Chapter Seventeen

Julie agreed that both she and Blackie should take some time to think about their feelings before they moved forward with their relationship. When they got up from the table, she linked arms with him to leave the restaurant. Once outside, she took a deep breath of the evening air. Dusk had fallen while they were eating, and the faint scent of flowers in window boxes along both sides of Main created a perfect ending to what had been a fabulous evening together.

As they walked along the sidewalk toward his shop, she said, “Thank you so much for joining me for dinner. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. We should do it again soon.”

“Only if I pay.”

She chuckled. “You do realize that’s a really old-fashioned way of thinking. Dating is more casual now. The younger set takes turns paying for meals.”

“Have you looked at me lately? I’m not part of the younger set.”

She smiled and hugged his arm. “You aren’t exactly old, either. And it won’t hurt if you allow me to foot a dinner bill now and again.”

“True. But next time is on me.”

When she tried to slow their pace at the door of his shop, he gave her a tug to set her feet in motion again. “It’s late. I’ll walk you back to your shop.”

Julie laughed. “Oh, dear. It’s barely full dark. I’ve walked along Main alone at least a hundred times, Blackie. You’re being overprotective.”

“I’m protective, but I don’t think overprotective describes me.”

“Mystic Creek has such a low crime rate it’s boring.” Julie secretly liked being with a man who wanted to look after her. She’d never been made to feel by Derek that she was important in any way. “It isn’t unsafe for women to walk along Main Street after dark when they’re alone.”

“Most of the time, it isn’t. But don’t forget what happened to the Johnson girl.”

While she’d been sick, Julie had forgotten about that. “Oh. You’re right. I guess bad things do happen here sometimes.”

He chuckled. “Yes, but a bad thing won’t happen to you. At least not tonight. Not as long as I have breath left in my body, anyway.”

As they crossed the town center, all the street lanterns came on to cast nimbuses of golden light against the darkening sky. At the fountain, he drew to a stop, released her to fish in his pants pocket, and drew out a fistful of change. He handed Julie a quarter. “Let’s make a wish.”

Julie had never thrown a coin into this particular fountain, but she had made countless wishes in others over the years. None of them had ever come true. It was such a beautiful spring evening and not that chilly. It put her in a romantic frame of mind, so before she threw in her quarter, she wished that her relationship with Blackie would become a love to last a lifetime. Regardless of his concerns, she didn’t think the age difference between them was great enough to matter if they truly loved each other.