And yet…here they were, doing all that.
As the days rolled along, they had hit a rhythm that included long conversations, easy hours, and lots of laughs. With his parents still on their dream cruise in the Mediterranean, Lacey had tamped down her desire to tell Tessa the truth, though it still rose up and tightened her throat in the middle of the night.
Thinking it all through, Lacey sighed into the butter-soft leather, letting the Florida sun burning through the windshield warm her legs and arms. Next to her, Roman handled the sports car with practiced ease, cracking jokes and humming along to old-school R&B.
“What are we rescuing again?” he asked, glancing over. “I mean, I know it’s a dog, but any more details?”
“A Chihuahua-bulldog mix named Pickles.”
He snorted. “Epic.”
“Naomi—our Bat Mitzvah candidate—apparently went to this refuge on a field trip that her mom chaperoned, and they both fell in love with Pickles. Jennifer decided the dog would be the perfect surprise gift to be presented at the party, so we’re picking him up and holding him until tomorrow’s Bat Mitzvah.”
“What a great mom,” he said with a chuckle, then looked her way. “And full-service event planners.”
She shrugged. “It was going to be a long and boring drive up here, but with you going?” Lacey was unable to deny how happy it made her that Roman had volunteered to join her on this errand. “I don’t know if I’ve thanked you enough.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Roman added. “I would have wanted to take this drive even if you didn’t have to get the dog.” He gestured toward the tall pines that lined the winding road, silhouetted against a blindingly blue sky. “It’s gorgeous. And…” He smiled. “I like the company.”
No matter how many hours they spent together, his open admission that he was attracted to her made Lacey’s heart flip. Part of her couldn’t believe it, but another part—the one getting to know what a genuine man he was despite the trappings of professional sports—absolutely did believe it.
And she felt exactly the same way, which was maddening. And thrilling. And complicated beyond description.
She smiled back, trying to suppress the swell of affection in her chest. “I’m sure I’ll pale in comparison to Pickles.”
“A bulldog-Chihuahua mix? Possibly,” he teased. “But that’s a high bar.”
“Especially when he’s presented,” she said. “Our client wants him to wear a bowtie and we used his picture to make a cake with his face on it.”
“You and Tessa don’t play about your parties, do you?”
“No, we do not.” She laughed. “To Tessa, fun is a real business, and I’m learning. I’ll say this—it’s my favorite job I’ve ever had. I mean, no one cheers from the stands like they do for you, but?—”
He rolled his eyes. “Most of the time I’m on the bench, but I’m sure that there will be huge applause for the Pickles presentation.”
She couldn’t argue that, and she appreciated his humility on the topic of who and what he was.
They turned off the highway onto a gutted rural road, the car bouncing.
“Ouch.” Lacey made a face. “That probably annihilated your suspension.”
He shrugged. “Just a car.” After a second, he glanced at her. “What? Why are you looking at me like you refuse to believe a word I’m saying?”
“I refuse to believe a person with your talent and success is that free of an ego.”
His brows lifted in surprise, then he shook his head.
“I can have an ego,” he said. “Ask my high school classmates. But the higher I go in sports, the more humbling the experience is. That and my parents never let me get too cocky.”
“Really? It sounds like they doted on you.”
“They did everything imaginable to raise me right,” he said. “So I wasn’t the boss of the house by any means. Dad made sure I remembered I was just a kid who got lucky with speed and hand-to-eye. Oh, here we are. Stillwater Animal Refuge.”
She turned to see the understated wooden sign and peered between the pine trees to glimpse the property and a weathered barn in the distance.
“This looks pretty,” she said.
“And huge.” He gestured toward the GPS on the dash. “We’re still almost a mile from the main building.”
