“Wow,” I muttered. “Are we still in Chicago?”
He grinned. “I come here to cool off when I get pissed.”
The leaves rustled with a breeze, carrying the soothing water lily scent under our noses. I inhaled a fresh breath of air, and the wind danced in my hair. I could feel the city fading in the background as we stood together, soaking in the serenity.
“This reminds me of the house,” I mused aloud. “The Oak Park house,” I clarified.
“This park was designed in the prairie style, just like the house – notice the same horizontal lines. Alfred Caldwell was an architectural landscaper who was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. They both loved nature and knew how to incorporate it to make the space come alive.”
As I had been in the house, I was arrested by the way he spoke. His love for architecture was inspiring, and I listened avidly as he recited a quick history of the Lily Pond’s recent restoration.
“A lush, green sanctuary modeled after this would be perfect in the backyard,” he said as we exited.
“I told you we didn’t get it, though.”
“I meant that it would have been perfect.”
“Oh.” I untied Sofie and took off along the path, rapt as David dropped facts here and there about the park.
“Liv!” I heard from ahead of us.
“I forgot to mention,” David muttered, “your friend Brian Ayers is here.”
“Why?”
“Sometimes we run Lakefront on the weekends. I knew he’d be around, so I invited him to eat with us.”
Brian waved at me as he ran over in basketball shorts and a sleeveless tank. A lock of long blond hair fell into his eyes, and his toothy grin stretched from ear to ear. “We must stop meeting like this,” he teased, referring to the first time we’d met. He was dressed exactly the same as that day, when the shelter dog I’d been walking had knocked me off my feet. Brian had rushed over to help me up, giving me an adorable smile that only deepened my embarrassing blush.
“Ah, sure,” I stammered, not ready to admit I’d been invited.
Brian laid a heavy arm over my shoulders. “Come on, the grill’s already fired up.”
“Mom, look! A Lab!” A young boy came running over, and David leaped forward.
“Hang on, buddy,” he said. “What did I tell you about big dogs? Nice and easy, let her smell you first.”
The boy slowed and held out his hand to Sofie. He beamed when she sniffed and licked it.
I identified David’s family immediately from my brief moment of Internet stalking. David’s sister introduced herself with a bright smile and a sturdy handshake. I liked her instantly. She looked about my age, younger than David, but warm brown eyes gave her sharpness away. “Is this your pup?” she asked.
“No, she’s from a shelter nearby. I volunteer there some weekends.”
Her smile widened. “I like you already. We’re a family of animal lovers. Mom,” she called behind her, “come meet a friend of David’s.”
I looked nervously at David’s retreating figure as he took Sofie over to Canyon. A petite black-haired woman glided toward us, wiping her hands on the seat of her jeans. She looked mildly confused, but wrapped me in a tight hug and said, “I’m Judy.”
“Olivia Germaine,” I replied when she’d released me.
“Gerard, come meet a friend of David’s,” she called over her shoulder, never taking her eyes off me. I had to stifle a laugh. I was beginning to feel like I’d just landed in a spaceship.
David’s dad had the same rigid bearing as him, and he commanded that I sit down at the picnic table in the same tone that David would have. Jessa had a plate of fruit in front of me in moments, and I didn’t know who I should look at as they all stared at me.
David appeared suddenly and fell onto the bench next to me. He handed me a bottle of water. “You should always carry water when you’re exercising. It’s important to stay hydrated,” he said, his tone edged with a scolding.
I opened my mouth to thank him when Jessa cut in. “So how do you two know each other?” she asked, looking between us.
“Mutual friend.”
“Work.”
I laughed nervously as David and I exchanged glances.
“Olivia here was the one who put us in the Most Eligible issue,” Brian offered.
“Oh!” Jessa exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “I’m so glad David finally agreed to do it. He looked so handsome,” she gushed. “You did a wonderful job.”
“I actually didn’t work with David, my colleague did, but I agree. She did a great job,” I said, clearing my throat self-consciously.
“I see.” Jessa smiled mischievously.
“David, sweetie, you never said – has anything come of it?” Judy asked. Her eyes darted conspicuously between him and me.
“Uh, no, not really.”
“Come on, Fish, we both had a ton of responses,” Brian volunteered. “Didn’t you take any of them out?”
“No,” David snapped. “I don’t need a magazine article to find dates.”
“No one said you did,” Jessa pointed out. “You’re being rude.”
By now, I was sure that I was beet red. “It’s okay. David was candid about what he expected from the article. My boss was more than pleased to feature him anyway.”
David gave me an apologetic look as his parents excused themselves to check on the grill. I watched Judy loop her arm around Gerard’s lower back, and he gave her an adoring smile. It had been some time since I’d seen any of my friends’ parents looking so smitten; even at Lucy’s wedding, her normally affectionate parents had seemed frazzled.
“So was it intentional that the issue came out on David’s birthday?” Jessa teased.
“Come on,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“No.” I broke into a smile. “I had no idea.”
Jessa nodded her head emphatically. “June twenty-second. What’s your sign, Olivia?”
“Jessa,” David warned.