Eight

Harlow

“This is far cozier than I thought it was going to be.”

Finally.

It was finally Saturday evening.

While I always looked forward to the break at the end of a long week at work, I couldn’t recall a time in my life when I considered an actual countdown to it.

All week long, I’d noticed this overwhelming feeling of anticipation moving through my body. It didn’t matter if I was in the middle of working with a client, texting back and forth with Blaze, or chatting on the phone with my mom or Olive. No matter what I was doing, no matter what was there to occupy my mind, it seemed as though my body knew what was ahead and refused to allow me to forget it.

The moment I opened my door and saw Blaze standing there, the feeling disappeared. It was as though my body had breathed a sigh of relief and could finally relax at the sight of him.

Of course, part of that could have been because he was just so incredibly handsome. I thought I realized that the first night I met him, but there was something about seeing him for the first time in a week after the weekend we’d had together that felt different.

Maybe it was knowing just how much fun we’d had then and would likely have this weekend. Or perhaps it was that I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the kiss we’d shared and was desperate to do it again.

I’d struggled to hold myself back a bit, but fortunately, Blaze didn’t. He had stepped forward and slid his arms around me as he pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “Hey,” he murmured.

I smiled against his lips and whispered, “Hey.”

It was so simple, but so wonderful. And for a few long moments, neither one of us made the effort to move away from the other. Truthfully, no matter how much I’d been looking forward to our drive-in date tonight, I would have been content to stand there, just inside my front door, wrapped up in his arms while he kissed me.

But given that Blaze was a man of his word who refused to disappoint me, he broke us out of the stupor and urged me to grab whatever I needed so we could get going.

Now, we were here at the drive-in, and it wasn’t anything like I’d expected. I had assumed it would be like it was in the movies—Blaze would pull his truck in, and we’d sit in our seats, watching through the windshield.

I was wrong.

Because Blaze had another idea in mind, and he came well prepared to execute it.

We were now in the bed of his truck on a pile of thick blankets and a couple of pillows. Not only that, but Blaze brought dinner for the both of us—hoagies, chips, and drinks.

Ever since we’d made the plan to come to the theater, I had wondered whether it could even come close to being as much fun as my day ziplining with Blaze had been. The night had just barely started, and I was in awe. But I didn’t think it was fair to compare the dates at this point, or ever. Not only were they just too different to begin with, but I really couldn’t say one was better than the other. I liked them both for very different reasons, and I didn’t think I needed to pressure myself to choose a favorite.

I had a feeling this date would give me something that the last one hadn’t, and vice versa.

And once I’d decided it wasn’t necessary to rank this date against the last one, I immersed myself in the moment, doing that by telling Blaze exactly what I thought about what he’d set up for us tonight. The movie hadn’t started, so we had some time to enjoy a bit of conversation while we ate.

Seeming a bit proud of himself, he glanced around the bed of his truck, nodded, and agreed, “Yeah, I was kind of hoping to capture a cozy ambience.”

Grinning at him, I insisted, “Well, you’ve nailed it. And you even packed us dinner, so you’re excelling at all of it.”

“I’d love to say I made these sandwiches myself, but it would be a lie. I ordered them from Grant’s Deli. The owner, Mallory, is married to one of my coworkers, Nixon,” he revealed. “I figured they would be perfect for this tonight.”

“Oh, wow. How cool is it that your coworker is married to her?” I asked as I moved to open my sandwich.

“If you think that’s cool, I wonder how you’d feel knowing the owner of Harper Security Ops is married to the owner of The Early Bird,” he countered.

My eyes widened in shock. “The coffee and doughnut shop?”

Blaze nodded and sunk his teeth into his sandwich.

Since he couldn’t speak with his mouth full of food, I asked another question. “Are all of your coworkers married to women who own cool spots to eat in town?”

He shook his head and swallowed. “We’ve got more than twenty guys working at Harper Security, and while a good chunk of them is spoken for, they aren’t all married just yet. Plus, we still have a couple of guys who are single. All of that to say, of those who are involved with someone, there are quite a few women who own businesses in town. They aren’t all food joints, though. And fun fact, the place we met is a place where another woman works.”

I tipped my head to the side. “The Steel Pub?”

“Yep. Sawyer is one of the bartenders there,” he explained.

This news blew my mind. “Did you know someone who works at the ziplining place? Or do you know the owner of this drive-in, too?”

Blaze let out a laugh, took a sip of his drink, and replied, “No. But if a different movie was playing tonight, we’d see one of my coworker’s fiancée on the screen.”

My lips parted as my jaw dropped open. “What? Who?”

“Lily Mack.”

This was becoming more and more insane. “Your coworker is engaged to be married to Lily Mack, the famous actress?”

“He is.”

“Wow, what a lucky bunch,” I marveled.

As Blaze nodded, I noticed a solemn look wash over his expression. I wanted to ask him about it, but I worried I might be pushing boundaries when we were just getting to know one another. If there was something he wanted to share, I believed Blaze wouldn’t hesitate to share it.

So, instead of confronting him about it, I chose to redirect the conversation. “I hope you know just how much I appreciate all the effort you put into this tonight. The movie hasn’t even started, and it’s already wonderful.”

Something warm stole over him, which was a big relief given the look that had been there only moments before. Blaze didn’t mind sharing that warmth with me when he revealed, “I was really looking forward to tonight, and I wanted it to be special, so I didn’t want to skimp on any part of it.”

“You’ve outdone yourself, Blaze. I’m having a great time,” I told him.

“Well, once you’ve finished your dinner and the movie starts, I’ve got something else in store for you,” he teased.

“Oh?” I lifted a curious brow. There was no doubt I had a few things in mind as to what I’d like for him to be referring to, but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions.

His lips twitched as he leaned forward and reached for the bag he’d brought that had been carrying our dinner. Lifting it up, he moved it toward me and allowed me to peek inside as he revealed, “I’ve got movie snacks.”

A smile spread across my face as I took in all the sweet treats he’d brought along. When I lifted my gaze to his, I said, “You really went out of your way to make this the perfect movie date, didn’t you?”

He shrugged, offering indifference. “I wanted it to be memorable for you.”

The more I learned about him and saw his sweet gestures in action, I was beginning to wonder if Blaze was even real. He felt like a dream come true.

It was that realization, though, that had my body going rigid. Blaze, proving just how good he was at being a private investigator, noticed and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Fear consumed me, and I blurted, “What about you?”

His brows pulled together. “What about me?”

I swallowed hard, belatedly realizing I was clutching my poor sandwich in my hands like I feared someone would take it from me. But it wasn’t about the sandwich. It was about Blaze, this moment, and the way he made me feel. “I’m not sure I’ve done anything to make this, or anything else, memorable for you.”

Surprise washed over him. That look lasted just a few seconds before it was replaced by amusement. Through a bit of laughter, he asked, “Are you serious?”

I nodded slowly, unsure I understood what he found to be so funny.

Blaze shook his head in disbelief. “Harlow, you can’t honestly believe you don’t bring anything to the table. Do you know what you did for me this week?”

I could feel the crease form between my brows. “No. What did I do?”

He stared at me in silence for several moments. There were numerous instances in which he looked like he was going to say something, and for some reason, he stopped himself.

My curiosity got the best of me. “Blaze, what is it?”

“Your text messages got me through this week,” he finally revealed. I found this news to be surprising and would have responded, but I had a feeling Blaze wasn’t finished. He’d hesitated a beat before he shared, “After I talked to you on the phone Monday morning, I got a call from the Harper Security Ops office asking me to meet one of my coworkers, Leo, at Short and Sweet, the tiny home resort here in Steel Ridge. It’s not uncommon for me to receive a call like that, where I’m asked to go somewhere to investigate something that has happened. In this situation, it was different, because Short and Sweet is owned by Hanna, who is Leo’s fiancée. A couple of individuals intentionally set fire to the place.”

“Oh my God, that’s horrible,” I gasped.

He nodded. “Yeah. It was devastating. Hanna was a mess. Leo’s been doing his best to help get her through it, but it’s not been easy.”

“Do they know who did it?” I questioned him after popping a potato chip into my mouth. “Have the individuals responsible been caught, or is that why you were there? Have you needed to investigate this?”

Shaking his head, he explained, “Not exactly, but we do believe that the people responsible for this were the same individuals that trashed The Steel Pub the week before. Harper Security wasn’t officially investigating at that point or anything, but with Sawyer working there the night it happened, we were made aware of it.”

Feeling horrified, my eyes searched his face. “Last week? You mean, days after we met each other there?”

Sensing my uneasiness, Blaze placed his hand on my thigh and offered a gentle squeeze. It was the first he’d touched me in a more intimate spot than just my arms or hands—or my ass when we’d kissed in the rain—and I was surprised at how wonderful it felt. Instead of tensing more than I already was, I found myself being able to relax with his reassuring touch. “Yes. It was on the Tuesday after we met. Fortunately, nobody was physically injured in either situation. At this point, we’re certainly keeping our eyes and ears open, but it seems like these are just a couple of menaces as there doesn’t seem to be any direct correlation between the two incidences.”

“Well, I’m just glad everyone you know in both scenarios is okay. Let’s hope these guys are caught,” I said. “Wait. How did my text messages help?”

With his hand still lingering on my thigh, Blaze’s eyes roamed over my face again. “Any communication I had with you helped,” he shared. “Sometimes, things in my line of work can become challenging, not just in the sense that I’m trying to solve something, but there are cases that can take a toll on us. This was the latter, even though we’re not technically investigating what happened at the pub. I don’t know. It was hard enough to see Hanna struggling, but witnessing how it’s affecting Leo has been tough. He keeps it together for her, but I know it’s eating at him.”

Nodding my understanding, I said, “I can imagine.”

“You took me out of it for a while whenever you sent a text. I loved that you took the time not only to send messages simply to check in throughout the week, but also that you found a way to be playful and make it fun. My mind was distracted just enough with all of your riddles to keep me on solid ground.”

Just before I popped the last bite of my sandwich in my mouth, I mumbled, “Yeah, but I’m still struggling to come up with something that’s going to stump you.”

Blaze laughed as he put his garbage into the bag and pulled out all the movie snacks. “I’ll happily play along until then.”

In the time we’d been sitting together, the sun had started to set. It was dusk, and the previews started.

“Are you comfortable enough?” Blaze asked.

I was sitting beside him, blankets beneath our bodies and pillows behind our backs. Twisting my neck, I looked over and said, “Yeah. I’m okay.”

“If you get colder as it gets later, just let me know. I brought an extra sweatshirt.”

My belly flipped. I wanted nothing more than to be able to pull his sweatshirt on in hopes that when he took me home tonight, we might both forget about it, and I’d be able to sleep with the scent of him surrounding me all night.

As though sensing the thoughts going through my head, Blaze chuckled, hopped out of the truck, and opened the back door. A moment later, he held the sweatshirt out to me and sat down beside me before focusing his attention on the previews. It felt like a huge moment for us, and it was that which made me remember something I needed to ask him.

“Blaze?”

“Yeah?”

I sucked in a deep breath and blew it out before I advised, “First, it’s completely okay if you can’t or don’t want to, but I have something I need to ask you.”

He didn’t seem the least bit fazed. “Sure. What’s up?”

I bit my lip nervously, wondering if I was going to ruin what was happening between us. “My dad’s birthday is in two weeks, and my mom, brothers, and I are taking him out for dinner that Sunday. I was wondering if you would like to come along and meet my family.”

Blaze didn’t respond with words. His eyes bored into mine, his expression attempting to communicate what his voice wasn’t. The problem was that I couldn’t begin to decipher what it was that he wanted to say.

Assuming the worst, I panicked and insisted, “You don’t have to do this at all. I just… When my mom asked me about the day working for me, all I could think was that I’d love to have you there. I realize we’ve just started getting to know one another, but?—”

“Harlow,” Blaze said, cutting me off.

“Yeah?”

A slow smile crept across his face. “I’d love to go with you.”

My whole body perked up. “Really?”

He nodded.

“I thought you were going to tell me I was crazy for even suggesting something like that,” I declared.

“Have you done it before?”

“What?

“Taken a guy and introduced him to your family,” he clarified.

I shook my head. “No. You would be my first.”

A mischievous smile spread across his face. “There’s not a chance I’m going to miss it now.”

Biting my lip, I felt the flush hit my cheeks.

Apparently, Blaze liked that, because he wrapped his arm around my back, curled me in toward his chest, and used his other hand to capture my jaw and angle my head. Then he smiled before he kissed me.

It wasn’t the same as our first kiss in the rain, but it was our first kiss in the bed of a truck at the drive-in theater, which made it no less spectacular.

Blaze and I kissed throughout the remainder of the previews, and when the movie finally came on, he readjusted the pillows behind his body and held me close to him throughout.

The entire thing—the picnic in the back of the truck, the conversation, and the way he kissed and held me—was the sweetest, most romantic thing I’d ever experienced in my life.

And the best part of it all was that when Blaze took me home later that night and kissed me senselessly at my door, we both forgot I was wearing his sweatshirt.