“Are you okay?” she finally asked.
He heaved a deep sigh that seemed to come up from his toes. “I’m sorry you had to witness that.”
“You don’t need to apologize.”
“I get so tired of having the same conversations with my father. If he knew me, he’d understand I don’t want to go into financial planning.”
Kacey touched his arm. “I understand you and I’m really proud of you for following your dreams and becoming a teacher.”
“Thank you.”
When they reached his house, she pulled her keys out of her purse as they walked over to her car together. She looked up at him. “Thank you for a wonderful supper and a visit to the pier. I had a great time tonight.” She glanced down, feeling nervous now that they were alone together again, and close enough to touch.
He smiled down at her. “I did too.”
“Let’s do it again soon.”
“Absolutely.”
She hesitated for a moment and waited for him to lean down and kiss her, but he took a step back. Confusion buzzed through her. Perhaps she had imagined the moment on the pier. Still, she’d been certain he was going to kiss her before his father had interrupted.
“Text me when you get home,” he said. “I want to know you made it okay.”
“I will,” she said, unlocking her car and climbing in.
Kacey waved to him before backing down the driveway. As she steered down the street, she shook her head to try to clear her thoughts. Perhaps she’d misread Drew, and he still only wanted to be friends.
She couldn’t tamp down the disappointment that cast a shadow over the evening.
Chapter8
“Everyone,” Drew called over the murmur of conversations in the community center choir room the following Thursday afternoon, “you’re all doing great, and practice is almost over. Let’s try it from the top again.” He played the introduction, and the children began to sing, “Silent night, holy night...”
Drew smiled. The choir sounded fantastic today. The children were paying attention, and they all seemed as if they wanted to be at practice instead of somewhere else.
When the song ended, clapping sounded from the back of the room, where a group of adults stood waiting to collect their children. His pulse ticked up when he saw Kacey standing near the doorway. She met his gaze and blessed him with a gorgeous smile.
They had shared a brief conversation Tuesday and traded a few texts, but they hadn’t made plans to see each other again. He hoped to remedy that as soon as he had a moment to speak with her.
“Great job today, everyone,” Drew announced. “I’ll see you Tuesday.”
Conversations broke out around the room as the children gathered up their coats and bags and the adults herded them toward the door.
Drew nodded greetings and slipped his music into a folder and then into his backpack. He looked up just as Kacey approached him. “Hey, stranger.”
“Hi.” She gave him a little wave.
“Do you have plans tomorrow night?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Dinner and a movie?”
“Sounds perfect,” she said as one of the children’s mothers walked over behind her.
“Excuse me,” the mother began. “I have a few questions about the performance at the festival.”
“Just give me one moment,” he told the mother. Then he looked back at Kacey. “I’ll text you the details.”
