Sweet as Candy - Karla Doyle Page 0,35
as he stepped inside the large vestibule. Busy place, especially being outside the city and off the beaten path. Not congested or loud, though. Everybody seemed to disperse pretty quickly once they got past the admission desk.
No sign of Candace in the lobby area. She wasn’t in any of the immediate display rooms either. He checked his watch again. 10:30, bang on. He headed for the hallway that led to the conservatory’s main attraction. Candace was probably already inside, with her daughter.
His sister had been right. Meeting Candace’s little girl was a big deal, something he shouldn’t do unless he planned to do it again. Unless he was serious.
The prospect stopped him short of the doors. Dating one person, even casually, had been firmly in his “no” column a few weeks ago. After the sting from his last intense go-round in relationship territory, he’d sworn off anything more than watching beautiful women take their clothes off onstage and occasional carnal connections which expired before sunrise. Those were easy to come by. Simple and straight to the point.
The last thing he needed was another complicated relationship. Now he was involved in exactly that, minutes away from meeting his girlfriend’s kid. Yeah, this was a big deal, all right, and not just for Candace and her daughter.
He could turn back. Pretend her hint about meeting here had gone over his head. That’d buy him time. Not a bad thing, considering everything at stake.
Nope, not this time. He wasn’t folding just because the stakes were high.
Tropical air surrounded him as he opened the final door and stepped into butterfly central. Small ones, big ones, in every color imaginable. In the air, on the plants, at the feeding stations. There had to be hundreds of butterflies in here, if not thousands. They were everywhere. So were the plants, many reaching all the way to the elevated, glass ceiling.
He followed the path toward the sound of tumbling water. A narrow waterfall fed a pond at the center of the room. Koi fish streaked the surface with bright orange and red. Turtles sunned themselves on the surrounding rocks. Candace had been right about the place being magical. Only one thing could make it better.
That one thing was in here somewhere, he’d seen her car in the parking lot. Yes, there were a ton of identical cars in the city, but only one with her license plate, a combination of digits and letters he’d committed to memory the first time he’d seen it.
He left the pond area and continued up the path, consciously maintaining a slow, reasonable pace, when what he really wanted to do was whip through the place until he spotted her. Sneak up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist while kissing her neck. He’d do that if she were alone. Not an option with her daughter by her side. He’d have to come up with a much subtler greeting.
Subtle had never been his style. He should’ve hit up his sister for some specific suggestions on how to approach Candace’s daughter. His only experiences with little kids had come while on duty. Special events and school visits. Without his uniform, he didn’t know how to start.
He’d have to figure it out on the fly, because Candace and her daughter were now straight ahead. Fortunately for him, they were currently focused on a shiny, blue butterfly. He had about five more seconds to come up with a great opening line. One that’d impress the mother and the kid.
Macy gasped as the big butterfly took off from its resting place and flew directly over her head, passing so close it almost touched her golden hair. She and Candace turned at the same time, both pairs of eyes opening wide at the sight of him.
“Mommy, look,” Macy said, pointing. “The butterfly landed on that man. Maybe it thinks he’s a tree with a big yellow flower.”
Yup, he owed his sister for the tip about wearing something bright. “Guess I put on the right shirt today.”
“You definitely did.” Candace’s smile was brighter than any flower or butterfly in the place. Brighter than the sun streaming through the peaked glass ceiling. And that amazing smile was all for him. She wrapped her arms around Macy from behind and used their clasped hands to motion toward him. “Baby girl, this man is my friend, Jake. Jake is a police officer.”
“He’s not wearing a uniform.”
“Because I’m busy being a big yellow flower.” The joke earned him a giggle from