Page 73 of Finally Mine
Aldo drummed his fingers on his knee. “Okay. How about a compromise? We date platonically.”
“Like friends without benefits?” Gloria asked, looking at him like he’d lost his damn mind.
“Like we see each other exclusively. I prove to you I can be trusted, and you learn to date in a healthy relationship.”
She frowned, considering. “I can’t decide if this is the smartest idea I’ve ever heard or a really big mistake we’re both about to make.”
“‘About to make’ as in, yes?” Aldo asked, hope so bright and fierce climbed into his throat.
She bit her lip, and he held his breath.
“Yes.”
And just like that, Aldo got his second win of the day. And this one was much, much bigger than the first.
41
The fireworks were a spectacular end to a day of surprises, Gloria decided. Her hand linked with Aldo’s on the blanket. This newness was both overwhelming and thrilling.
Harper’s charges, Henry and Robbie, were sprawled out with them. They’d peppered Aldo with questions about his leg and running and his tattoos. Aldo had answered them all without flinching.
Gloria could feel Harper’s smug smile and chose to ignore her. She didn’t want to explain that she’d forgiven but cautiously.
“Wow!” Henry gasped at a big, orange starburst in the sky.
Gloria smiled and let herself relax. All her weeks of work were over. She’d pulled together one hell of a Fourth of July. It was kind of like her own personal Independence Day. She’d shown the town something besides poor little Gloria Parker, and she’d stood up for herself to a man despite her very strong feelings for him. She’d drawn lines, set boundaries.
As the sky filled with color and sound, she allowed herself a minute to bask. Her hard work was starting to pay off. And for once in her life, she couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow held.
The finale drew the expected oohs and ahs from the crowd as every firework known to man lit the dark canvas of sky.
Aldo leaned in. “You did good,” he told her as the boys screeched their delight.
Gloria gave his hand a squeeze. “Thanks. You were pretty impressive today, too.”
The fireworks looked even better reflected in Aldo’s brown eyes. She felt a delicious shiver travel up her spine.
* * *
“I’ll walk you home,”Aldo said quietly as Harper and her crew herded the kids toward the car.
“You don’t have to do that,” Gloria said automatically.
“I want to kiss you goodnight.”
That thrill that had been buzzing up and down her spine turned into a full-on electric current.
“I just need to check on a few things first.”Before the kissing.
The way his lips quirked, Gloria thought there was a good possibility he was thinking about that part of the evening, too. “I’ll help you check on a few things.”
Together they tracked down Mack, factory maintenance worker by day and head of the Fourth of July clean-up crew by night. “You sure you don’t need an extra hand?” Gloria asked. He’d told her he was in it for the fleet of golf carts made available to the clean-up crew.
“Tents are already down, food stands are packing it in, and we’re halfway through the garbage pickup. We’ve got it,” he promised.
“You’re a dream, Mack,” Gloria yawned. She hadn’t realized how utterly exhausted she was until this minute.
“You did one helluva job, Gloria.” With a little salute and a peek in Aldo’s direction, he was peeling away in his electric golf cart into the night.
