All Summer Long (Fool's Gold #9)(72)

Fifteen minutes later she’d handed over the reins, so to speak, and was about to head to her house. Clay appeared at her side.

“Hey,” he said. “Finally done?”

They were across the street from the fire engine, standing next to the seating for the band that would start in a couple of hours. The sidewalks were crowded, the attendees loud and the late-afternoon warm. Around her were perfectly normal men, some of whom were even good-looking. Life would have been so much easier if she’d just been attracted to one of them.

“Charlie?”

She grabbed his hand and drew him away from the streaming pedestrians and over to the side of the stage. It seemed to be the quietest, least crowded place in the festival.

She had to tell him the truth. Honor dictated she come clean and release him. It would be wrong to take advantage of him. Temptation was strong, of course. Need. Tingles. All reasons to keep things going. But she’d always prided herself on her character. She might have flaws but not being honest wasn’t one of them.

“We need to talk,” she told him, allowing herself to get lost in his dark eyes.

One corner of his perfect mouth turned up. “You know guys hate hearing that, right?”

“Maybe, but it’s true. I’ll make this easy on you. I’ll talk and you listen and then we’ll call it a day. How’s that?”

“It depends on what you have to say.”

“A cautious man.”

“I’ve been married. I know there are hidden pitfalls.”

She wanted to laugh, or at least smile. But right now it was hard enough to keep breathing. In a very short period of time, Clay had become important to her. Not in-love important—she wasn’t a complete idiot. But he was someone she liked having around. She would miss him. A whole lot more than she would have thought possible.

She supposed the good news was that with her healing came the prospect of a regular relationship. Sadly, she wasn’t interested in anyone else. Which made her the star in a bad teen movie.

She reminded herself that doing the right thing might hurt in the moment, but it always felt better in the long run. She sucked in a breath and plunged ahead.

“I want to thank you,” she said. “For helping me. For being patient and funny and godlike.”

She expected him to smile at that, but his gaze remained serious. “I know where this is headed.”

“Maybe so, but I’m still the one doing the talking. Remember?”

“Go ahead.”

She tucked her hands behind her, then dropped them to her side. “You were great. Better than you had to be. The bottom line is you’re going to get fair treatment at the department and I’m healed. So, technically, we’re done.”

She stared into his face, trying to figure out what he was thinking. There was no obvious sign of relief, for which she was grateful. A loud “Thank God!” would have been humiliating.

“No more deal,” he confirmed.

She nodded.

“No obligation.”

“Right.”

“Good to know. Now we can start dating.” He put his hands on her waist and drew her closer.

She stared at him. “What?”

“Dating. You know, going out. Seeing each other.” He leaned in close and pressed his mouth to her ear. “Hot monkey sex whenever we want.”

She shivered in anticipation, but still had to pull away and stare at him. “You’re saying you want us to go out?”

“No, I’m saying I want us to be a couple. Exclusive. I don’t like casual relationships. It’s too confusing.”

“Dating?”

“Yup.”

She felt bubbly inside. Almost girlie. But she wanted to make sure she understood. “We’ll exclusively date each other for an undetermined period of time.”

He gave her a slow, sexy smile, then took her hand in his and laced their fingers together. “Uh-huh. What do you say, Charlie?”

“I say yes.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“IT’S A BAR,” Dominique said as she glanced at the name on the door. “Are you sure?”

“That it’s a bar or that we should be here?”

“Both.”

“Mom, you gotta trust me. I eat here all the time. You’re going to love it.”

Dominique glanced from the sign proclaiming they were about to enter Jo’s Bar back to her daughter. “Very well.”

This was their first outing together. Dominique had offered lunch and Charlie had agreed. It sounded shorter than dinner, but offered more time together than coffee. Not that Charlie was looking for more time. Still, it was a good compromise.

They stepped into the bar and Dominique paused as she looked around. Charlie tried to see it from her mother’s worldly and elegant perspective.

The walls were a pretty mauve, the lighting bright enough to keep the place from being creepy, but still flattering. Dominique had always been a sucker for good light. The big televisions were turned to what looked like a fashion show and shopping and the clientele were all women.

“Very nice,” she said, at last. “I like it.”

“I’m glad.” Charlie motioned to a booth on the side. “Want to sit here?”

“Yes. Thank you.”