Her body craved the difference.
Her body craved Blue.
She cleared her throat and tried to shake off the craziness that was sending her thoughts into overdrive. “I’m glad you did.”
“Are we visiting a particular grave?” Blue fell into step beside her, and they walked up the slight incline and across the lawn, toward the sea of headstones.
“Sort of. When I have flowers that don’t sell, sometimes I bring them here and place them on the graves that go unattended.” She’d never shared this with anyone before and wasn’t sure how he’d respond—or why she had invited him to join her when she’d always kept this private.
He placed his hand on her back again and didn’t say a word. She liked his quiet acceptance—and the feel of his hand sending heat and awareness through her like live wires.
“Some people find cemeteries scary at night, without the sunshine to give them a feeling of safety,” Lizzie said as they weaved through the headstones. “But when I come here I think about all the people who are buried, and I can’t help but feel like they would have wanted to be remembered.”
“Everyone wants to be remembered by those they love. Which graves do you put the flowers on?”
She liked that he was interested enough to ask. “I’ve been coming here for years, so I’ve gotten to know which graves are visited and which aren’t. Some people leave painted stones or letters, but some graves never have anything left on them. It can be tricky to figure out, but, for example, that one over there.” She pointed to a child’s headstone. “That one looks like all the others, right?”
His eyes slid over a line of headstones. “Sure.”
She walked over to it and crouched. Blue crouched beside her, their thighs brushing as their eyes met and held. He was doing it again, looking at her like she was all that mattered, like she was his total focus. She forced herself to focus on the explanation, when all she really wanted to do was get lost in the depths of emotions she saw there.
“This grave gets visited every other week. Sometimes I find remnants of flowers.” She pointed to the grave beside it. “But that one? I’ve never found anything there.” She pulled a rose from the tote and laid it across the headstone. Her fingers lingered on the cool marble. “I wonder what they were like. Was this person pensive and shy or aggressive and obnoxious?”
They walked between the headstones, his hand resting on her back, and it felt natural to share her thoughts with him. “I wonder if they were loved and who they left behind.”
Blue took a flower from the tote. “May I?”
She smiled and nodded.
He crouched before a headstone, his eyes running thoughtfully over the engraving. “I don’t see any remnants of flowers. This is for you, Helen Craft. I hope good feelings reach you.” He took Lizzie’s hand in his as he rose to his feet. “I never imagined you doing this, but it doesn’t surprise me.”
“I’m sure I do lots of things that you never imagined I would.” The way his lips tipped up told her that he thought she was implying something naughty. She loved that glint of wickedness in him, but she was too aware of her secret to let the mistaken innuendo go. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I’m sure you’re full of surprises, and I can’t wait to learn about each and every one of them.”
Wanna bet?
***
THE GOLDEN GLOW of the moon cast shadows like memories across the grass, and in the distance, the Pilgrim Monument stood sentinel behind a buffer of trees. Blue had driven by this cemetery hundreds of times, but he’d never given it a thought. He watched Lizzie crouch before another grave in her jeans and P-town Petals shirt, the moonlight dancing off her thoughtful eyes as she placed a flower in front of the headstone, then rose beside him. He reached for her hand and she laced her fingers with his. This might not be a typical date, but holding Lizzie’s hand, with no distractions, in such an unexpected place, seemed like a perfect evening.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She fidgeted with the seam on her jeans.
Unlike other women, Lizzie didn’t need special outfits or lots of makeup. She was a natural beauty, and after a year of wanting to be closer to her, Blue couldn’t imagine being more attracted to anyone. He stepped closer and brushed his thumb over her jaw. “This is a little embarrassing. I was just admiring how beautiful you are, and how thoughtful.”
Even in the moonlight he could see her cheeks flush as they began walking again.