“You know what I think you should do?”
“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this,” he said dryly. “And if you see Smiles, you just tell him that all his jokes and memes have done nothing.”
“Smiles told you to…do what, exactly?”
“Text her a lot,” he said. “Funny stuff and…I don’t know.” He had the sudden urge to pat down his pockets for his phone, just to make sure it wasn’t lying around somewhere April might be able to see it and be a witness to his pathetic attempt to be top-of-mind for Caroline.
“Well, he would know,” she said. “Smiles is super popular.Allthe girls like him.”
“Yeah, but.”
“Okay, just listen.” April turned toward him and grinned. “This will work, I’m sure of it.”
When she didn’t go on, Dawson growled. “Daylight’s burning, missy, and Grandma said she’d feed me lunch today. So spit it out.”
“Next time you see her, you just kiss her.”
Dawson blinked, sure he hadn’t just gotten kissing advice from his fourteen-year-old niece. Nope. Not happening. “Kiss her?” he blurted back to her.
“She’ll like it,” April said, her smile so, so wide. “And then you tell her you just couldn’t wait another minute to do that, and you’re real sorry, but she’s just so beautiful and you haven’t been able to stop thinking about her.”
All true, but Dawson wasn’t sure he’d be sorry when he kissed Caroline. He also wasn’t sure without any dates at all that it wouldn’t totally kill their still budding relationship. After all, no woman he’d kissed in the past couple of years had lit a fire in him at all.
“Girls like that,” April said.
“She’s not a girl,” Dawson said. “She’s a woman.”
“She’ll still like it.” April looked at her smart watch as it beeped. “Ugh, Daddy says they’re fifteen minutes away, and I better be at the house when they get there.” She looked up, gave him a fierce look, and dove into his arms again. “I love you, Uncle Dawson.”
“And I love you, April Rivers.” He released her andgave her a slight push. “Go on, now. You’ll have to pedal fast to get back in fifteen minutes.”
She nodded and jogged toward the mountain bike she’d thrown to the ground upon her arrival. “Bye, Uncle Dawson!”
“Come for dinner,” he said after her. “To tell me everything.”
She waved, picked up the bike, and off she went, leaving Dawson with the burrowing owls, the blustering sky, and his own thoughts.
“Next time you see her, kiss her.” He scoffed. What a terrible idea. Of course he wasn’t going to do that. With a woman like Caroline, he’d probably end up with a broken nose or a fat lip if he even tried.
He pulled out his phone and texted Link.You’re going to hate me. You’ve got owls on the property line. I’ve got pictures.
Link had found a den further north, and he’d asked Dawson to check the line, because it was quite hilly and filled with trees on their side of the fence.
You’re right, Link sent back.I hate you.He sent a laughing emoji after that.
Then,siiiigh. Don’t send the pictures. I don’t want to see them and be more depressed. I’ll get up there this afternoon myself. Can I come over to your side?
Anytime, Dawson said, and he glanced up at the sound of tires crunching over gravel. Why was everyonecoming out here this afternoon? How many more people had been in his office, snooping through his schedule?
The very idea had his blood running cold.
Or maybe that came from the gorgeous sight of Caroline, who currently stopped her SUV right in front of him, her smile sitting prettily on those lips April had told him to “just kiss.”
Chapter Fourteen
Caroline’s heart pounded up into her throat as she faced Dawson. Flirting and texting with him via cellphone was completely different than being in his presence. And she hadn’t even gotten out of the car yet.
Ruffin ducked his head and came toward her, making her smile and giving her courage enough to get out. She smoothed her hands down her ugly work shorts and prayed for the best as she stepped out to close her door.