Love, Chocolate, and Beer (Cactus Creek #1)(84)

Finally, Dani’s smile was back to full wattage. Seeing it, Dean found himself seconding his wife’s invitation to the farm. “I sincerely hope we see you at the farm soon, young lady.”

“I promise...on one condition.” Dani looked at her watch. “I insist you try a sampler selection of our fruit beers along with some desserts. The fruits are all from local farmers like you. You can even enjoy them on the roof deck while the sun sets. It’s nice up there.”

“Why, that sounds lovely.” Claire looked at Dean, the recon mission now forgotten as her eyes softened over the promise of romance.

He nodded his agreement. “I think that would be an absolutely wonderful way to end the day with my wife.”

Smiling, Dani walked them up to the rustically romantic roof deck adorned with an open-weave wooden arbor covering the dance floor. At closer look, Dean realized it was dried Ocotillo, not thin wood reeds, providing the shading. How creative.

After seating them on the west-facing end, Dani looked out at the scenery with wistful eyes. “This is my favorite view of the town from when I was a kid,” she revealed softly. “You see that rooftop?” She pointed out the Desert Confections building to them. “When I was younger, that building was a Mexican restaurant, and the family who owned it used to have these amazing parties up on the roof.”

Her eyes crinkled softly. “This brewpub actually used to belong to my parents. They bought it when I was just a toddler and spent years working so hard to make it successful. We all made sacrifices. For me and my brother, that meant less time making and keeping friends; for my folks, that meant less time for us. But we made do. Thrift store buys, pretending our dinners here were fancy restaurant meals, stealing family time on the slow nights, that sort of thing.”

She slid her gaze back to the neighboring rooftop, her eyes sparkling with memories only her mind could see. “My brother once told me that when I was in the first grade, I announced to my parents that all birthday parties were stupid so I didn’t want one thrown for me. So of course, they heeded my wishes. Then one day, that same year, he caught me sneaking up here to spy on a little girl’s party that was happening on top of that building. Apparently, I was laughing and dancing around this rooftop all alone, living vicariously through those kids.”

Abruptly, she cleared her throat and quickly blinked the past away, along with the mist that had gathered in her eyes. “I have no idea what made me think of all that,” she chuckled, embarrassed, before looking thankfully at the approaching waiter. “Oh good, here are your dessert and beer samplers.”

When Dean took out his wallet to pay, she gave him a firm headshake. “It’s on the house since it was my idea.” When Claire tried to object, Dani didn’t give in. “Nope. For local farmers, it’s my pleasure, really. Plus, I love seeing couples up here at this time of day.” Her eyes drifted across the landscape once more. “Well, I better get back to work. You two enjoy.” Then somehow, she slipped away while the desert sunset stole the couple’s attention.

After she was gone, Claire said softly, “I like her.”

“Me too. She’s perfect for Luke.” Dean frowned sympathetically. “But she’s scared.”

“You think? She seems so open and loving.”

“So were you, remember? You had the same barriers up all around you when we first met. It took me two years to wear you down.”

Claire thought about that for a few seconds before her expression became mulish. “Well, I don’t want Luke and Dani to wait years. They deserve happiness now.” She flashed a determined, enchanting little pout at him.

Oh no.

“I want grandchildren while I can still run after them, Dean.”

He sighed, long and slow. “I don’t like the sound of this.”

“I think I have a plan.”

Shaking his head, he reached for one of the little sampler beer glasses and was tempted to toss it back like a shot. “Of course you do, dear.”





CHAPTER FIFTEEN


DANI WALKED INTO Desert Confections just before eight p.m. to meet Luke for their date, only to find a sign awaiting her with a giant arrow aimed upward printed on it. Rissa, who was manning the register, simply grinned and pointed to the old rear stairwell behind the kitchen. After getting no further clues or hints of any sort, Dani gave her a gee-thanks nose scrunch and warily climbed all the way up the creaky steps to the rooftop. Nothing but darkness greeted her.

“Luke?”

“SURPRISE! ”

Frozen, Dani could hardly believe the sight before her. One by one, tall floodlights surged to life all around her to reveal an extravagantly decorated rooftop and a swarm of people rushing forward to greet her.

Two strong arms wrapped around her waist.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” said Luke in her ear, the big smile he was wearing plain as day in his voice. When she turned to face him, completely speechless, he laughed and put a sparkly cone-shaped party hat on her head. “By that mouth agape look of shock, I take it you like this little birthday shindig we put together?”

This ‘little shindig’ was every kid’s ultimate dream, decked out with decorations, game booths, a pi?ata that was obviously handmade, cotton candy, and enough food to feed an army.

It was beautiful. Everything about the party gave her the same feelings she used to get watching the parties held on this very rooftop when she was a kid.