Wish Upon a Wedding (25 page)

“Up in my . . .” she began and then stopped herself. “Oh, it's okay right there. You've helped enough.”

Danny gave her a level look and then sighed. “Susan, I know you don't want that box sitting here in the
middle of your shop. Instead of you having to struggle, I can take the box wherever you'd like it to go.” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “Or if you'd prefer, I can get out of your hair,” he said with a slight frown. “I get the feeling I've overstayed my welcome.”

Susan knew her cheeks must be as rosy as Rudolph's nose. “I'm sorry, Danny,” she said slowly, struggling not to stutter. “I don't mean to sound ungrateful for your help. If you hadn't appeared out of nowhere I w-would have crashed to the ground.”

“You don't need to be grateful. I was happy to help.” Danny tilted his head to the side as if about to ask her a question, but then seemed to think better of it. He also appeared confused and maybe a little bit hurt, and if there was one thing Susan hated to do, it was to hurt someone's feelings. He was only being polite, and it was silly for her not to accept his assistance.

“If you wouldn't mind, I really need to have the jars taken up to my kitchen in my apartment above the shop,” she said even though her pulse fluttered at the thought of having him in her home.

“I don't mind at all.” Danny gave her a slight smile and nodded. He picked up the heavy box with ease. “Lead the way.”

“Okay, follow me,” Susan said, even though the knowledge that he was watching her walk ahead of him was quite unnerving. Was her sweater clinging to her butt? Was she wiggling her hips too much? She stood up straighter but then felt awkward and tried her best to walk normally down the narrow hallway that led to the staircase to her apartment.

Once she reached the landing, Susan opened the door and flicked on the overhead track lighting. The wide-open space and tall ceilings allowed her to decorate in the eclectic shabby-chic style she loved. As in her shop, Susan used old things for new purposes.

The clump of Danny's work boots sounded manly on the hardwood floor. She rather liked the deep sound.
Danny Mayfield is inside my apartment
ran through Susan's head, and she wondered how this even happened. Oh yeah, she had fallen into his arms. And today had started out so normal. She shook her head. “Geez . . .”

“Something wrong?”

Oh damn, she had said that out loud. Talking to herself was a product of spending so much time alone. “Oh . . . no.” Embarrassed where her train of thought was going, she shook her head harder.

“Where to?” Danny asked, following her inside.

“Over there in the kitchen.” Susan pointed over to the far corner of the giant room that was sectioned off by a tall counter and really sweet bamboo stools she'd found at an estate sale.

“Okay.” He followed her through the main living area, weaving past a wide variety of furniture that changed frequently. “On the counter?”

“On the floor is fine. I'm going to fill the jars with dry cookie mix, tie festive ribbons around the top, and sell them in the shop.”

“A great Christmas gift idea. I'm sure they'll sell fast.”

“All you have to do is add eggs and butter and you can make homemade cookies in a flash.” She snapped her fingers and gave him a quick smile. “I've already done a few.” She picked up a jar from the counter. “For you,” she said, extending the jar rather awkwardly. When he accepted the gift his fingers brushed against hers and she sucked in a breath. “I appreciate your h-help.”

“Thanks, Susan,” he said, sounding not one bit breathless.

She bit her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded, wishing she wasn't wearing the silly blinking sweater.

“Your sweater is cute,” Danny said, as if reading her mind.

“Oh!” Susan looked down at Rudolph, suddenly
having a change of Christmas sweater heart. “A gift from my mom. She's crazy about Christmas. I have an endless supply of these, along with various earrings, necklaces, and hats.”

“My family's big on Christmas too,” Danny said but Susan noticed he hadn't specified himself. For some reason she wanted to know why.

“How about you?” The thought of anyone not loving Christmas made her sad. “Please don't tell me you're a Grinch.”

Danny looked off into the distance. “I enjoy the family gatherings. Now that Mason and Mattie have kids, they're super into the holidays.” He shrugged and turned his attention back to her.

“It's a fun time of the year, but can be stressful.”

“Yeah, I try not to stress too much. Your place is awesome, by the way,” he said, changing the subject. “I love the hardwood floors and exposed brick.” He looked up. “The beamed ceiling is really sweet, and I like how the lighting is recessed between the wood.” He turned toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. “And you have an awesome view of Main Street.”

“Along with a very short commute to work.”

“With no traffic.” Danny chuckled and then continued to walk around, as if fascinated. He picked up a ceramic frog and examined it. “The poor guy is missing a foot.”

“I tend to buy broken things that no one else wants. I drive my assistant, Betsy, absolutely nuts when I find something she knows won't sell.”

“You feel sorry for it?”

Susan grinned. “My apartment is like living on the Island of Misfit Toys.”

Danny laughed. “It's kind of like being in a museum. I wish everything had little cards so I could read the history.”

“If you look closely you'll see that quite a few pieces on display are actually telephones,” she said,
wondering why her mouth kept moving when she should have been sending him on his way. It was like her voice had taken on a life of its own and her brain had taken a holiday. “Something else I can't resist.”

“Really? Show me one.”

Susan walked over to a shelf and picked up a red car. “See?” She lifted the top to expose the phone. “I collect odd things. Don't ask me why.”

“You collect cool things,” Danny corrected. “And it's what you do for a living.”

“Some are items that didn't sell in the shop and I just couldn't toss away, and some things I buy to sell in the shop to begin with and then can't part with. Good thing I have a lot of space.” She grinned. “Or then again maybe it's a bad thing.” She put the car back on the shelf.

“Not at all. You just see beauty or value in things that other people miss.”

“Thank you,” Susan said, even though she suspected he was just being kind. “I suppose part of it comes from growing up on a farm. My mom used everything and wasted nothing.” When Danny smiled she realized that she was starting to feel comfortable with him and her stutter, thank goodness, vanished. “We were green way before it became popular.” She chuckled. “Or then again, maybe we were just poor but I somehow didn't know it.”

“Hey, when hard times hit, everybody in Cricket Creek struggled. Our marina sure did. There was a time when we thought we would lose it,” he said with a sigh. “Nearly put my father in the grave, trying to keep Mayfield Marina afloat.”

“But you, Mattie, and Mason banded together and saved the marina not only for your family but for Cricket Creek. I can't imagine this town without it, Danny.”

“Thanks.” He gave her a warm smile. “Well, we have Noah Falcon to thank for coming home and building the baseball stadium. It was the shot in the arm we
needed. His rookie baseball card is one of my prized possessions.”

“Oh I know. For a while Main Street was becoming a ghost town, one store closing after another. It's so wonderful to see Cricket Creek thriving again. New shops are springing up all over Main Street. The deli next door is ham good,” she said with a grin.

“Are you sure I can't treat you to lunch?”

A big part of Susan wanted to accept his offer, but she suspected he was only being nice. She wasn't about to repeat the mistake she made by going to the senior prom with Danny. She wanted to ask if his mother had put him up to this just like she did back in high school but she simply shook her head. “I really do have to get to work.”

He hesitated for a fraction as if he might try to convince her, and she sure hoped he didn't because her resistance to Danny Mayfield was hanging on by a thread. “Okay. Well, I'll come back when you're open to shop for my mother.”

“Great,” Susan said even though the thought of seeing Danny again made her heart hammer. He was way too good at putting her at ease when she needed to keep her guard up. “I'll show you out.”

Danny nodded and fell into step beside her, continuing to look here and there. Susan was used to people wandering around in her apartment, picking up items almost like they were in her shop.

They were nearly to the door when Danny stopped in his tracks. “Where did you get this rocking chair?”

“I bought it at an estate sale a few weeks ago, intending to sell it. She slid her hand over the smooth wood of the arm. “But I just couldn't bear to part with it.”

Danny inclined his head. “Really? Why?”

“It's just so beautiful, obviously handmade. Rocking in it is so soothing after being on my feet all day long.” She sat down in it and sighed. “It's like whoever crafted it made it just for me.” She looked up at him.
“See, it's proportioned just right. I'm so tall that it's hard to find a chair that feels this comfortable. I change things around in here all the time but the rocking chair is a keeper,” she said, but he had a strange look on his face, making Susan think she was going on way too long about a chair. “Anyway . . .” Feeling a bit silly, she stood up and headed toward the door. He followed her down the steps and through the shop.

“Anything else you need brought out of your SUV?”

“Nothing I can't manage, but thank you.”

Nodding, he put his hand on the door to push it open but then hesitated and turned back to her. “It was good to see you, Susan. Funny that we don't run into each other more often.”

“Literally,” she said and he chuckled.

“I hope we do run into each other more often and don't mind if it's literally. If you change your mind about sitting in on a Jeff Greenfield session, let me know.” He reached into his wallet and handed her a card. “That's the office at Mayfield Marina. Just leave me a message.”

“Thanks.” Susan nodded and wondered if he had any idea how hard she'd worked to avoid him. He stood there for another heartbeat and she suddenly felt shy again. Not knowing what else to say, she nibbled on the inside of her lip.

“Okay, well, I'll let you get back to work,” Danny said and then walked out the door.

Susan stood there while fighting the oddest urge to run after him. Maybe she'd just head over to the deli and tell him that she was hungry after all. As if on cue, her stomach growled. “No!” Fisting her hands at her sides, she inhaled a deep breath. Danny was just being nice, and accepting another pity date, even if it was just lunch, would be stupid on her part.

“Just get a grip.” After locking the door, Susan headed upstairs to start working on layering the cookie mix into the jars. But feeling a bit unsettled, she sat
down in the rocking chair and tried to sort out her conflicting feelings about her unexpected meeting with Danny Mayfield. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against the smooth wood and rocked gently. After a few minutes she didn't have all of the answers except one thing was for sure: Her attraction to Danny was stronger than ever, which meant she needed to avoid him at all
costs.

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

LuAnn McLane
lives in Naples, Florida, near the coast. She has written ten Cricket Creek novels, including
Written in the Stars
,
Walking on Sunshine
,
Sweet Harmony
,
Wildflower Wedding
, and
Moonlight Kiss
. When she isn't writing, she enjoys beachcombing, reading, traveling, and entertaining friends and family. She loves hearing from readers.

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