Page 7 of Sweet Summertide

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Nothing, just, no one ever asks for what I think. I’m told what to think or say. Especially when I’m at a social event like this.” Holly looked around the room and realized this was one of the first times she had attended a function, save for college parties, where her mother or father weren’t lurking nearby.

“I know what you mean,” Teddy said. “You don’t need to worry about censoring yourself around me. I have enough of that from everyone else in my life.”

She nodded. “I like that, Theodor Black. Same rule applies to you.” Holly placed the green chocolate on her tongue and waited for the flavors to warm and reveal themselves to her tastebuds. “Mint? No. wait.” She let the entire thing melt and knew it wasn’t mint, but something akin to it. “I give up. What is that stunning flavor?”

“Indian cardamom. It has hints of ginger and lemon.” He took one for himself. His eyes closed as he savored the flavor. “I just can’t decide if I love it or hate it.”

“Love it,” Holly said without hesitation.

Teddy stood and motioned with a head tilt for her to follow. He could have offered her a hand, but moved away before she could ask. She slap-dashed in her high heels to catch up withhim, while he easily weaved his way through the thinning crowd. He danced around a serving table and absconded with two champagne glasses out the main doors.

Another guest passing through the same door, held it open for her. The warm night air kissed her skin, and a soft breeze played with the fluffy layers of her skirt as she pranced across the driveway. Waiting for her, debonair in his black three-piece suit, Teddy leaned his back against a stone pillar. The top buttons of his white shirt were left undone, and his smirk should have warned her to turn around before she made yet another poor relationship judgment.

He handed her a flute, clinked the rim of his glass on hers, and she knew it was too late. The bubbles fizzled and rose to the surface of the liquid like the butterflies in her stomach trying to escape.

“Walk with me?” Teddy asked, though they were already moving away from the party.

The bubbles became indistinguishable in her glass as they walked down a gentle sloping sidewalk away from the building’s light source. Small solar lanterns lined the path leading down to a wooden dock, but barely cut through the dark night. The distance wasn’t far, and they filled the air with their small talk about the weather, and the sweet song of the cricket choir. At the end of the dock, Teddy turned and sat on a wooden railing. Instead of drinking his libation, he drank her in.

He looked at her as though he was seeing so much more than just a pretty face. Ignoring the pleasant sensation building in her gut, she held her glass up and rested her bum on the same railing next to him. “To following your dreams.” Their glasses rang in harmony.

“And to new friends,” he said and took a drink.

Friends? The way he had taken her in as she twirled in her dress or the way he placed the chocolate in her open mouth feltlike more than just friends. She pondered any deeper meaning to his words while hundreds of bubbles danced in her mouth with her next sip. He wanted honesty, so maybe she should ask him the question she’d been pondering all day.

But Blake Holly Hollis wasn’t known for being patient. “Can I ask you something?” He nodded and sipped his bubbly. “When was the last time you had a girlfriend?”Slick, she thought. She wanted to know just how available he was before dedicating too much energy to something that might not work out.

“I told you I was single,” he said and smirked as though he knew she was fishing for something. “But that’s not what you’re after.”

“Am I that transparent?”

“Yeah. But I like it,” Teddy said and downed the remnants of his champagne. He placed the glass on the square post holding up the railing and took her glass, stashing it with the other.

Heat climbed her neck as Teddy moved closer to her. The warm night air didn’t help things. She wiggled and created a little bit of a breeze under her skirt which elicited a reaction from him.

Teddy raised his brows and deep lines cut across his forehead.

“What? It’s hot out here. This is what girls do.” She swished her hips and the pink ruffles on her skirt swayed back and forth.

Teddy moved his hips like hers and mimed tucking his hair behind his ear. “Like this?”

Holly smacked his chest. “Stop teasing me.”

“I like teasing you.” He captured her hand against his torso and held it there. His breath was shallow, and his palm clammed up in seconds.

“Do I make you nervous?” Holly said and closed the small distance between them, looking up into his brown eyes.

Teddy nodded and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed.

“Why?” Holly asked. Her head tilted to one side making it easier to see his expressions.

“For starters …” he took her hand over her head and spun her around. Her skirt flew out, making a wide circle. He stilled her once she faced him again. “You’re beautiful.”

She knew she was egging him on by batting her lashes. “And? I’m sure you’ve had your share of pretty women.”

“What makes you think that?”

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