Page 47 of Meet Me at the Grand

“I guess. Or maybe I just didn’t want to go into it. To bring the whole mood down.” She sighed. “But then there was this moment at the end of the night when I swear he wanted to kiss me. But I panicked and basically ran away.”

“And how do you feel about that now that it’s a few days later and you’ve had time to process? How do you feel about him?”

Dani stared into her coffee, gathering her thoughts. “I think…I think I want to tell him about my past. About my family and what this town means to me. I want him to understand.”

Mia reached out and squeezed Dani’s hand. “I think that’s a great idea, Dani. It’s time to take a chance and let him in. Really in.”

“Stop it. This isn’t about romance. It’s about getting him on my side. We’re just business partners.”

“Are you sure?” Mia pointed to the horse-drawn carriage. “Because you sure picked a heck of a romantic ride for a business meeting.”

An hour later, Dani could see Mia’s point so clearly.

Because could the manlookmore handsome and carefree beside her on the bench, the sunlight bringing out the lighter bits of his hair as it filtered through the hole in the carriage’s white canvas top? Today, Liam had worn his navy suit but no tie, and he’d discarded the jacket on the back of the red leather front seat and even rolled his sleeves up his forearms. And every time a breeze rustled his hair, it carried the scent of his spicy cologne her way.

What had she been thinking?

Thankfully, Dani had been able to launch into tour guide mode until this moment, which had led them back to the park after traversing one end of Main Street to the other. The information she gave him this time around was much more complete as they clopped along at a snail’s pace.

“I must say, you’re really bringing your A game today, Ms. Sullivan.” Liam took a swig from his own Good Day Coffee cup. “I feel like I know all the secrets of every family and every building on Main Street now.”

“To know the people of Jonathon Island is to know the island.” She waved at two moms and their jogging strollers as they passed. “During the busiest parts of the season, we use this park for everything from food and art festivals to farmers’ markets to summer concerts. On the weekends in the summer, this place bustles with townspeople and tourists.”

“It’s a really beautiful park.”

“I think so too. And that”—she pointed to Pinnacle Drive, which overlooked the northern edge of the park via a ridge—“is the public school. See? Even our schools are quaint.” The one-story brick building was surrounded by trees and ideally located just south of the Blueberry Hill neighborhood where a large majority of kids on the island lived. Not that anyone lived all that far from anything, since the entire island was only about four square miles.

“It’s definitely cozier looking than the school I went to in the city. How many kids go there?”

Pegasus stopped to munch on a dead bush. Asher had warned Dani that if she didn’t know how to control the beast, the beast would control her. Dani flicked the reins and tutted, and Pegasus finally started moving down the path again. “It serves kindergarten through twelfth grade, and I think there are about twenty or twenty-five kids right now. It was at least double that when I attended.”

“I can’t even fathom going to a school that small.” Liam adjusted in his seat, and his leg brushed up against hers. The warmth seared through the material of her jeans.

“It wasn’t so bad. Actually, it was kind of cool. You know all the teachers, they know you. Kind of like this town in general.”

Liam laughed and took a sip of his coffee. “I’m just a visitor, and yet I feel like everyone knows me already.”

“It’s spring. There isn’t much else of interest going on. So when a handsome guy from the West Coast comes?—”

“You think I’m handsome, do you?”

Oops. She jutted her chin up and focused on the clip-clop of Pegasus’s horseshoes against the pavement. “Some might say that.”

“Yousaid that.”

“I was speaking for the other ladies of the town.” She peeked out of the corner of her eye and found him smiling against his drink as he took another sip. Why did he have to be so adorably good-looking? He made it kind of hard to remember this was supposed to be a business meeting. “Anyway, I think part of the charm of the island is the close-knit bond that residents have. People here help each other out. They watch out for one another. It’s not just a place to live. It’s a community. A family.”

Liam’s thumb stroked the edge of his black coffee lid. “That sounds really nice, actually. Kind of like my dad’s company.”

Interesting. “Your dad’s company? Not yours?”

“Well, yeah, it’s mine too. But he put his blood, sweat, and tears into building it from the ground up.”

“He sounds like an accomplished man.” Dani eased the reins to the right so the horse turned down the winding sidewalk. They were now heading south along the eastern loop of the park, the one that faced Lake Huron. Today the sun sparkled off the water, almost inviting despite how cold she knew it to be. She pulled the horse to a halt so they could enjoy the view.

“He’s a good guy. Does a lot so that the employees and our clients have the best.” Liam sighed and stared at the calm waters. “But he works himself to death—almost literally.”

“Sounds like someone else I know.” Dani nudged Liam.

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