Page 52 of The Art of Loving Lacy
Sara nodded.
Dane stepped closer, his body against her side, one hand on the small of her back, the other on her hip. She reached in again as the pup swam below, and this time she reached down and closed her eyes. She shivered as the unfamiliar roughness marred the tender tip of her finger; then she drew her hand out of the water slowly.
“You’re trembling,” Dane said. He wrapped her in his arms and held her against his chest. His heart beat against her cheek. Lacy closed her eyes, and pride filled her heart.I’m fine. I did it, and I’m still okay.Dane pressed his arms tighter around her back, and when she looked up, his eyes were suspiciously damp.
Chapter Seventeen
“THAT WAS THE most incredible afternoon. I touched it, Dane. I touched the baby shark, and I didn’t panic. I didn’t pass out or run away in tears. I did it,” Lacy said.
They had spent another hour at the aquarium, and now they were on their way back toward Chatham. The sun hovered just behind the tree line, casting a pinkish gray over Route6. Lacy hadn’t stopped talking since they’d left the research area, and to Dane, it was music to his ears. The enthusiasm in her voice mirrored the enthusiasm she’d had when he’d first met her in Nassau.
“I’m so happy for you, Lacy,” he said.
“For me? How about for you?”
Dane glanced at her. She’d bundled her blond curls in one hand and secured it with an elastic band at the nape of her neck. The blue of her eyes was vibrant and alive with hope. “Oh, Lace, you’re so beautiful,” he said, and instantly regretted it. He was afraid she’d pull away from him and quickly got back on track. “Sorry. What do you meanfor me?”
“Dane, you can tell me you think I’m pretty,” she said. “Thank you. I was surprised that you had told her about me.”
“You’ve been my world since the day we met. I told everyone about you, Lace,” he admitted.
For a minute she just looked at him, like she didn’t know how to respond or was waiting for him to say more. When he didn’t say anything more, she said, “This means I can probably get over whatever fear rattled me so badly on the boat.”
Dane wanted to take her in his arms and allow the joy he felt about her progress to sweep them both away, but he didn’t trust himself not to get carried away with her and push their friendship into a relationship, and that was not his call to make. He was determined to let her make that decision without any pressure.
Instead, he said, “That’s true. As I said, I’m happy that you’re conquering your fears. It will allow you to have a fuller, richer life, not hamstrung by fears.”
“Thanks…I think,” she said.
He could feel her eyes on him as he drove toward town. “Should I drop you at your cottage?” he asked.
“I guess.”
He heard the disappointment in her voice.How am I supposed to navigate this? I want you to fall in love with me, but if I act on my feelings, I’ll scare you away.
“I want to check on Rob,” he said.
“Oh, good idea,” she said. “I hope he’s doing okay.”
“Me too,” he said.
They drove in awkward silence to Lacy’s cottage. He walked her to her door, wishing he knew how to bridge the gap that had formed between them over the past twenty minutes.
Lacy’s keys hovered over the lock. She spun around and looked up at Dane. “So, what now? I just follow the itinerary tomorrow?”
“Yeah, that works.” He tried to sound nonchalant, but he really wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her until she couldn’t speak.
She nodded. “Tomorrow’s the Brave Exhibit?”
“Yeah,” he said.
She nodded again, looking down at her keys. “Dane,” she said.
“Hmm?”Invite me in. Let’s have some wine, laugh, talk. Anything. Just don’t say good night.
“I have to check in with my boss tonight. I’ll tell him that it’s a good fit after all.” She turned and unlocked the door.
Dane’s eyes dropped to the curve of her hips, but his mind was still playing over her words.A good fit after all.“Thanks, I appreciate that. I know today was stressful, but if overcoming fears was easy, no one would need immersion therapy.” Dane cringed.
