Page 11 of Love Unbound
Shaun blew out a deep breath to steady herself, which made Jodi start giggling again, to which her sister pointed a finger at her and said sternly, “No! I can’t breathe!” Taking deep, restorative breaths, Shaun finally said, “Okay. I actually have to go. Tommy and I are going to lunch later. But I want to hear all about your ice cream date tonight!”
“It’s not a date,” Jodi insisted. Shaun rolled her eyes and Jodi shook her head with a laugh. “Okay, fine! I will tell you all aboutit Thursday night. I’ll have all the makings for margaritas; you’re doing the snacks, right?”
Two thumbs up was Shaun’s response as she headed toward the front door. “Yes, taskmaster. I’m bringing chips and salsa. I still think we need strippers though.”
Jodi rolled her eyes. “Cassie specifically said she wanted something casual. I don’t think strippers count as casual.”
“Killjoy,” Shaun groaned dramatically from the door. Then, as she was about to close the door, she called back, laughing, “Have fun on your not-a-date!”
Chapter 7
Jodi parked along one side of the city’s downtown district at quarter to seven, about a block away from Kilwins, their town’s claim to fame of all things sweets. The downtown district was several blocks of tall, brownstone shops and locally owned restaurants that doubled as apartment rentals above the majority of the storefronts.
As she stepped out of the Jeep, she let her eyes wander up and down the street, taking in all the different shops. It was the middle of August, just a couple weeks before the end of summer vacation, and the downtown sidewalks were filled with locals and tourists alike milling about.
Stepping onto the sidewalk, Jodi headed up the slight hill toward the treat shop just around the corner. She had changed outfits so many times her bedroom now looked like a disaster zone. She had finally settled on a simple, royal blue t-shirt dress. It fit close to her body, but floated around her legs, hitting mid-thigh, leaving the lower half of her thighs and calves bare to the evening summer air. Strappy white sandals adorned her feet, and she had a small leather cross body purse hanging from one shoulder. She had left her hair to curl naturally after her shower, letting it part off to one side dramatically, the other side she pinned back away from her face with a decorative comb.
Rounding the corner, she couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips when she saw Free climbing out of the truck across the street. She waved and a thousand butterflies took flight in her belly when he did a double take. A wide grin split his face as hetrotted across the street to join her.
“Hi,” Free said when they were close enough to hear each other. He smiled broadly at her and she reciprocated the smile with a brilliant one of her own, butterflies still on a chaotic spiral in her midriff.
“Hi,” she repeated as she stopped a few feet in front of him.
“You look… amazing,” Free breathed appreciatively, letting his eyes travel up and down. When they landed back on hers, the heat in them made the butterflies flutter faster.
“Thank you,” she murmured and gave a small curtsy. “You look nice, too.”
He had on his usual well fitted jeans, and had paired it today with a dark gray t-shirt that made her mouth water. Whatever he did to stay in shape, it was working, she thought as her eyes drank in all of him. The dark facial hair was something she had never imagined on him, but he pulled it off well. His black cowboy hat was replaced tonight with a plain black baseball cap that he had on backward, which was doing nothing to shield his eyes from the setting sun, but Jodi admitted to herself that a new kink had been unlocked; backwards ball caps made her knees weak.
He smiled and offered her his hand. She blushed and hesitated only a heartbeat before placing her hand in his. “Your hands are soft,” he murmured, looking down at her as they walked the last stretch toward the sweet shop.
“Thank you,” Jodi whispered hoarsely, her vocal cords not working correctly with his skin touching hers.
“After you,” he said huskily when they stopped in front of the busy confection store. Delicious aromas lingered in the air as Free held the door open for her to enter, and she felt his stare on her backside as she walked in front of him. The small shop was crowded. Jodi and Free joined the queue, chuckling slightly at being jostled around. When Free stepped toward herto let another customer pass, his front made contact with her back ever so briefly, and the laughter stalled in her throat. She stopped breathing altogether for several heartbeats, those damn butterflies wreaking havoc on her insides.
When he retreated a step, she peeked up at him through her lashes, and heat spread over her cheeks when she caught him watching her intently. The moment was interrupted when the teenage boy behind the counter called them forward to take their order.
“What would you like?” Free asked, smiling down at her.
Jodi stepped forward and said, “I’ll take a Strawberry Chunk in a waffle cone, please.”
The teenager nodded and reached for one of the freshly made waffle cones behind him, then came back and reached into the wide coolers and delved in, coming back with a large scoop of the fruit riddled ice cream. Wrapping it in a paper napkin, he handed it across the tall counter and Jodi thanked him. The teen then turned to Free, asking for his choice.
“Double scoop of Butter Pecan in a waffle cone, thank you,” Free said loudly over the bustle of the crowd around them. Just a few seconds later, Free was handed a tall cone and both he and Jodi said another thank you to the busy teen. Jodi reached for her wallet, but Free gave her a withering look before fishing his wallet out of his back pocket, handing the sales clerk the cash. They waited for Free’s change, and he slipped several dollars into the tip jar, making the harried teenage girl smile appreciatively.
“Thank you!” they both called as they wound their way back toward the door. Free held the door open for Jodi and she exited the crowded shop quickly. Free got stopped at the door, holding it for a large group that was trying to enter. When he caught up with her, she smiled up at him broadly.
“Where to now?” Jodi asked, taking a lick of the delicious icecream. She swallowed hard when Free’s eyes followed the route her tongue took on the frozen treat, and once again heat spread over her cheeks. “Thank you for the treat, by the way.”
Free nodded his head, taking a taste of his own ice cream. Jodi lowered her gaze and they fell into step side-by-side.
Free gestured to the garden park across the way and they headed toward it. The spring and summer florals that usually adorned the walkways were long gone, but had been replaced with early autumn blooms of roses, hydrangeas, and daylilies. Lush green lawns spread on all sides of them, and towering maple trees dotted the landscape, offering welcome shade from the late summer sun.
As they walked, Jodi pointed out her storefront shyly. Free grinned broadly and stepped close to the window, peering inside. Jodi could see Tessa, her friend and business partner, behind the desk speaking with a customer.
“Turn the Page,” Free read aloud the gold decal across the front window. He turned and smiled at her. “That’s clever!”
“We have comfy lounge chairs, a small selection of coffee and tea, and Tessa makes homemade baked treats that we offer, too. We aren’t as well-known as McLean & Eakins on the main street of town, but we have a loyal following,” she laughed. “Tess and I split shifts evenly, and we actually just hired another employee. It’s not grand by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m pretty proud of what we built.”
