One Choice I'd Never Make Read online

  I answered and worked to find an empty slot next week for another booking. Why people wanted to be outside to take pictures during the hot summer months was beyond me, but it wasn’t my job to give them my opinions on weather.

  Later than normal, Nacha walked up with Hank in tow. They stood outside the studio, forgetting that the entire front was one giant window. Didn’t they do enough kissing at home?

  Hank pushed open the door and waved at me. “You coming tomorrow night?”

  “I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss the pool party.” Hank and his friend Zach threw some of the best parties I’d ever attended. Missing was not an option.

  Nacha kissed her husband one more time before patting his chest. “Go get your doughnuts. I’ll see you later.”

  “Love you.” He whistled as he walked down the sidewalk.

  “Morning. Sorry I’m late. Any issues?” She adjusted the camera bag on her shoulder.

  “It’s all good. I booked a couple more sessions. And I’m getting ready to file some stuff Haley gave me yesterday.”

  “Great. I need to tackle a few things, then I’ll show you the best ones from last night. I haven’t edited everything, but there are lots of great options.”

  “Yay. Exactly what I wanted to hear. I can’t wait to see them.” I winced when I thought of what my daddy would say if he saw my picture on the cover of a leopard shifter romance.

  Luckily, that wasn’t his favorite genre.

  Nacha waved as she walked out the door at the end of the workday. This was the worst part for me. Being alone. I wasn’t good at it, so I grabbed my purse and headed next door. The shop had been closed since three, but I knew Tessa was still inside.

  She unlocked the door and swung it open. “Hiya. I don’t have anything left. Customers wiped me out today.”

  “I don’t need a doughnut. Just company. What are you doing tonight?”

  “Nothing special. Want to come over?” She wiped down counters.

  “Yes. If you don’t mind. I get tired of being alone in that tiny little apartment.”

  She took off her apron. “We can ask Delaney to join us.”

  “Sounds good to me.” I pulled my phone out of my purse. “Hang on. Let me get a shot of your apron hanging like that.” I pressed the button, then showed Tessa the picture. “That will be perfect in your feed.” I uploaded the photo, then added a caption. Hanging up the apron at the end of the day. We’ll be open early with more doughnuts in the morning.

  “I don’t know how you know what to post. The response has been amazing. I get messages all the time, and I’ve even had a few people drive out from San Antonio because they follow my page.”

  “Yay! People like feeling connected. And seeing pictures fuels that connection.”

  She grinned. “You’re a natural at this. But you rarely post on your own page.”

  “I don’t think Mom and Daddy check this stuff, but just in case, I keep it very tame. And it’s not like my life is wild.”

  “Just a little crazy.”

  “A little. A picture in my leopard suit would have been awesome.” I shrugged. “But I’d rather not have my parents quit talking to me completely.”

  “I’m sure they’d never do that.”

  I wasn’t as sure.

  After Tessa finished cleaning up, we knocked on Delaney’s door. The lights were already turned off, but a light appeared in the back as the office door opened, and Delaney ran to the front. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Want to hang out at Tessa’s?”

  “Sure. Give me about ten more minutes, and then I’ll head that way.”

  Tessa smiled. “Great. You know where it is.”

  We all went in separate directions, and I called back over my shoulder, “I’ll pick up ice cream.”

  I drove to the little mom-and-pop market two streets over. Walking probably would’ve been a better choice, but I didn’t think of it until I was halfway there. Stadtburg wasn’t a big place, but it was growing. They’d even put in a new neighborhood down the road. Only half of the lots had houses on them so far. Probably not for long. New houses were being built all the time.

  Haley sometimes talked about the old days when they knew everyone else in town. Now that it was more of a suburb, it wasn’t that way.

  I bought a few pints of ice cream in a variety of fun flavors because I definitely wasn’t in a vanilla sort of mood. Then I detoured through the new neighborhood on my way to Tessa’s apartment. If I could figure out how to make more money, maybe I’d get one of these houses.

  Anything would be better than that tiny room, incorrectly labeled as an apartment. I mean, I was grateful for the place to live, but the space made me claustrophobic. And it didn’t even have a kitchen, only a mini fridge and a sink. I was grateful for a sink that wasn’t in the bathroom.

  As I rolled to a stop at a stop sign, a guy—who didn’t happen to be wearing a shirt—jogged past my car. He was wiping his face with his shirt, so I stayed at the stop sign until I could get a peek at what I guessed was a handsome face.

  Staring, I didn’t notice the car behind me. And just as the jogger lowered the shirt, the impatient person behind me started honking.

  The bare-chested jogger looked a lot like my hero. Ugh. I was losing my mind.

  I pulled away from the stop sign before the car behind me could lay on the horn again, but I glanced in the rearview mirror a time or two.

  It couldn’t be the same guy. We were miles from downtown San Antonio.

  Just in case, I drove around the block. Scanning the sidewalk, I searched for my hero look-alike. Either he’d vanished, or he’d gone inside one of the houses.

  Knocking on every door was a possibility, but then my ice cream would melt.

  I continued to Tessa’s apartment, thinking that maybe tomorrow I’d take a walk in this neighborhood. On this block. Back and forth.

  Or maybe a trip to the local fire station wasn’t a bad idea. I could take them doughnuts.

  Chapter 3

  After I’d stayed up way too late and consumed copious amounts of ice cream, Saturday morning disappeared before I made it out of bed. If I wanted to take a walk in that neighborhood—and hunt for my superhero—I’d have to do it in the heat.

  If I found him, I’d be a sweaty mess. That would make finding him counterproductive. I could just imagine how that conversation would go.

  “Hi, remember me? The leopard who lost her tail. Want to hug me again? I’m only a little bit sweaty.”

  And now, I was talking to myself . . . out loud. I’d completely lost it.

  I grabbed a breakfast bar, changed into my cutest workout clothes, and drove down the road. On the same street where my mystery man disappeared, I parked along the curb.

  With my hair pulled up into a cute ponytail, I popped in my earbuds and took off down the sidewalk. Looking cute was my main goal.

  As I walked, people waved and called out pleasantries. Small-town life was so different from where I’d grown up. In my neighborhood back home, the only people who smiled and responded to my greetings were the cleaning ladies and delivery people.

  That was one big reason I didn’t want to move back home. I just had to keep my parents happy enough that they wouldn’t cut me off completely. If I played my cards right, their monthly donations to funding my life would resume. I could only hope.

  Looking at every house as I passed it, I walked to the end of the block, then back again. I stopped at my car for a sip of water. Getting too hot would make me sweat.

  “Ahem. You aren’t supposed to be parked here.”

  I recognized the voice. It wasn’t my handsome hero. It was the handsome deputy who wasn’t at all interested. I didn’t mind. He wasn’t my type . . . other than the good-looking part.

  “Hey, Eli. Why can’t I park here?”

  He pointed at the No Parking sign right next to my car. Why hadn’t I noticed that?

  “There isn’t parking allowed on this side of the street.”<
br />
  “Why not? That’s silly.”

  He flipped open his little ticket thing. “I don’t make the rules. I just enforce them.”

  I couldn’t afford a ticket, especially not after all the ice cream I bought last night. “I’ll move my car then. Can I park on the other side of the street?”

  He looked up from his little book of tickets and nodded. “Other side doesn’t have any signs forbidding it.”

  “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t even see the sign.” I needed to find Eli a nice girl because he might be less tightly wound if he had a sweetheart. A little casual conversation would hopefully ease the tension. “Are you going to Hank and Nacha’s later?”

  “Yep. Should be fun.” He closed his little book. “I guess I’ll see you there.” He tipped his cowboy hat and walked back to his car.

  “Eli, wait!”

  Since he was a deputy, there was a good chance he knew almost everyone in this town, so why not pick his brain?

  “Do you perhaps know of a fireman who lives on this block?”

  He laughed. “I’m a deputy, not a dating service. Have a good day, and don’t forget to read signs.”

  He didn’t deserve a sweetheart after that snark.

  I parked my car on the opposite side of the street, then waited until Eli was out of sight before running across the street. I didn’t want him giving me a ticket for jaywalking.

  After two more laps up and down the sidewalk, I gave up. If the man I saw jogging lived anywhere near here, he was in hiding. I needed to find food, decide what swimsuit to wear to the party, then get ready. And I only had three hours.

  I needed to hurry.

  The next time Nacha hosted a pool party, I’d have to see if I could invite my new friends, Tessa and Delaney, because right now Eli and I were the only two singles. And I was not interested in Eli.

  He sat down in the chair next to me. “You ever find your fireman?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” I still hadn’t mentioned my embarrassing moment to Haley and Nacha, and I definitely didn’t want to do it with an audience. “Is there any tea inside?”

  “Unsweetened.”

  “Ick.” I dipped a potato chip in French onion dip. “Since you’re single, I could introduce you to someone. You know, if you want.”

  “I don’t want. But thanks.” Eli stood and walked toward the pool.

  My plan worked as intended, but I wasn’t done. “Why not? I have some nice friends. Do you know Tessa?”

  “At the bakery?” A snarky smile spread across his face.

  Of course he knew Tessa. He was a deputy, and she sold doughnuts.

  “Yes. That Tessa.”

  “I know her.” He tugged off his shirt. “She’s my cousin.” With barely a splash, he dove under the water.

  I was either losing my touch, or today was not my day.

  Hank poked his head out the door. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

  “Sweet tea.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t have any. Sorry.”

  “Then I’m good.” I tossed my plate into the trash then slipped off my coverup. Sitting on the edge of the pool, I kicked water at anyone who came near me.

  Eli, Zach, and Adam tossed a ball back and forth across the pool. Haley and her friend Eve chatted in lounge chairs. I didn’t want to know what Nacha and Hank were doing inside.

  I splashed water at Eli as he dove to catch the ball. He wasn’t my type, but he was nice to look at. Today, that didn’t make me feel better. All the couples looked so happy.

  Why had I walked away from the fireman?

  Maybe he wasn’t a fireman. He could’ve been a banker who was wearing a borrowed shirt. Nah. He had fireman muscles.

  Did bankers even have muscles?

  Dragging my toes through the water, I decided that on Monday I’d tell Nacha and Haley about my costumed adventure and ask for their help in locating my missing tail. I hoped that my hero still had it.

  “You ordered sweet tea?”

  I shaded my eyes as I turned to see who was holding out the red plastic cup. Were my eyes playing tricks on me?

  Overjoyed, I launched myself at him. The cups went flying, but I could worry about those later. “My hero!”

  His strong arms wrapped around me. “I have something that belongs to you.”

  “We can talk about that later. I haven’t mentioned any of that story to my friends.”

  His stubble brushed my cheek. “Only one person knows the story. Today is serendipitous.”

  “I can’t believe you’re actually here.” I didn’t want to let go. And there was no way I was risking letting him get away without knowing how to find me. “My name is Cami Phillips, and I work at the photography studio in the strip mall across from the good barbeque place. You know, in case we get separated.”

  “Good to know.” He kept an arm around me and turned as Hank and Nacha walked outside.

  Nacha clung to Hank as they made their way into the pool.

  “She has issues with water. That’s why she hangs on him.” I hugged the guy again. “But between you and me, I don’t think that’s the only reason.”

  The host couple stepped into the water, and after a few cheers, the party resumed.

  My hero guy unbuttoned his shirt. “Go ahead and get in. I’ll join you as soon as I clean up the cups.”

  Staring was probably rude, but I did it anyway. “I think I’ll just watch you work.”

  Haley splashed water at me. “Are you just going to stand there staring at the poor man?”

  I flashed her a wide smile and pointed at the guy. “He’s a total hottie.”

  Haley shook her head. “I think as a fireman, he probably hears that a lot.”

  “You are a fireman!” I knew those were fireman muscles.

  “In the flesh.”

  Unable to resist, I patted his chest. “Most definitely.”

  He threw the cups in the trash, and I splashed water on the area where the tea landed. “It was my fault they fell, and I don’t want the patio to get sticky.”

  “Good idea.”

  My day had completely turned around. “If I accidentally swallow water in the pool, will you rescue me?”

  He smiled like he’d just won a prize. “Absolutely.”

  “How long would I need to hold my breath before you gave me mouth-to-mouth?” I tugged him toward the pool, then remembered that I didn’t even know the man’s name. I should at least know his name before I kissed him. And I didn’t want the sun to go down before I’d gotten that pleasure. “I’m kidding. Sort of. You know what! I don’t even know your name.”

  “Ethan Harper. Most people call me Harper.”

  “Harper the hero.” I loved the sound of that.

  He dove into the pool, and I fanned myself a second just to get a laugh out of Haley and Nacha. What were the chances that the guy I’d bumped into was a friend of theirs?

  I loved living in a small town.

  Chapter 4

  Harper reached for my hand as we walked out of Nacha’s house. “I’d like to see you again.”

  “That’s a relief. I didn’t want to have to hunt you down and coincidentally bump into you until you asked me out.”

  He laughed. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

  “Going out with you.”

  “Perfect. I’m going to need your number.” He stopped next to my car. “Oh! Do you want your tail now? I live just down the road.”

  “I’ll get it tomorrow.” I leaned back against my car and tilted my head in that perfectly inviting angle. “How did you explain having a tail?”

  I couldn’t help but wonder who the one person was.

  He inched closer. “It’s a long story.”

  “Is it?”

  “That’s what I’m hoping. The beginning was great. And I’m looking forward to the next chapter.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “I’ve thought about you a lot since you hugged me on the sidewalk.”

  “D
itto.” I held out my phone. “Give me your number, and I’ll text you mine.”

  He tapped on the screen, then handed back the phone. “I like the way you titled my contact.”

  “You are my hero. All flirting aside, when I ran into you that day, I was scared. Seeing you made me feel safe.” I rarely admitted when things scared me unless I was making a joke out of it. Growing up, our family always looked like we had it together. Being scared didn’t fit with that image.

  Neither did wearing a cat suit, but that was another topic altogether.

  Before getting into the car, I texted him my number. I added a kissing emoji to the end. Would he get my hint?

  He tucked his phone in his pocket after glancing at the screen. “I’ll call you.”

  “I’ll be waiting.” Desperation wasn’t a good look, so I dropped into my driver’s seat. I wasn’t getting a kiss tonight.

  I drove back to my tiny apartment, but not following him took willpower. He’d said he lived just down the road, but I’d learned that just down the road could mean a two-minute walk or a half-hour drive.

  * * *

  After letting myself in the backdoor of the office, I closed myself in my tiny apartment. My phone dinged, and I lunged to grab it from my purse.

  I had fun tonight. Harper hadn’t waited long to send a message which meant he was either texting and driving—and I’d scold him for that—or he lived close to Nacha’s house.

  Maybe I had seen him jogging down that street.

  I did too. And I can’t wait to see you again. That wasn’t a lie. I’d never been more excited about meeting a guy.

  He responded right away. The barbeque place on Main is open late.

  Let me change out of my swimsuit, and I’ll meet you there. I could walk since the place was right across the street.

  I stepped into the restaurant and scanned the dining area. After intentionally waiting an extra five minutes, I was surprised Harper wasn’t already here.

  A hand brushed my back, sending tingles down my spine. “I didn’t think we’d have any trouble getting a table, so I waited by the door.”