Julie pulled her elbow free of his grasp to loop her arm through his. “And what would you do if that happened?”

“I’d try to get you out of harm’s way, not to say I could.”

She sighed. “It’s the thought that counts.” She glanced up at him. “I feel very safe.”

The hostess led Julie and Blackie to a booth that offered them a little more privacy than sitting at a table. When their server arrived, they both ordered a house margarita. In Julie’s opinion, José fixed the best ones she’d ever tasted. The server left them to peruse the menu offerings.

“I already know what I want, enchiladas verde. It’s my favorite.”

Blackie nodded. “Mine, too.”

Over their drinks, they began to chat, and before Julie knew it, she relaxed and hung on every word Blackie said. He was a charming conversationalist, a trait he’d exhibited countless times when he visited her shop in the afternoons. But over dinner, talking with him was different. Her attention wasn’t divided between him and the occasional customer who wandered in for coffee and a snack. She also felt no pressure to clean her equipment or dust shelves while she sat in someone else’s eatery. It was delightfully liberating.

After they finished their meals, Blackie ordered coffee, and Julie did likewise, because lingering over their steaming cups would give them more time together. She was startled when he reached across the table and curled his hand over hers.

“We’ve got a small problem,” he said.

Julie’s mind instantly went to the most humiliating turns of her illness, and her chest went tight with anxiety. She definitely hadn’t been at her best when she’d lost control of her body and soiled her black leggings. She couldn’t blame Blackie if he no longer found her attractive with that image of her lingering in his mind.

“I’ve fallen in love with you,” he said.

Julie’s brain froze. “What?”

“You heard me. I tried not to get serious, Julie. But it was difficult to keep the walls around my heart while I was caring for you. You were so sick, and they just crumbled.” His mouth curved into a semblance of a smile. “You’re under no obligation to say anything. I don’t expect a reciprocal gesture from you. I just thought you should know I may want more from this relationship now than you’re prepared to give.”

“Oh, Blackie.” Julie’s throat went so tight she couldn’t speak for a second. “I love you, too. It started out as loving you only as a friend. Now it goes much deeper. I’m just not sure if it’s the forever kind of love.”

He tightened his hold on her hand. “Knowing for sure what kind of love each of us feels is difficult. I think that comes with time. Maybe we should keep treading forward with caution until we’re both certain of our feelings.”

“Or we can throw caution to the wind,” she suggested.

He nodded. “Let’s sleep on it. I don’t want you to make a mistake you’ll regret, and I sure don’t want to make one myself.”