gave her a tug and she fell on him, their faces only inches apart, and as he kissed her, a familiar, unfamiliar phrase tossed around in his mind.
I love you, Charlotte.
Because as much as he’d fought against it, he couldn’t deny it was how he felt. He’d been blindsided in the very best way, and now that he knew her, he was certain he wouldn’t be able to spend a single day without her.
42
“I didn’t tell you, but you gave me an idea the other day.”
Charlotte smiled. They sat on the dock behind his house, staring across the water—a calming ritual she’d come to love.
They’d finished rehearsing with Amelia, who, as expected, had picked up her steps in very little time. She assured them both that she would be more than ready for this dance with her uncle, and Charlotte believed her. Amelia was a little pro.
“I did?”
He took her hand. “You’re free tonight, right?”
She squinted at him. “I should say no. I don’t want you taking for granted that I’ll drop everything for you.”
He kissed her hand. “But you would, right?”
She turned away, doing a poor job of hiding her smile.
“This particular outing will pull double duty.”
“What do you mean?” She glanced over at him.
“Another first for you and a really important night for me.” His eyebrows bounced adorably, piquing her interest.
“Give me a hint.”
He took off his Harbor Pointe Football hat and put it on her head. “You’ll need this.” He stood and pulled her to her feet.
She frowned. “Isn’t football season in the fall?”
He laughed as they walked down the dock toward the cottage, stopping when they reached the yard. “You know this place looks a lot better with you in it.”
She felt her cheeks flush. Would she ever get used to being the object of his affection? She forced herself not to think about what might happen if she couldn’t convince Connor to sell her the dance studio after all.
She couldn’t stay in Harbor Pointe without a job—and her savings would only last so long. But the thought of giving this up—of giving him up—it nearly undid her.
They rode in silence to the high school, where the stadium lights had been turned on. Several cars were parked in the parking lot, and as soon as Cole pulled in, there was a cheer. But not from his team—from a bunch of older guys, about their age.
Cole grinned.
“I thought we were here to watch your team,” she said.
“We are,” he said. “You’re going to watch my team against me.”
“Wait. You’re playing?”
“You gave me a great idea,” he said. “An exhibition game—for charity. For Haven House.”
How had he kept this from her? “For Haven House?”
Cole shrugged. “I mentioned it to the guys and they were all on board. Asher doesn’t talk about it, but they know his situation. Any money we make goes directly to Ash and his brothers.”
“So your team is playing a bunch of old guys?” She tried not to giggle.
“My team is playing the very distinguished Harbor Pointe alumni.” He shook his head at her. “No respect.”
“How did I not know about this?” She opened the door of the truck and got out.
“Wasn’t hard,” he said. “You’re not on social media, and you’ve been so busy with the recital. All I had to do was ask Lucy not to say anything.”
“So you wanted it to be a surprise?”
He leaned down and kissed her, as if it were a sufficient response to her question. And as his arms wound around her waist, she thought, in fact, maybe it was.
The sound of drums rang out in the distance. “Wait, is that a band?”
Cole met her at the front of the truck and took her hand. “Oh, everything about this is going to feel like a real game. I wanted to make sure you got the full effect.”
She stopped walking. “What do you mean?”
He looked away. “Nothing. I’m just doing what you said—adding the fun back into football.”
“Yeah, but that has nothing to do with the band. Or the lights. Or—” A group of cheerleaders warmed up on the track. “The cheerleaders.”
He shrugged. “I made a list of things you’d never done. And I’m working my way through it.”
Charlotte watched as something inexplicable passed between them. He seemed intent on making sure she experienced everything she’d missed out on. Nobody had ever cared about her with such detail before.
“I have to go get ready,” he said. “And take some preemptive Advil.”