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“Mommy, you look really pretty,” Danny said with one of his bright smiles.

“I was just about to say the same thing,” Gramps added.

“Thank you both,” she replied and sank down on the sofa to wait for Johnny.

Johnny. He was still a big question mark in her mind. He’d come over every night this week. She’d not only enjoyed his company, but her heart had been touched as she saw the love developing between the man and his son.

However, it was easy for him to be here with them now. His work was here in town for now, so there was nothing to take him away…yet. But what would happen when the gazebo was finished? What happened when a new, big job came calling that wasn’t anywhere close to Black Bog and her and Danny?

There was still a part of her that she held back from him. She’d been all in with him once before and was honestly afraid to go there again. She still had the bitter taste of heartbreak in her mouth. However, she also had a tremendous love for him.

The truth was she was still very confused by her feelings where he was concerned.

Over the past week her jaw had begun to feel better, and thankfully the bruise was beginning to fade. Beau had checked in with her once during the week to let her know that as with the first attack, none of the men had solid alibis, so it could have been any one of them. They all had professed to be fishing alone at the time of the attack.

She hadn’t seen any of the men over the past seven days, but both River and Jean-Luc had called to check in with her. She hadn’t missed their presence in the evenings and had kept the phone calls brief.

“Danny, make sure you’re a good boy for Gramps tonight and go to bed when he tells you to,” she said.

“We’ll be just fine, won’t we, Danny boy?” Gramps replied.

“Just fine,” Danny echoed with a wide smile.

The good part about not going into work all week was she had spent lots of time with her son. She had also insisted on cooking the evening meals to give Gramps a break.

A knock on the door announced Johnny. He came in looking handsome as the devil in jeans and a royal blue, button-down shirt that perfectly matched his gorgeous eyes. She was surprised that he wore a black holster with a gun in it. Apparently, he was taking her safety very seriously. She certainly wasn’t upset about that.

He greeted Danny and Gramps and then turned to look at her. His gaze felt as if it physically caressed her as he slowly looked her up and down. “You look absolutely beautiful, Mimi,” he said.

“Thank you.” She was surprised to feel a blush warm her cheeks as heat swirled around in the pit of her stomach.

“Are you ready to head out?” he asked.

“All ready,” she replied. She grabbed her white purse off the edge of the sofa and then together they walked to the door. “Good night, boys,” she said to her son and her grandfather.

“Good night,” they echoed back to her as Johnny led her out the front door.

The evening air was hot and humid and wrapped around them like an oppressive hug. She started in the direction of the clearing where his car would be, but he took hold of her elbow and turned her around to face the swamp.

“We’re not going anywhere in the car,” he said.

She looked at him in surprise. “Then where are we going and how are we going to get there?”

“We’re going to walk, and you just need to come with me,” he replied. Then he grinned. “In this particular situation you just need to trust me.” His eyes shone with the light of excitement as instead of her elbow, he grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

He led her deeper into the swamp, and she suddenly knew where they were going. Oh, she didn’t know specifically, but she had an idea what was in store for her.

They walked the beaten path for about ten minutes and then veered off onto a much smaller, less used trail. The minute she saw the dilapidated shanty in the distance, she knew that was where they were going.

The front of the shanty had fallen in due to old age and neglect, but Johnny walked her around to the back of the structure that still stood and through a back door. “Don’t worry, I checked to make sure it was structurally sound for us to be in here,” he assured her.

He pulled her into what had once been a bedroom and for just a moment her head went spinning back in time.

When they were young and wanted to be together alone, they’d really had no place to go. Being at Johnny’s house was horribly uncomfortable with his father there, and she didn’t want to disrespect Gramps by inviting Johnny into her bedroom at the shanty. So, it had been Johnny’s idea to find an abandoned shanty where they could spend their evenings together.

He had thought of everything. Plant and tree fronds made a bed, and it was covered with a red spread, just as it had in the past. A mirrored ice bucket held both ice and a bottle of her favorite wine. There was a tray of cheese and crackers and rolled up slices of pepperoni and sausage, all of it covered with plastic wrap. Two lanterns were lit, giving the room a cozy glow.

She turned to look at him, surprised that he had gone to all this trouble for a date night with her.