habit to break. But instead of taking his hand, Joyce reaches up to plant her hands on his shoulders and gives him a kiss on each cheek. Dane stands stock still, as if he weren’t at all expecting what had just happened. Joyce leans in and says something quietly in his ear, and Dane looks at her seriously and nods once, emphatically.
“We hope to see much of you, Dane.” Joyce gives Dane a serious look and then does the same to Elyse.
Before she moves off with Nick towards the car, Joyce turns around and looks at Elyse, smiling cheekily. “So…do you know, Lysey?” She doesn’t wait for a reply before she gets into Nick’s car. Elyse watches them as they buckle up and drive off. Then, it’s just her and Dane left alone in the lot.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Do you know what?” Dane’s voice breaks Elyse’s reverie.
Elyse shrugs. “I guess, Mom got a little carried away with the wine.” Elyse knows exactly what her mother was talking about, but she doesn’t feel like it’s something she can share with Dane without him thinking that she’s some kind of crazy woman.
“I like her. You’re a lot like her, you know?” Dane keeps looking towards where the car had left the parking lot.
“Apart from the red hair, most people don’t really think we look alike. Apparently, I take after my father. Lucky me.” Elyse rolls her eyes.
“Maybe you do, physically at least. But your mom’s a good person. She has the same kind of light that you do, the same way of looking at the world and making it seem better.” Dane sighs deeply, as if it were something that he could never have imagined existed.
“She’s the best.” Elyse smiles without the slightest hint of irony; she really did believe it. She turns to Dane, prepared with the questions she needs to ask. They can’t just continue with the evening as if nothing of any note had happened. “How did you know I was here?”
She folds her arms, staying just out of reach of him. So far, Dane had made good on his promise; he hadn’t touched her. She’d held his hand at the dinner table, and when she’d released it, he’d made no move to take it back. But the intensity that draws her to him is like a moth to a flame, and it just keeps getting harder and harder to ignore.
“Suzi told me you were meeting your mom’s new boyfriend. Jen told me where.” He shrugs, looking not at all embarrassed at having tracked her down.
“Jen told you? I thought after last night you’d be on her ‘persona non grata’ list for a little while. You must’ve done some serious sweet talking.” Elyse raises an eyebrow at him, watching as he smiles at her in a way that makes her stomach do somersaults.
“She took a little convincing; that’s why I was late.” He gives her an apologetic look. “But eventually she believed what I was trying to tell her.”
Elyse narrows her eyes at him. “And what was that?”
Dane rocks up and down on his heels, a gesture that she’s only seen him use when he’s nervous. “You know, ‘Lyse, you look amazing.” He looks at her appreciatively—in a way that makes her cheeks heat.
In her high heels, she hardly has to look up at him at all, but with the energy that he radiates off, she still feels as if he towers above her. “You don’t clean up so bad yourself, Mr. Fletcher.” She smiles wryly at him. “Nice misdirection, too. So what did you say to Jen that made her give me up?”
Dane rakes his fingers through his hair, mussing it. “How did you think tonight went?”
Elyse stifles a sigh, knowing that she can’t force him to say something that he doesn’t want to. But oh how she wants him to say it. “I think my mom loves you, but I think you already knew that.” She gives him a pointed look, and he responds with a rueful grin. “So, how’d you get to be so good
“We hope to see much of you, Dane.” Joyce gives Dane a serious look and then does the same to Elyse.
Before she moves off with Nick towards the car, Joyce turns around and looks at Elyse, smiling cheekily. “So…do you know, Lysey?” She doesn’t wait for a reply before she gets into Nick’s car. Elyse watches them as they buckle up and drive off. Then, it’s just her and Dane left alone in the lot.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Do you know what?” Dane’s voice breaks Elyse’s reverie.
Elyse shrugs. “I guess, Mom got a little carried away with the wine.” Elyse knows exactly what her mother was talking about, but she doesn’t feel like it’s something she can share with Dane without him thinking that she’s some kind of crazy woman.
“I like her. You’re a lot like her, you know?” Dane keeps looking towards where the car had left the parking lot.
“Apart from the red hair, most people don’t really think we look alike. Apparently, I take after my father. Lucky me.” Elyse rolls her eyes.
“Maybe you do, physically at least. But your mom’s a good person. She has the same kind of light that you do, the same way of looking at the world and making it seem better.” Dane sighs deeply, as if it were something that he could never have imagined existed.
“She’s the best.” Elyse smiles without the slightest hint of irony; she really did believe it. She turns to Dane, prepared with the questions she needs to ask. They can’t just continue with the evening as if nothing of any note had happened. “How did you know I was here?”
She folds her arms, staying just out of reach of him. So far, Dane had made good on his promise; he hadn’t touched her. She’d held his hand at the dinner table, and when she’d released it, he’d made no move to take it back. But the intensity that draws her to him is like a moth to a flame, and it just keeps getting harder and harder to ignore.
“Suzi told me you were meeting your mom’s new boyfriend. Jen told me where.” He shrugs, looking not at all embarrassed at having tracked her down.
“Jen told you? I thought after last night you’d be on her ‘persona non grata’ list for a little while. You must’ve done some serious sweet talking.” Elyse raises an eyebrow at him, watching as he smiles at her in a way that makes her stomach do somersaults.
“She took a little convincing; that’s why I was late.” He gives her an apologetic look. “But eventually she believed what I was trying to tell her.”
Elyse narrows her eyes at him. “And what was that?”
Dane rocks up and down on his heels, a gesture that she’s only seen him use when he’s nervous. “You know, ‘Lyse, you look amazing.” He looks at her appreciatively—in a way that makes her cheeks heat.
In her high heels, she hardly has to look up at him at all, but with the energy that he radiates off, she still feels as if he towers above her. “You don’t clean up so bad yourself, Mr. Fletcher.” She smiles wryly at him. “Nice misdirection, too. So what did you say to Jen that made her give me up?”
Dane rakes his fingers through his hair, mussing it. “How did you think tonight went?”
Elyse stifles a sigh, knowing that she can’t force him to say something that he doesn’t want to. But oh how she wants him to say it. “I think my mom loves you, but I think you already knew that.” She gives him a pointed look, and he responds with a rueful grin. “So, how’d you get to be so good
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