in the back of her mind told her she should be offended, but she couldn’t draw up any outrage at all. Flowery declarations were way overrated, because that clear, simple “I want you” was about as swoon-worthy as it came. If she didn’t know half the people in this room, she’d do one of those table-clearing sweeps like in the movies and crawl across the rubble into his lap.
They were making enough of a scene as it was, though. Caroline was visibly concerned, and Shelby had no idea how she was going to explain herself tomorrow.
But honestly, she didn’t really care right now.
Declan barely glanced at the check before throwing some bills on the table and pushing to his feet.
He seemed remarkably calm, though, making her wonder if she’d hallucinate
d the last bit of that conversation, but then he looked directly at her and the heat nearly scorched her skin.
So, no. That had really happened.
She forced her face into what she hoped was a calm, neutral look, but inside she was grinning like an idiot. Walking past people she knew and saying quick goodnights was the hardest thing she’d ever done, especially since she felt like she had the truth tattooed across her forehead. And when Declan’s hand landed on the small of her back to guide her, the simple, rather gentlemanly gesture felt like a brand landing on her spine.
She couldn’t quite believe that Declan had all but propositioned her outright in the middle of Bodine’s, but she really couldn’t believe she’d been rash and brash enough to agree.
The parking lot was decently well lit—enough, at least, to find a car easily—but there were pockets of deep shadow from the beautifully landscaped trees and bushes around the sides. Declan had parked in the back of the lot when they arrived, directly under one of the lights, and his SUV looked lit up like a landing pad. Declan, though, walked right past his car into the shadows beyond, nearly dragging her with him.
She stumbled as her feet left the asphalt, and Declan grabbed her waist to steady her. “You okay?” he asked as the shadows swallowed them.
She wasn’t pulling in enough air to answer, so she merely nodded.
She expected to be pounced upon, was looking forward to it even, but Declan merely smiled. “Good.” His hands came up to brush her hair back from her forehead, then slid slowly down her face as he exhaled, making a small growling sound low in his throat.
His thumbs traced along her jawline and down over her neck while his eyes searched her face with an unnerving intensity. What the hell was he waiting for? The anticipation was killing her. Her hand was shaky as she placed it on his chest, but she could feel the heavy pounding of his heart under her palm.
She felt his hand tighten, pulling her a little closer as his thumb edged her chin up a fraction of an inch. Then, with a sound somewhere between a sigh and a groan that was possibly the sexiest thing she’d ever heard, Declan moved his head toward hers.
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