Page 133 of Just Like Home

They’d finished rehearsing with Amelia, who, as expected, had picked up her steps in very little time. She assured them both that she would be more than ready for this dance with her uncle, and Charlotte believed her. Amelia was a little pro.

“I did?”

He took her hand. “You’re free tonight, right?”

She squinted at him. “I should say no. I don’t want you taking for granted that I’ll drop everything for you.”

He kissed her hand. “But you would, right?”

She turned away, doing a poor job of hiding her smile.

“This particular outing will pull double duty.”

“What do you mean?” She glanced over at him.

“Another first for you and a really important night for me.” His eyebrows bounced adorably, piquing her interest.

“Give me a hint.”

He took off hisHarbor Pointe Footballhat and put it on her head. “You’ll need this.” He stood and pulled her to her feet.

She frowned. “Isn’t football season in the fall?”

He laughed as they walked down the dock toward the cottage, stopping when they reached the yard. “You know this place looks a lot better with you in it.”

She felt her cheeks flush. Would she ever get used to being the object of his affection? She forced herself not to think about what might happen if she couldn’t convince Connor to sell her the dance studio after all.

She couldn’t stay in Harbor Pointe without a job—and her savings would only last so long. But the thought of giving this up—of givinghimup—it nearly undid her.

They rode in silence to the high school, where the stadium lights had been turned on. Several cars were parked in the parking lot, and as soon as Cole pulled in, there was a cheer. But not from his team—from a bunch of older guys, about their age.

Cole grinned.

“I thought we were here to watch your team,” she said.

“We are,” he said. “You’re going to watch my team against me.”

“Wait. You’re playing?”

“You gave me a great idea,” he said. “An exhibition game—for charity. For Haven House.”

How had he kept this from her? “For Haven House?”

Cole shrugged. “I mentioned it to the guys and they were all on board. Asher doesn’t talk about it, but they know his situation. Any money we make goes directly to Ash and his brothers.”

“So your team is playing a bunch of old guys?” She tried not to giggle.

“My team is playing the very distinguished Harbor Pointe alumni.” He shook his head at her. “No respect.”

“How did I not know about this?” She opened the door of the truck and got out.

“Wasn’t hard,” he said. “You’re not on social media, and you’ve been so busy with the recital. All I had to do was ask Lucy not to say anything.”

“So you wanted it to be a surprise?”

He leaned down and kissed her, as if it were a sufficient response to her question. And as his arms wound around her waist, she thought, in fact, maybe it was.

The sound of drums rang out in the distance. “Wait, is that a band?”

---