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“If you’re not busy.”

“I’m not.”

“And if you’re not…” He glanced at the office over his shoulder as if imagining Scotty on the other side of the closed door.

I shook my head at the implication. “I’m not.”

He swallowed, relief tenderizing the tension-riddled lines on his face. “All right.” Reed took a few paces back, his eyes still coasting over every inch of me. “There’s a little seaside grille in Folly Beach called Rita’s. Meet me at seven.”

My lips flopped like a fish as I stuttered out a reply and watched him walk away. “I-I’ll be there.”

His half-smile saw me off, and he disappeared inside the office.

I stood there, dumbstruck. Vibrating with shock. Hope soared like a baby bird’s first sky-bound flight, wings of promise fluttering inside me.

Reed and I had ventured through the best and worst out of life. Love, pain, laughter, soul-bared intimacy, and the saddest goodbye. But there was one thing we’d never done before. Never got to experience. Something so simple, so common, the idea of it stole the breath from my lungs.

A date.

CHAPTER 36

When I saw him again, five hours later, the shellshock hadn’t thinned.

Reed Madsen had evaporated from my orbit like a meteor streaking across the night sky, leaving behind a trail of stardust that clung to my core, impossible to scrub away no matter how hard I tried. Now he’d returned like a thief in the night, leaving me breathless and wanting within the span of a single heartbeat.

As I approached, I spotted him leaning against the wood-planked exterior, perched beside an aqua-bordered entry door. Fingers tucked into denim pockets and eyes charged like a storm-licked sea, Reed gazed at me with tragic longing as I sauntered down the sidewalk and into his line of sight.

This was a terrible idea.

Truly idiotic.

Yet neither of us seemed to care as our own brand of magnetism pulled us together for what felt like a reunion of souls.

He hugged me. No hesitation, no awkward falters. Everything else fell away—time, age, social propriety. It was just me tucked inside the warmth of his arms, where I was always meant to be.

Reed exhaled a breath against my ear, tugging me closer, his large palm cradling the back of my head. “It’s so good to see you.” He wasn’t pulling away. “Sorry this was sudden. I wanted to cut to the chase earlier before I lost my nerve.”

My body buzzed and melted at the same time. “I’m glad you did. I probably would’ve talked in circles about nothing until the days drifted by and you were gone again.”

Painstakingly, he inched back, his hands taking their time to trail down my arms and return to his sides. His eyes held hotly to mine, torture and affection creasing his browline. “It’s hard to believe I’m looking at you. Something other than a photograph or memory.” Then those eyes crawled down my body, drifting from the curve of my neck to my shimmer-dusted cleavage, all the way down my bronzed legs. When they flicked back up, his gaze glittered with dark lust. “Take a walk with me?”

I blinked away from his thigh-clenching stare, glancing over at the restaurant in my black, thigh-length cocktail dress and chic ankle boots. “I thought?—”

“I know. I’ve just always wanted to do this.”

“Do what?”

He reached out and clasped my hand, linking our fingers together. “Hold your hand in public.”

My breath burst out in a puff of wonderment.

I nodded and we started walking down the crowded, seaside street with salt and laughter mingling in the air. Words couldn’t find me. Only feeling. Only the sensation of his palm squeezing mine, our steps a perfect rhythm.

This isn’t a date. We’re just friends.

This can’t be a date.

Friends held hands.

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