Easy Melody(8)

“I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago.”

“Doesn’t make it hurt less,” he murmurs and kisses my hand. He finds parking, but before I can climb out, he turns toward me and cups my cheek. “I’m also sorry that you lost your daddy a few months ago. I didn’t have a chance to say that before.”

I blink at him, willing myself not to cry. Who is this guy?

“Thank you.”

“Losing a parent is hard, but I can’t imagine losing both of them.”

“I’m doing okay.”

“You’re doing better than okay, Callie. And you should be proud of that.” He leans in and places a soft, gentle kiss on my lips, then leans back with a wide smile. “Okay, let’s go watch some ball.”

***

“What are you, blind?” I yell at the ref hands cupped around my mouth. “He was off-sides!”

“Why are you cheering for the Lions?” Declan asks with a laugh.

“I always cheer for the underdog,” I reply and sip my beer as he passes me a plastic bowl of nachos. “Yum.”

“See? I promised you dinner and I delivered.”

“You did.” I nod as I chew the cheesy goodness, not even trying to worry about all of the preservatives in what I’m throwing down my throat. “I love game food.”

“Me too. Who is your favorite team?”

“The Seahawks.” I grin and steal a bite of Declan’s hotdog, then hold a cheesy chip up to his lips, which he takes and licks my thumb at the same time.

My nipples are rock hard at a football game. That’s a first.

“I thought you always cheer for the underdog.”

“They’ve done well the past few years,” I concede, “but they were the underdogs for a long time.”

“Have you seen them play?”

“In Denver, but never in Seattle. I’ve never been to Seattle, now that I think of it.”

We sit in companionable silence for a while, watching the game, eating our food. Suddenly, Declan leans down and kisses me, hard and deep, right here in the middle of the stadium.

“What was that for?”

“Kiss cam,” he replies simply and steals my last chip. I glance up, but there is no kiss cam being displayed. “There’s no kiss cam.”

“I could have sworn there was. My mistake.” He grins, in that way he has that says that he knows he’s sexy and charming and doesn’t give a f*ck what anyone else thinks.

God, I love that look.

“I really do love what you’ve done with the bar,” Declan says, serious now.

“Thank you. It took all of my savings, and what I couldn’t afford to hire out, I did myself.”

“Really?” He turns to me, very interested now.

“Yep. I had a good side business in Denver of buying and flipping houses. You make more money if you’re able to do some of the work yourself.” The Lions make a touchdown and I turn to Dec for a high five, but he just leans in and kisses me again. “What was that for?”

“We’re having a good time, and I enjoy the fact that you know football, but you’re not my buddy, Callie. You’re my date.”

I blink twice, then lean in and kiss him back. “Point made.”

“Good.” He rubs his nose over mine, then pulls back and dives back into the conversation. “You should see the house I’m renovating.”

“Wait, what?” I shake my head to clear the kissing cobwebs out of the way. “You’re renovating?”

“Yes, ma’am. I bought a big ol’ house in the Garden District last year, and I’ve been slowly fixin’ it up.”

“How old?”

“Built in 1884,” he replies easily. “Hasn’t had much work done in the past fifty years to speak of, so it’s been quite the project.”

“I want to see it.” Did I just blurt that out? Jesus, Callie, show a little bit of decorum for Godsake.

But Declan just smiles and leans back in to me. I love the way this man leans. He can lean all damn day. “I’d like to show it to you.”

The buzzer pierces the air, signaling the end of the game. The mass of people around us stands and moves toward the exits, but Declan and I just stay where we are, pressed against each other.

Because of all the people. We’re pressed together because of all of the people around us.

Yeah, right, and New Orleans is in the desert.

I drag my fingers down his cheek and watch his eyes go almost gold with heat. He isn’t the first man I’ve dated since moving back to New Orleans, but he’s the first that I’ve felt any kind of chemistry with. He’s the first who’s actually turned my head, made me smile.

Made my body come to life.

“Will you please show me your house tonight?”

“Whatever the lady wants,” he murmurs.

***

“I’m warning you now, some of it’s done, but most of it has a long way to go,” Declan says as he unlocks the door and leads me inside the enormous plantation-style home in the heart of the Garden District. I love this old neighborhood. When I was a teenager, I’d walk up and down the streets here, admiring the homes.

“Perfect,” I reply honestly. “I can’t wait to see it.”