“How often do you come here?” He wanted to get to know so much more about her, but even though she was holding his hand, he saw something in her eyes that told him she was still wary of getting too close.
“About once or twice a week. I also bring flowers to the assisted-living facility in Wellfleet, and sometimes I give them to tourists outside my shop, or I take them to the police station or the firehouse.” She shrugged like it was no big deal, but Blue knew how she raced around every day at work. He’d seen her in action, and he knew how big of a heart it took to make time after a long, busy day, when she had to be tired, to do something like this.
“Oh! Come with me.” Her eyes widened with excitement as she dragged him around a big tree to an old cracked headstone green with moss, and kneeled in front of it, tugging him down with her. Her smile was so bright that he was sure this was someone special’s grave. “This is Henry.”
“Henry?”
She traced the unreadable engraving on the headstone. “That’s what I call him. I sat here one night for a long time trying to figure out his or her real name, and as you can see, you can’t read a thing. But while I was sitting here, the name Henry came to me. So, this is Henry.”
She took the last flower out of her tote and laid it across Henry’s headstone with a sigh. Then she patted the headstone and smiled at Blue. “I’m glad you’re here with me. I’ve never brought anyone here before.” She shifted her eyes to the headstone again. “It feels good to do this, doesn’t it?”
“Better than you can imagine. I’m honored that you’re sharing this part of yourself with me.” Blue reached for her hand again, giving it a little squeeze to underscore how grateful he was to be included. He did a lot for other people, but it was rare to know someone who did for others without expecting an acknowledgment of some kind. He had a feeling there was a lot more to Lizzie than met the eye.
They walked back toward the parking lot hand in hand, and when they reached the edge of the lawn, Lizzie stopped walking and said, “I’m glad you showed up.” She smiled up at him, and like every one of her smiles, it reeled him in even more.
“I’m glad you asked.” He stepped in closer.
“I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to change or shower or anything.”
“Lizzie, you could be covered in mud and you’d be beautiful.” He searched her eyes and saw a flicker of embarrassment. “You’re beautiful, Lizzie, no matter what you wear.” He brushed his fingers over her cheek and felt her skin heat up with his touch. He fought the urge to press his lips to hers but couldn’t keep his emotions from coming out in words.
“I want to kiss you, but I’m so afraid of scaring you off that I’m fighting it every second.” He held her gaze, not wanting to steal the kiss as he had last night. This time, he wanted her consent, needed to know she was in this, too.
“You do? You are?”
“More than you can imagine.” He wrapped her in his arms, and she gripped his shirt as she had last night. “What do you want, Lizzie? Tell me what you want.”
She took tiny steps to the side, turning them as one, until Blue was standing on the low slope of the hill and they were eye to eye.
“I want you to kiss me.” She pressed a hand flat on his chest, keeping his efforts at bay. “But only if you can promise me we won’t go further, because I don’t trust myself, and I need to know I can trust you.”
His heart squeezed. Trust was everything to him. “You’re very brave.”
“How on earth does that make me brave?”
“And so cute with your brows all pinched together. It takes courage to admit that to a guy. What if I wasn’t someone you could trust? You could be taken advantage of so easily.”
She tightened her grip on his shirt, her eyes sharp and assessing. “But you are someone I can trust. I’ve known you for a year. I know the man you are, Blue, and I trust you. That’s the whole point.”
“And what about you, Lizzie? Are you someone I can trust?”
Warmth filled her eyes. “Are you asking if I’m going to take advantage of you?”
He’d like nothing better than that, but he kept that thought to himself. “No, I mean in general. If we were dating, could I trust you?”
Her brows knitted a little tighter, and something he couldn’t read flickered in her eyes. “I’d like to think so.”
He touched her hand, which was still pressed to his chest, and she opened her fingers, lacing theirs together.
“You can always trust me, Lizzie. I’ll never do anything to hurt you.”