AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Parade?”
She shook away the sexy thoughts and brought her attention to the confused look in his eyes. “What, they don’t have those where you come from?”
“They probably did, but I’ve never been to one. I’ve watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on television.”
“Oh, that parade is a masterpiece compared to any of the Morgan’s Bay parades. Most of the spectators come out to see what’s going to go wrong. Last year, Mr. Clifford’s dog jumped out of his classic Buick convertible and ate the ice cream right out of little Lily Cain’s cone. And the year before that, Miss Katy’s Daisy Troop was handing out red, white, and blue beaded necklaces when one of the girls decided she didn’t want to anymore, so she threw her stash on the ground and kept walking.”
“That’s not too bad.”
“It wasn’t until the school marching band came through, and an unsuspecting flag tosser face planted, causing a domino effect throughout the brass section.”
“Ouch.”
“That year we made more than the local news.” When she went back to work, more than one person had asked if she was there. She’d been front row to the mayhem and recounted the entire mishap again and again. “Our little town was famous for a day.”
“Interesting.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
He rested his hands on either side of the bar and leaned forward. She swallowed at how close that move brought him to her. If it wasn’t for the bar between them, she’d be able to feel the heat from his body. She swallowed, thinking about what it would be like to feel his hands on her body, his lips moving across hers with passion fueled desire.
If he wasn’t kidding earlier, there was a possibility she’d find out. The thought both thrilled her and terrified her. She hadn’t kissed anyone other than Daniel in over three years. What if their styles weren’t compatible? What if he thought she was a terrible kisser?
His greener eyes—thanks to his green shirt— focused on her. She cleared her mind of all the ways his lips could move against hers. “What’s interesting?” she asked, her words soft and breathy.
“When I first met you, I assumed you were this city girl, but you’re not, are you?”
“Of course I am. I’ve lived in the city since my first semester of college.” As soon as she got off the train at Penn Station it was like she was finally home. She always felt held back living in a small town, and she didn’t feel that way in the city. She felt wild and free, reckless and unrestricted, able to do whatever she pleased without the rumor mill making it back to her parents.
More than anything, she felt alive—the energy of walking through Midtown, the calm of strolling through Central Park, and the elegance of the Upper East Side, knowing she got to call all of it home.
“Lived there, yes, but your heart, it never left here. I can tell by the way you talk about this place. You get this glint in your eyes and this adorable smile.”
“It’s funny. I was just thinking about this on the way here in my parents’ golf cart. My whole life all I ever wanted was to be a city girl. But it was nice to see Hal on my way here and be able to stop and offer him a ride. That’s something you don’t get in the city. People are too consumed in their lives to stop and chat. I guess I missed that.”
Shane held his hands up, lips parted ever so slightly, a befuddled look on his handsome face. “I’m sorry, you lost me at golf cart.”
“I just had a touching revelation, and all you got out of that was I drove here in a golf cart.”
“It was kind of a banana ball.”
The skin above her nose pinched in confusion. “A what?”
“A little golf humor.”
“Wait… did you just hit me with a dad joke?”
“It wasn’t a dad joke. It was golf humor.”
“A dad joke disguised as golf humor.” Olivia laughed.
“Go ahead make fun of me. But remember you’re the one who drove here in a golf cart.”
Olivia held up a fry and pointed it at Shane. “Touché.” She pushed the plate away and slumped against the high back of the stool.
“Done?” Shane asked.
“Yes. If I eat another fry, I might not fit in the golf cart.”
