Page 22 of The Alpha and the Baker
I couldn’t remember, not that my memory was the best right now. But I didn’t push myself to think. I just let my mind drift and be in the moment in a way I couldn’t very often.
It was lovely. Soincrediblylovely.
As the sky turned periwinkle and lavender, a bunch of people came out with those citronella torches and staked them into the ground, lighting up the area and warding off the host of crepuscular bugs that liked to come out at dawn and twilight. I was immensely grateful for that. As a type-O girlie, mosquitoslovedme.
The relationship wasnotmutual.
As the air filled with a light, citrusy scent, a slight shadow fell over me. I cracked open one eye to see Cas, still looking angelic as he towered over me.
Angelic and kinda dominant in a way that spoke to some part of my brain that I didn’t often listen to. Yowza, was it the booze talking, or was he really just that good looking?
“Hey,” he murmured, his voice like straight syrup to my soul. “The dancing’s about to start. Do you want me to sign that receipt and walk you to your car?”
Part of me knew I should say yes. That I had overstayed my welcome and needed to get going. But another part of me didn’t feel sober enough, andanotherpart of me wasn’t willing to go back to my empty shop and up to my empty apartment to sleep in my empty bed.
I was having fun. Was it so wrong for me to wanna hold on to it with both hands?
“Dance?” I echoed, slowly sitting up. The dog I’d been using as a pillow, whose coat wasridiculouslythick, let out a bark of objection as if it already missed my warmth and I was genuinely flattered.
Should I get a dog?
Nah, I didn’t have the time to properly take care of one. But maybe I could volunteer at a local shelter to walk one every once in a while.
“Yeah, nothing official. Just a way to expend extra energy before the smores and the bonfire.”
Morefood? Cas wasn’t kidding. His family really knew how toeat.
“I wouldn’t mind staying for the dancing,” I said honestly. I wouldn’t be upset if he said no. “I still don’t quite feel safe to drive.”
“You sure? I’d love to have you stay, but I’m worried about you driving home in the dark.”
That breezy lightness within me dimmed a little. “Yeah, I’m not exactly familiar with the area.”
“Let’s worry about that later. For now, why don’t we dance?”
Once again, he offered his hand out to me, and once again it still felt so incredibly different than the last time. Maybe it was because I was sitting and he was standing. Maybe it was because all the dogs in my cuddle pile raised their heads and stared at his hand like they knew it was a significant gesture.
Or maybe it was because I’d been tipsy for about three hours after a few little sips of a single drink, which still didn’t make a lick of sense.
“Thanks,” I said, taking his hand. The warmth of his skin surprised me. He didn’t look like he was sweating, but he felt like a loaf of bread fresh out of the oven. Maybe I was just colder than I thought.
But then he was pulling me to my feet, and all thought fled from my head. I wasn’t exactly heavy, but I wasn’t light. I was particularly bottom-heavy due to genetics, a love of squats when I was younger, and all the natural squatting that came from maneuvering around the bakery, but Cas hauled me to my feet like I was lighter than a pillow.
“There you are,” he said once I was on my feet. “Here, let’s get you some water while they start the music.”
Water? When was the last time I actuallyhadwater?
“That sounds like an excellent idea!”
“I thought it might be.”
We walked to the drinks table, and grabbed a couple of water bottles, one of which I downed nearly instantly. Just like Cas said, by the time we were done, the music was playing.
A Celtic song played from a couple of speakers that looked like they were hooked up to way too long of an extension cord. I watched the people dancing. Some were definitely doing a coordinated jig, but most of the others were just bouncing around and yelling “Hey!” at the top of their lungs at the right point in the song. Even Arietty was in on it, hopping on her hind legs while her two owners held her paws.
Wasn’t that the most adorable thing I’d ever seen? And it was enough to get me motivated to run out into the field a bit and start moving myself. I wasn’t graceful, but that didn’t matter. Especially when Cas and another enormous dog joined me. What were they feeding these things? They were practically wolves.
More laughter, more breathlessness. It all blended together in a beautiful cacophony of joy. I was sure that when I sobered up, I would have lovely memories from the day to fuel me for several months.
