Page 62 of Beyond the Hate

“Really?” I step closer. “You aren’t intrigued by videos of men with six-pack abs?”

“Have you been snooping around my computer?”

I chuckle. “Busted.”

We reach my SUV and I open the door for her. Once she’s inside, I lean across her to buckle her seatbelt and switch on the seat heating.

“I am perfectly capable of buckling my own seat belt.”

I kiss her shoulder. “Let me spoil you. You don’t let me buy you things.”

He shuts the door before I have a chance to correct him. I don’t let it go, though. The second he hops into the driver’s seat, I start in on him. “You buy me all kinds of things. A lace shawl that probably cost more than my house. A lunch with a Supreme Court Justice.”

“You can’t be mad at me for arranging for you to have lunch with a female Supreme Court Justice who’s famous for her work on civil rights.”

She glares at me. “I can and I am. You spent twenty thousand dollars to win the lunch.”

I shrug. “The money is for charity.”

“Some people don’t earn twenty thousand dollars in an entire year.”

“I know. It’s depressing.” I switch on the car and begin driving home. “Feel free to sleep. I know it’s late.”

Paisley giggles. “Sleep? I’m too wired to sleep. The keynote speaker was fabulous. I can’t stop thinking about what she said about how to make a man into a supporter of equal rights. And the dance performance was marvelous. The music is playing non-stop in the back of my mind. Whoever thought you couldperform modern dance to classical music? Not to mention the fabulous food. Those cookies decorated with suffragette sashes were adorable.”

I smile. I’m glad she enjoyed herself. I was worried. Especially when the event started with Lucinda claiming we’d been a couple.

I reach across the console to thread my fingers through hers. “Does this mean you’ll accompany me more often to these events?”

She shrugs. “Maybe.”

I don’t push her. The maybe was enough of a hard win. But I’ll get her to agree to give me a chance eventually. I’m patient. And I’m not going anywhere. Smuggler’s Hideaway is my home now.

She swivels in her seat to face me. “What did you think of the keynote speaker?”

The hour drive back to Smuggler’s Hideaway flies by as Paisley dissects the event detail by detail. She already has ideas on how to improve future fundraisers. I’m not surprised. My Lace’s mind is always working.

I pull into my driveway and park.

She scans the area. “Where are we? This isn’t my house.”

“Nope. It’s mine.”

Her shoulders stiffen. “What are we doing here?”

“I’m not ready for the night to end.”

The tension in her body releases. “Me either.”

I squeeze her hand before releasing her. “Good.”

I jump out of the SUV before scurrying around the front to her side. She already has the door open when I get there.

“I wanted to open the door for you.”

She stills. “Shall I shut it again?”

I smile at how adorably confused she appears and grasp her hand to help her out. “Next time, wait for me.”

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