Page 20 of Art of Love

He leaned back, setting the swing in motion again. “I’ll take that compliment.”

She shook her head, amusement flickering in her eyes before she glanced away.

For the first time in a long while, Abe wasn’t worried about the crowd waiting for him inside or the guests who’d want autographs or pictures with him. Right now, all he cared about was sitting here, in the quiet, with the one person who didn’t seem to give a damn who he was.

For some reason, that felt more important than anything else.

He let the silence hang for a moment, the steady sway of the swing matching the rhythm of the waves in the distance. He turned towards her slightly, catching the curve of her profile in the moonlight.

“You always this hard to impress?” he asked, his voice low and teasing.

She smirked, not looking at him. “Only when someone’s trying really hard to impress me.”

“Damn,” he said with a soft laugh. “I thought I was being subtle.”

“Oh, you’re about as subtle as a bull in a china shop.”

He leaned in a little, his shoulder brushing hers. “Good thing I like a challenge.”

That earned him a glance that was sharp but not unkind. “That’s the second time I’ve heard that tonight.” She shook her head quickly. “Do you flirt with everyone who doesn’t fawn over you?”

He hated knowing that he had used the same line as the blond man who had been obviously flirting with Dylan at the bar.

“Nope,” he said, eyes locked on hers now. “Just the ones I want to get to know.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could speak, a couple of people turned on the pathway and headed towards them.

“There you are!” a loud voice called, followed by the shuffle of heels on gravel. “Abe! We were wondering where you snuck off to.”

He tensed slightly as two very drunk women in cocktail dresses approached, smiling too widely at him. One clutched her phone like it was a backstage pass.

Dylan shifted beside him, and he felt the magic moment fracture.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the taller one said, her gaze darting from him to Dylan and back. “But could we get a quick photo? My mom is going to freak when she sees it.”

Abe stood slowly, offering a polite smile even as he glanced down at Dylan. “Give me one sec?”

She nodded slightly, that unreadable mask slipping back into place.

He stepped away, posed, signed something on one of their phone cases, and made all the right small talk, but his eyes kept drifting back to the swing.

By the time he turned around, she was already walking away, her bare shoulders catching the moonlight as she disappeared around the corner of the barn.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath.

The night had been perfect, until it wasn’t. And he had the sinking feeling he’d just let something real slip through his fingers.

When he went back inside, it was to even more photo and signature requests. He tried to convince everyone that the night was for Max and Juliette, but they kept surrounding him.

Finally, he broke free and, to avoid the swarm of fans, he headed up to the balcony and watched the scene from above. He enjoyed watching his friend, who was more than a little drunk and really enjoyed dancing slowly with his new wife.

He didn’t see Dylan again and wondered if she’d left after they’d chatted. He’d agreed to help clean up after Max and Juliette drove away in the limo to head out on their two week honeymoon, so he spent until just after one in the morning loading all their presents and other items into his truck to take back to the house.

Babysitting their place while they were gone wasn’t going to be much of a hardship. He needed the seclusion and the quiet and really enjoyed the newly remodeled home.

The attached lighthouse was a great bonus.

His mind kept returning to the conversations he’d had with Dylan. The way her eyes watched him as he spoke. Not with awe, like all the other women, but with interest. It was almost as if she was assessing everything he said, like it was important. He’d never had that before.