Page 43 of 7 Miles High
Chapter 14
Natalie
The last few days of my visit to San Juan Capistrano have been bittersweet. Sweet because every moment spent with Parker is …what? Right? Perfect? Happy? All of the above. And bitter because it’s about to come to an end. I’ve got one more day before I fly back home.
The good news is we already find it hard to be apart, and in two weeks it will be my turn when Parker comes to Santa Barbara.
“What time are your guests going to be here?” I ask the retreating figure.
“Soon!” Parker calls from the kitchen.
I straighten the silverware he’s laid and make sure the glasses are all on the same side of the plates. They were not. It makes me want to laugh. This is a man’s idea of a dinner party table. At least this man. He didn’t have enough matching plates or stemware, so the table is a hodgepodge of diversity.
There’s three wine goblets and two champagne flutes. One person will be drinking from Parker’s college beer stein and the rest from his regular glasses. Everyone has a white paper napkin folded under the knife and spoon. God he’s so friggin cute!
“Whatcha doin?” He says it laughing as he enters the dining room.
“Just making sure everything is where it should be.”
“Natalie this is as good as it gets. I’m no Martha Stewart.”
I put my arms around his neck and lean my forehead against his. “I know. You’ve done a great job. Really.”
“Then why are you moving things around? Fess up.”
I lift my shoulders and scrunch up my face. “I’m just anal about certain things. Am I bugging you? I can stop.”
I give him my best don’t be mad look and bat my eyelashes. He laughs.
“You think that’s going to work on me, Princess?”
“Maybe.”
He comes in for a kiss. “Cause it does.”
I get the most delicious kiss, made up of equal parts love and lust. Yeah, I said it. It feels an awful lot like love. I think even he’s surprised at the depth of feeling the moment conjures. We pause and I look into his ocean eyes. Ohhhh.
“You feel that?” Parker says softly.
Before I have time to answer the doorbell sounds.
“Hold that thought,” I say as we part. I feel his fingertips leaving mine.
“Is that Matt’s voice?”
“Yeah. He’s always the one you hear first.”
As soon as the door is swung open, Matt’s talking.
“The party has arrived! Hello, Natalie!”
He comes in for a cheek kiss, which I gladly accept.
“Girl! Come here! I’ve missed you!”
Beautiful Maggie takes me in a familiar embrace. She holds a small wrapped gift.
“This is for the new homeowner,” she says, passing it to Parker.
