10 Years Later

r crap you’re supposed to put in those things. “This closet is massive. I could live in there.”

“You wanna live in my closet?” She was obviously teasing, but her voice cracked a little, and I turned to face her.

“I’d live anywhere with you,” I said softly before leaning down and planting a kiss on her lips.

“Stop distracting me,” she said playfully before spinning in the center of her room, her arms extended. “You’ve now seen my whole house.” Suddenly she stopped and stared at me. “Oh, wait! The backyard.”

“You have a backyard?” I was surprised, because since she was in a condo, I’d assumed she couldn’t possibly have a yard.

Again I followed her as we walked down the hallway, past the kitchen and toward the sliding glass door. She pulled back the blinds to reveal a fenced-in cement patio.

“This is pretty cool,” I said, noting the gas grill in the corner and the table-and-chair setup in the center with a giant umbrella.

“I sit out here a lot,” she said with a huge smile. “I love it.”

I smiled back as I imagined her enjoying the private space, soaking up the sun. “Not to be a dick or anything, but we’d better eat before the food gets cold.”

“Geez, Dalton, you’re such a dick.”

“I know,” I teased back, and it felt so comfortable.

Being around Cammie was like stepping back into the past, yet still remaining in the present. Nothing about this was like being on a normal first date. I had jitters, but they weren’t the typical first-date jitters. There was no faking who we were, for the most part, because we already knew. I still wanted to impress Cammie, to put my best foot forward, but not the way a guy wanted to impress a stranger. Cammie didn’t need any trickery, or any fakeness. She needed the real Dalton, and that was who she’d get.

Cammie handed me a corkscrew and two glasses. “Will you open this while I plate the food?”

“Of course.” I smiled as I reached for the bottle. I poured two glasses as Cammie divided the food and placed it on two large plates, then carried them out of the kitchen and toward the only real table in the place.

Shit. I meant to bring her flowers. Next time.

She placed the plates down on opposite sides of the table so we faced each other. I moved to put the wineglasses down as well before sitting as she lit two candles.

“Thank you so much for the food. And the wine,” she said with a small smile playing on her lips as she settled into her seat.

“Thank you for the cookie before dinner.” I raised my glass in the air with a smile, and said, “Here’s to eating dessert first, and to new beginnings.”

“To new beginnings.” She touched her glass to mine, and we both sipped before digging in. “Oh, this is so good,” she said with an appreciative moan after swallowing her first bite. “Where’s it from?”

“That little shop around the corner.”

“Where the grocery store is?”

“Yep. Two doors down, I think.”

“I definitely don’t eat Thai enough,” she said before taking another bite. “So, how was work today?”

“Busy. There’s a lot going on with this case. Oh, that reminds me.” I lifted a finger as I swallowed. “Since what I’m working on is rather sensitive—” I started to say before she finished my sentence.

“You don’t want me to mention your name or what you do on the air, right?” She grinned at me, her eyes twinkling in the candlelight.

“Exactly. I shouldn’t have even called in this morning. That was careless of me.”

She looked away from me for a second before meeting my eyes again. “I was glad you called in.”

“I was too, but my partner gave me a heap of shit after I hung up.”

She nodded. “That makes sense. I would never mention your name, especially since it’s unique and I’ve never met another Dalton. But I won’t talk about anything that could get you in trouble. And the guys won’t either.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”