Page 5

DAVINA

While we ate, I found it surprising that Deke was such a great conversationalist. Most athletes loved talking about themselves, but not him.

“Were you born in Charlotte?” he asked me.

“No, born and raised in Maple Cove, but Charlotte is my second home.”

“Oh.” His eyebrows dipped a bit. “Where’s Maple Cove? I don’t think I’ve heard of it.”

“It’s about a two-hour drive from here, just outside of Asheville. It gets lumped in with Asheville, because it’s such a small town.”

“Oh. That’s cool. I’ll have to check it out. So what about siblings?”

“A sister, two years younger, and a brother, sixteen years younger.”

“Sixteen years?” His eyes stretched as he gaped. “Mama got busy!”

“Yeah.” I laughed. “She did.”

“That makes you the oldest, then.”

“Sure does.”

“That must’ve been a burden growing up.”

I shifted in my seat. “What makes you say that?”

“My oldest sister grew up as the caretaker. She was like a second mom, when I think about it. She was always taking care of me. Then again, I’m the youngest, so ...” He shrugged like it was no big deal, but that small statement seemed loaded.

“Hmm. Well, there are downfalls and perks to being the eldest.”

“Really?” He sat up taller in his chair, placing both elbows on the table. “Care to share any?”

“One of the downfalls is that your parents are harder on you, but only because they’re afraid of what the world will do to you. You’re basically this guinea pig, and they’re trying to figure you out and how to get you to navigate the world properly. But as you age, they begin to trust you, so much so that they want you to watch over their other kids. But with that comes the annoyance of babysitting on weekends, when what you really want is to go out and have fun with your friends—and you can’t, because your ‘parent’ has to work, or they end up having things planned for themselves.”

I fiddled with my fork, hoping it’d distract me from the brewing frustrations. I didn’t want to think about my childhood, and I was glad Deke didn’t notice how worked up I was getting. I sipped my water to calm down.

“Okay. I hear that. What are the perks?” he asked.

“The perks ...” I chewed on my bottom lip. “Well, one of them is the independence that comes with being the oldest. We learn how to do a lot on our own. Sure, there can be burdens, but being older means getting out first, exploring the world first, becoming the most responsible—well, sometimes. In my case, it paid off. Being the oldest made me work harder for the things I wanted so I wouldn’t have to share with my siblings forever. Believe it or not, I had to wear my sister’s hand-me-downs. She grew up bigger than me.”

Deke gave me a warm smile. “That’s usually how it goes, isn’t it?”

“Yep.” I sighed, then looked him over, grinning. “So, you’re the baby.”

“I am.”

“I bet you’re so spoiled.”

He belted out a laugh. “Spoiled? Nah, I wouldn’t say all that. I may be the baby of the family, but I grew up to be a respectful gentleman.”

“And a charmer, apparently.” I took a sip of my water like it was hot gossip tea.

“What gives you that impression?”

“You’re trying to charm me right now.”

“You think so?” A smooth smile tugged at his lips. “How am I doing?”

“It’s sweet. Unfortunately, it won’t work on me.”

His eyes dropped to my ring finger, and this time he made it very clear that he was aware of it. He tapped the cushion-cut diamond while holding my gaze.

“I assume it’s because of this?”

I glanced at the ring, trying hard not to react to the heat of his finger. Instead, I gingerly pulled my hand away from his to pick up a slice of bruschetta. “That’s part of the reason.”

I tried not to think how ridiculous it was to still be wearing my wedding rings so many months after my husband died. Just like the dragonfly necklace, they felt sacred—like something I couldn’t take off, not even in the shower.

Deke’s lips pushed together before he said, “I respect that.”

“I’m glad you do. That makes you a true gentleman.”

“Can I ask you something, though?” he asked.

I eyed him. “Sure.”

“Are you happy with the man who put that ring on your finger?”

My back straightened like a board as I fought a frown. I hesitated before asking, “Why do you ask that?”

“Because you don’t seem happy. Overall, I mean.”

“How do you mean?”

“I don’t know.” Deke’s cognac eyes penetrated mine, then he dropped his gaze to my rings again. “I think it’s your eyes. There’s a sadness or a longing in them, but they still hold a lot of passion. And it’s like you want to pour all that passion out and place it somewhere, but he won’t let you ...” He paused, twisting his lips. “Or maybe you can’t. Long distance. Marital issues. Lack of trust, possibly. I’m no relationship expert, though.”

I pulled my gaze away, and my guard went up like a steel wall. What was he, a shrink now? “It’s none of those.”

I was getting uncomfortable with where this conversation was heading. My eyes prickled with heat, and I blinked to cool the burn as I checked my phone for the time. It was nearing nine, and the contract was signed. There was no need to entertain him any longer. I had to get out of here before I started bawling at the table.

I darkened the screen of my phone before putting my focus on him.

“So, listen, dinner was great, Declan.”

“Deke,” he corrected.

“Sorry. Deke. ” I collected my purse and pushed out of my chair. Deke stood too. “Tish was right. This place is incredible. Thank you for the invitation to dinner, the endless cups of water, and for agreeing to endorse us. I’ll leave some cash so you can pay.”

I was about to undo the clasp of my purse, but Deke stopped my hand with his. My breath hitched as I focused on the brown hand that felt like it was searing into my skin.

When my eyes dragged up to his, I didn’t expect to find him so close to me. His cologne was intoxicating, and those damn eyes, bordered with impossibly long lashes, were hooking me good.

Why did he have to look at me like that? Like he owned every part of me, down to my blood cells. This man oozed sex appeal, and he knew it.

Deke had a way of making a woman feel special, like he only had eyes for her and like she was the only woman in the room. I understood it now—what drove the fans crazy (and probably the women he encountered on a daily basis).

I was positive I wasn’t the first person he made feel this way, and I damn sure wouldn’t be the last. Not that it concerned me. This fluttery, nervous feeling I got with him wasn’t going to matter when the night was over.

“Don’t worry about paying,” he said, taking his hand away.

“Huh?”

“The bill. I’ve got it,” he said, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.”

“Right. Yeah.”

My heart sped up a notch as he followed me out of the restaurant. So much for that steel wall going up. When we made it to my car, he stopped only a few steps away from me while I unlocked it and opened the door halfway.

“Thanks again,” I said, unsure what else to say.

“Don’t sweat it.”

“And for signing the deal. This is going to be great for you! You’ll see. We’ll make it worth your while. Tish will email you and Arnold about the photo shoot and all the other details within a week or so.”

“Sounds good.” Deke continued smiling, but I don’t think he really cared about the deal or the emails that would follow from Tish. He kept watching me, his eyes shimmering beneath the streetlights.

He revealed those dimples again, and that’s when I had to look away. He really was sexy. I needed to get away from this man. He was making me feel things I shouldn’t have felt.

I fumbled with my keys as I slid into the car. Taking a step back, Deke threw his hand up and tossed me a wave as I started the engine.

I waved back before pulling out of my parking space, but as I drove away and looked in the rearview mirror, his head was bowed and a big, adorable grin was on his face.

He was smiling like a schoolboy with a crush.