Date in the Dark (10 page)

“Yes!” they all say in unison.

Parker

I think it’s time I cut myself off from
anything else to drink. Allie has been calling shot after shot all
night. Who could blame her? The way my brother is acting around her
friend Kelly is beyond weird. I’m actually a little embarrassed and
if it wasn’t for the alcohol running through me right now, ordering
my brain to hang around Allie for as long as I can, I’d have drug
his ass home by now.

“Dude, I think Kelly is the one,” Miles says,
interrupting the silence.

I glance back to the bathrooms to make sure
both Allie and Kelly aren’t on their way back and accidentally hear
something wrong. That would be my luck. “Miles, that’s a little
extreme, don’t you think?”

“Nope, I don’t. Is she doing the dark dating
thing too?”

“I’m not sure but I was assume if Allie is,
then Kelly is too,” I say and take a drink of water. I’d been
trying to keep up with Allie and that ginger beer drink she was
having, but I was starting to feel the vodka creep up and had to
switch to beer. I’m not sure how she’s still walking.

“Her voice, man,” he says, leaning back
against the booth, looking up like he’s dreaming. “It does things
to me. I can’t explain it.”

I glance again toward the bathroom.
That
would explain his behavior earlier.

“Oh, and by the way, I said it once and I’ll
say it again, that’s one sexy librarian. It doesn’t surprise me you
wanted to go in my place tonight.”

When the girls finally come out, I look at
Kelly then Allie. My eyes bounce back and forth between them. What
are the odds that two brothers could end up with best friends?

I stand as they join us at the table and once
we’re all sitting, Allie’s eyes meet mine.

“Is everyone here doing okay?” the waitress
asks when she walks up to our table.

“Could I get a glass of ice water, please?”
Allie asks. She isn’t even slurring her words. This woman knows how
to hold her liquor.

“How do you two know each other?” I ask. For
as close as these two are, I have a feeling they’ve know each other
for a long time

“We met in third grade,” Kelly blurts
out.

“And have been friends ever since,” Allie
finishes.

“Even when we went to different colleges,”
Kelly adds quickly. “We never lost touch. The only thing that ever
come between us was a dirt bag ex who caused Allie to quit her job
and—”

Allie looks at Kelly with wide eyes, and
Kelly shrugs before looking away. I nod in understanding. This is
exactly why she won’t date a coworker. I’m still nodding, a side
effect of too much drinking, when I glance at Miles. Oh, geez. I
rub my forehead to get the image out of my mind. He’s sitting
across from Kelly with his chin rested in his palms with a goofy
smile on his face. This is embarrassing. I need to get this guy out
of here.

“We should probably get going,” Allie says,
practically reading my mind as she stands.

“You’re both leaving?” Miles asks as the rest
of us stand. I lay some money on the table and follow the girls
outside. No one answers my brother.

“Thanks for the drinks,” Allie says, walking
over to stand in front of me. “I’ll, uh…I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“You will,” I answer with a smile. So
quickly, I would have missed it had I not felt it, Allie rises to
her toes and presses her lips against mine. My hands grab onto the
back of her head and my fingers weave through her hair as I deepen
the kiss. Too soon, Allie pulls away and quickly catches up with
her friend. Work is about to get a lot more interesting.

Chapter Twelve

Allie

There has never been a more confusing week in
my entire life than this one. I walk casually into the library,
glancing around for Parker. I don’t see him anywhere. Good. That
gives me time to think.

“Good morning, Allie,” Amber says to me in
the same calming tone she uses every morning. I smile at her.

“Good morning, Amber, Where’s Levi?”

“He went with Parker. I’m not sure what for,
but Parker said he needed his help with something.”

That’s odd.

“Okay,” is all I can think of to say before I
continue on to my office. I plop down into my chair and lean back.
Maybe I just need a minute to relax. All night my mind bounced back
and forth over whether or not I should go back tonight. I want to
go, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to take the risk. I know I can
always keep my job, but I don’t even want to chance causing any
awkwardness between us.

I groan into my arms and lean onto the desk.
I need to focus on work, not Parker. But I can’t stop thinking
about the way my body tingled when he touched me, or the way he
kissed me, like he couldn’t get enough. Shoot, I didn’t get enough.
Part of me wants him to walk in here right now and kiss me. Screw
my rules.

My head snaps up and I jump from my seat.
There’s no way I can sit here for the next hour. I need to be
moving and get my mind thinking of something else.

****

I’ve never been so thankful for work to be
such an amazing distraction. I took to re-shelving books to stay
busy and when Levi volunteered to help Parker with the morning art
event for the kids, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. I have a feeling
Levi is trying to impress Amber, after all, he went with parker to
set up the kids color room this morning. I glance at the reception
desk to find Amber gazing at Levi.
I know exactly how she
feels.

The fact Kelly has been here for the last
hour also helps. She hasn’t stopped talking since she walked
through the doors. I just wish she would talk about something else
or schedule more appointments to keep her busy at her own job
instead of mine.

“I can’t believe you kissed him again. I was
only joking when I told you to do that while we were in the
bathroom. I never thought you’d
actually
do it.” She looks
around us. “How was it? Is Parker a good kisser?” Her eyes are
practically glowing as she waits for my response.

“Don’t you ever work?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Perks of owning your
own photography studio is you get to make your own hours. Besides,
you need me here.”

I nod slowly.

“So what’re you going to do?” she asks,
knowing I’m not going answer her. She takes a book from the cart
and holds it out for me.

“I don’t know,” I sigh. What if I make the
wrong choice and Parker is the same as any other guy and I have to
quit my job? Is that a risk I’m willing to take?

Kissing Parker was exciting, and it was
everything I’d imagined it would be. He was kind and gentle. He
makes me feel like I can be myself. Hanging out at the bar was
great to. The four of us together was the most fun I’ve had in a
long time, aside from my night alone with Parker.

“Is it bad I hope things really work out just
so I can see Miles again?” she beams.

I give a small laugh. “No, there isn’t
anything wrong with that. Honestly, I want it to work out that way
too. I just don’t know if it can.”

“Hey Allie, do you have a minute to talk?”
Parker asks, startling us both into a jump. I hope he didn’t hear
any of that. “Hey Kelly, how are you doing today?” he asks, giving
her a shy smile.

“Hmm…probably not as good as you will be
later.” She winks at me, and then she winks at Parker. “See you
both tonight!” she says and actually skips away. I close my eyes
and take a breath.
Please don’t ask me what she was talking
about.

“What’s up?”

I watch him and wait, giving him my full
attention. Today he’s wearing black slacks with a red button-down
and a black tie. His dark hair is perfectly in place and his
cologne makes me feel like if I step too close to him, I might be
sucked in by how good he smells. I never knew citrus and sandalwood
was temping until now. Then, when he smiles,
oh dear.

“I was actually going to see if you wanted to
show me where the backup art supplies for this morning are. I think
we’re missing some stuff and I can’t find it.”

“Of course,” I say, a bit too eager to spend
more time with him. “What are you missing?”

“Crayons,” he says immediately.

“Okay.” I laugh. “Follow me.”

Parker walks next to me in complete silence.
I step into the storage room and Parker does the same, immediately
closing the door behind him.

“What’re you doing?” I ask, stepping toward
him.

“Getting a moment alone with you,” he says,
and then our lips collide.

He pulls me into him and laces his tongue
with mine. My body feels numb under his touch and it’s as though
everything else is forgotten. What I should be doing right now,
where I should be, or what’s right and wrong. I move to wrap my
arms around his neck, but he stops me.

“I need to get back, but I hope I see you
tonight,” he says, opening the door and winking at me before he’s
gone.

I stand there a moment before I step out of
the room and walk straight to my office. If this is what work is
going to be like from now on, my job just might be worth the
risk.

Parker

I wanted this day to go fast, and luck was on
my side. Before I knew it, I was cleaning up the art supplies and
preparing for story time. Just a few more hours until our last date
in the dark. This is the night that matters the most.

“Hey there, little brother, what are you
doing in here?” my sister says as she sets the green-and-black baby
carrier on one of the tiny tables the kids were sitting at earlier
today. She smiles at me, but it falls when she sees my face. If
there was one person in the world who could know my every thought
with just one look, it would be my sister.

“Uncle Park!” my nice, Kasey, shoots out from
behind her mother and runs to me. It’s not fast but it’s as fast as
her little four-year-old legs will take her. When she gets just
close enough, I pick her up and swing her around.

“I didn’t know my little princess was coming
to see me today,” I say to her.

“Yeah, Mommy said you were having an ice
cream bar. I had to be here,” she replies with wide and serious
eyes. I swing her around one more time and then hold her with one
arm and tickle her with the other.

“Careful, she could still throw up on you
from lunch and by the look on your face I’m guessing that would be
the icing on the cake for whatever’s going on today.”

I set Kasey down and nod slowly.

“Baby, why don’t you go over the toy area and
give your uncle and me a little grown-up time okay?”

“I guess…but I still get ice cream, right?”
she perks up.

“Yes,” my sister says and watches until Kasey
makes her way to the toys. “Okay, tell me what’s going on. Does it
have anything to do with that girl you were supposed to ask
out?”

I nod. “Yes, and as a matter of fact, I did
ask her out.”

“But clearly she said no, since you don’t
have a date and you’re going to the date-in-the-dark events,
right?”

“Yep, but Miles actually ended up being
paired with Allie on the first night, so I took his spot the next
night, and now I’m going back tonight in his spot hoping that Allie
will show up.”

She shakes her head. “You lost me.”

“Allie is the same girl I asked out, she
ended up at this thing too. Random I know, but her friend Kelly
convinced her go.”

Sara nods. “I guess this would make sense.
Miles called Tim earlier today asking him if he could get his
mother to switch him with another guy,” she shrugs, “said he needed
to be paired up with a woman named Kelly.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” I tell her and
grab the rest of the supplies to put them into their assigned cubby
near the front desk.

“What’s next then?”

“Story time.”

“No, I mean with Allie,” she tilts her head
toward a random woman passing by. I shake my head.

“That’s not her, and I’ll wait and see if she
shows up. She has a thing about dating coworkers. We definitely
have an attraction, but I’m not sure if it’s enough for her.”

“I have faith it’ll all work out.” Sara grabs
the carrier off the table and surveys the room for Kasey. Once she
finds her, she waves and heads for the children’s reading rug.

Chapter Thirteen

Allie

I’d seriously considered not showing up for
the children’s reading, but I couldn’t stay away. I wanted to see
the way Parker interacts with them. The giggles that come from tiny
voices behind me catch my attention. Parker is sitting in a
children’s chair, looking like a giant while he reads
Lyle,
Lyle, Crocodile
to the kids. Two small girls in the front laugh
again. I don’t remember this story being a funny one, but when
Parker changes his voice for each character, I see why they’re
laughing.

He looks amazing. The way the children are
taken with him makes the view that much more beautiful. I can’t
help but smile as I watch him.

“He’s dreamy, isn’t he?” a woman with a
toddler holding onto one hand and a carrier in the other says as
she stands next to me. I follow the direction on her eyes to see
she’s looking at Parker.

“He looks like a natural with kids,” I say,
hoping this is sister and not some random woman.

“Mommy, can I go sit with the other kids
while Uncle Park reads to them? Please?” the little girl asks,
swinging her mother’s arms.

She has big blue eyes and light brown hair
braided down each side. Her yellow leggings are bright against her
pink shirt and cute pair of brown boots. Kid’s clothes are so much
cuter than adult clothing.

“Yes, baby, you can. But don’t disturb the
other children. This is a library.”

The little girl bounces quietly away from her
mother. Without coming off as a creeper, I sneak a glance at the
woman next to me. Long chestnut hair falls to the middle of her red
blouse and her green eyes shine against the same flawless
completion as Parker.