for the jokes, the teasing, the sassy comments, and the confidence to stand up for herself when it really mattered.
The inside of the cab was dimly lit with only the orange glow of the streetlights from outside and the lights from the dashboard filtering into the backseat where we sat. Voices speaking French came from the radio and the cabbie seemed distracted by whatever it was they were discussing.
I told him where we wanted to go when he half turned to face us, his eyes glued on the road as he concentrated on the radio but paid us just enough attention to know where to take us. Once we set off, he turned the volume up a few notches and Leah smiled up at me before settling in beside me.
She sank into my side when I slung my arm around her shoulders, but we didn’t say anything else until we’d been dropped off at the park. There were several shops around us, all of them with neon signs in their windows stating they were still open.
“Let’s go get you a pair of shoes first. Then we take a look around,” I said.
Leah nodded, but she seemed to be having a hard time tearing her eyes away from our surroundings for long enough to really pay any attention to where we were going. I couldn’t blame her, though. This park was very far from an ordinary community park where one picnicked with children or watched them on a playground.
“What is this place again?” she asked as she paused on the stairs of a small gift shop that had pumps displayed in the window.
“It’s the largest urban cultural park in the city,” I said. “Basically, it’s a park with a lot of attractions in it. They have museums, music venues, sculptures, theaters, movies, and I think they even have an old military submarine around here somewhere.”
The bell above our heads jingled when we headed into the gift shop, and Leah hardly checked the size on the nearest pair of pumps before she was paying for them. Slipping her feet into them as soon as the shop assistant handed them over, she stashed her heels in the paper bag she’d been given for the pumps and then dragged me right back out of the shop.
“I can’t wait to start exploring, but we need to talk before we do,” she said, her green eyes flicking up to mine as we stood on the quieter side of the street to where the entrance to the park was. She placed her hands on my chest and held on to the lapels of my jacket. “That’s two nights in a row I’ve made a mess for you. I’m sorry, Dane. I really didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”
“You didn’t,” I replied, sliding my arms around her waist and dropping a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. “You’re just spirited. That’s all. You stand up for yourself and you don’t let people walk all over you. I admire that about you. It’s not something you should apologize for.”
“Maybe not, but I still feel like I might’ve just blown up the whole campaign,” she said, the worry in her eyes genuine and palpable. “Do you realize that people filmed what just happened?”
“Yes, I do.” I’d seen the cameras coming out as soon as Jefferson had approached us when we’d come back inside from the balcony. I didn’t know what they’d been hoping to capture, but I was sure they’d gotten more than they’d hoped for.
“What do you think is going to happen if those videos get uploaded?” she asked, the crease between her brows deepening. “It wasn’t my intention to embarrass Jefferson, the product, or the Killen brand.”
“Well, I’m glad that wasn’t your intention because if it was, you’d have failed,” I said easily. “Nothing that you did or said was damaging or embarrassing. In fact, the fragrance might even appeal to a wider audience now that you’ve made it clear that it’s not only for the good girls.”
“So you don’t think I’m in trouble?” The tone of her voice made it clear that she absolutely did not believe the same thing. “Jefferson was already disappointed in me after the incident with René. I doubt he’s going to take kindly to what I did tonight.”
“The only thing you did tonight is to stay true to yourself. He’ll respect that.” Eventually, but I didn’t tell her that. “You’re allergic to the perfume, but I think what you did