Page 43 of Rescuing Brinley

Shadow chuckled along with Brinley. He dropped her hand as she hugged Cypress and went to grab her purse. He put his hand on her lower back as they exited the apartment and as soon as the door closed behind them, he reached for her hand once more, pleased beyond measure when she took hold of him without hesitation.

It felt natural, right, to hold her hand as they walked down the hall.

“She means well,” Brinley explained. “Cypress. I have no idea what she said to you while I was finishing getting ready, but I promise she’ll be better in the future.”

“I have no problem with your friend having your back. It makes me happy to know you have someone who’s so concerned about you. I can handle her warnings because I know it comes from a place of love. And because I have no intention of doing anything to mess things up between us. I like you, Brinley. I’ve never met a woman who’s made such a deep and lasting impression on me after such a short period of time.”

“It’s because we met under such extreme circumstances.”

But Shadow shook his head. “No. It’s because you’re you. You’re awesome. You don’t have a mean bone in your body, and I can’t wait to get to know you even better.”

“I can be mean,” she said, with an adorable little frown.

Shadow couldn’t help but chuckle. “Okay.”

“I can,” she insisted. “I was glad when those jerks who kidnapped those women were killed. And when my sister’s new friends at the pageant looked like crap onstage because their gowns weren’t the right colors for their complexions and the styles were all wrong, inside, I was laughing at them.”

Shadow shook his head. “That’s not being mean, that’s being human. Being mean would be throwing that shit in their faces. Gossiping about them to others. You didn’t do that.”

Brinley wrinkled her nose but didn’t contradict what he’d said.

“Being kind isn’t a bad thing, Brinley,” he told her softly. “I think the world needs more people who are gracious, patient, and don’t take out their frustrations on those around them. And I hope that when I piss you off, when I say stupid shit and screw up, that you’ll grant me the same graciousness that you do to others, and let me make up for it and prove that I’m someone you can always count on to have your back.”

“Are you planning on saying stuff to upset me?”

“No! But I’m a guy. And women are a mystery to most of us. We can’t help saying the wrong thing every now and then. And while we’re talking about it, don’t be afraid to call me out when I mess up. I promise I’m a fast learner and I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

“I won’t be. I mean, with Cypress as a best friend, I’ve learned to stand up for myself. I was a mess when I was a kid, letting everyone walk all over me because I was afraid to rock the boat.”

“That shit’s done. No one takes advantage of you, Brinley. Not when I’m around to see it. I’ve got your back, hon. That’s a promise.”

She smiled at him as they exited the stairwell and headed for his SUV.

“I thought we could start with Mocha Dan’s this evening. Ever since you talked about that Moose Nugget Mocha, I swear I’ve been having cravings for it.”

She smiled and it lit up her face. Shadow thought once again how unconventionally pretty she was. He liked it. Liked her slightly offbeat features. Her uniqueness.

“Awesome! I’ve always liked having dessert first. I never liked filling up on dinner and then not being able to finish the best part of the meal…the sweets at the end.”

“It’ll give us energy for our walk.”

“Wait, you said this was an easy walk, right? I mean, you aren’t surprising me with a trip into the mountains to do some crazy uphill trek to show me how macho you can be, are you?”

“What? No!” He laughed. “The Wander Lake Trail is only a mile and a half, and it’s a gravel and dirt path with lots of benches along the way. I’ve even seen a moose a couple times, especially in the summer.”

“Okay, whew! I thought with your ‘energy for our walk’ comment, you were warning me that it would be tougher than I thought.”

“Nope. I wouldn’t do that to you…at least not on our first date.”

Brinley laughed now, and Shadow was relieved. He wanted to take her on some of his favorite longer hikes in the wilderness around the city, but if they did that, he’d make sure she knew what she was getting into, and they certainly wouldn’t leave so late in the day. Of course, as summer approached, the nights stayed light longer, but still.

The stop to get coffee was quick and painless, and Shadow had to admit that the Moose Nugget Mocha was fucking delicious. It wasn’t something he’d want to drink every day, but as a treat, it was out of this world.

The drive to the small lake didn’t take long, and soon they were walking hand-in-hand and talking as if they’d known each other their entire lives. They took a few breaks on some of the well-placed benches around the trail, and greeted others who were taking advantage of the good weather to hike with smiles and nods.

Soon enough, they were back at the Fountainhead Antique Automobile Museum, where they’d parked, which was basically at the trailhead.

“You good?” Shadow asked, as they climbed into his vehicle.