Page 15 of Wake Me Up Before You Cocoa

Until now.

This afternoon had knocked her for a loop.

Wade finding her hiding behind the grandfather clock was mortifying, humiliating . . . and illuminating.

When he gently spoke her name, she had melted into a puddle of gooey butter.

When his eyes locked onto hers in the dusky light of the store, a sensation she had forgotten punched her in the stomach and rose up like fizzy water through her chest, throat, and nose—which was what had caused the sudden tears of emotion.

Nearly an hour ago, Wade Kennedy had found her. Here, in the flesh, crouched on one knee, his voice intense and deep, like a rich melted chocolate that matched the color of his eyes. Then to hear him talking about such precious memories—some of her favorites of their time together—the tears couldn’t be held back.

“Marina,” Wade said now. “Why are you ignoring me?”

She whirled around, so deep in her thoughts when the past had collided with the present, she didn’t realize he was still here.

When she’d jerked away from his embrace, Marina had expected him to get into his fancy car and go back to his own life. She hadn’t exactly been very friendly over donuts and hot cocoa either.

Now she bit her lip and gave a little shrug. “I’m not sure what to say.”

“I can see all your thoughts running through your expression.”

“Ah, you’re a mind reader now?”

“No, I just didn’t want to walk away without saying goodbye—and find out if you’re hurt.”

She frowned. “What do you mean hurt? I’m the one that threw dishes and pecans in some unsuspecting woman’s hair.”

“It’s all cleaned up now. It wasn’t as big of a deal as you think. An accident. Everyone is fine. I just wondered if you’d cut yourself on the broken pieces of the plate.”

She shook her head, widening her eyes to blink away the hot tears. “Nope.”

Wade ran his eyes over her arms and hands. “Your hand is bleeding.”

“What! No! Probably red frosting from the donut.”

“You were eating a maple bar.”

Marina lifted her arm and turned it over to examine her fingers. Sure enough, a trickle of blood had run along the side of her hand. “It’s drying—coagulating as we speak. I’ll just get a tissue.”

“Got a first-aid kit in the back office?”

“Well, yeah, on the shelf just inside the door.”

Wade was back in seconds, efficiently prepping disinfectant and a Band-Aid.

Marina tried to tug away from him, but he kept her firmly at his side, wrapping one arm around her body and holding her close, cleaning the small wound and then bandaging it up.

“Should heal in a few days,” he said. “Broken ceramic dishes can be brutal when they turn into flying daggers.”

She gave him a small smile. “Thanks. Guess it does sting a little now that I’m not acting like a crazy woman. You know, Mr. Kennedy, you don’t have to help me apply a bandage. I’m a big girl, and I’m sure you’ve got better things to do. Thank you for bringing my cell phone. I guess we’re done here. You can go home to your family.”

Wade eyed her, and Marina was aware of his magnetism. The sheer, overpowering manliness of Wade Kennedy. Not just his looks and his physique, but his entire presence.

He gave her a soft smile, tenderness in his eyes. “You don’t have to run away from me. We’ve known each other for too long.”

She scoffed at that. “Yeah, right. A lot has happened since we last saw each other.”

“True, but I don’t have a ‘family.’ At least not yet.”

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