Dash of Destiny: Small-town Sweet Romance with a Hint of Magic (Spellbound in Hawthorne Book 4) by Maria Hoagland & Lorin Grace

Author:Maria Hoagland & Lorin Grace [Hoagland, Maria & Grace, Lorin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Leaves Press
Published: 2021-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

Carter had been more nervous about picking Ayla up for the daddy-daughter dance than he’d ever been for a date with Eden—even when he was an inexperienced seventeen-year-old. Somehow the stakes felt that much higher, probably because Eden was, understandably, more protective of her daughter. Making sure Ayla’s seat belt was fastened and then driving away while Eden watched from the curb felt like an audition for a part he hadn’t known he’d wanted.

Once he was at the dance, however, and saw how much fun Ayla was having with Leah, his apprehension melted away. A fast song ended, and the girls finished twirling and laughing on the crowded dance floor. When the next song came on and the dads and daughters paired up for a slow dance, Ayla came to him with hope in her eyes. Carter threw a panicked look in the direction of his brother-in-law, Blake, but Blake had already taken Leah’s hand. Immediately, Leah started chattering away, but what caught Carter’s attention was the way Blake looked at her as if she were the most important person in his life, because for that moment, she absolutely was. What would it be like to feel that kind of fatherly love?

“Would you like a break?” Carter checked Ayla for any signs of labored breathing, but she wasn’t even out of breath.

She shook her head.

“Want a snack or some punch?” he asked. Her blue eyes were enormous in the dim light, staring at him.

This time she nodded, and he sighed inwardly, relieved that this would give her a moment to slow her heart rate. He’d hate to cause her any distress. Eden would never forgive him, and he’d have trouble forgiving himself.

The two of them walked side by side to the refreshment table, which was minded by two women in floral dresses and fake smiles, one of them with shockingly green hair. His real smile turned wooden when he recognized Fiona Fische and her sister, Wendy Peterson. He’d hardly known either of them to be anything but bitter and gossipy, a rather poor choice for attendants at a dance, but he couldn’t blame the historical society. Volunteers were volunteers.

“Nice hair, Mom.” Irving, Fiona’s college-age son, came up from behind her and tugged a lock of her green tresses. “Interesting color choice.”

She swatted his hand away. “All thanks to Tansy’s ‘Your Best Color’ herbal hair rinse.” Fiona’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “That bottle should come with a warning.”

Carter tried to pretend not to overhear their conversation or that he’d noticed anything amiss with Fiona. Instead, he focused on Ayla, who was inspecting the various cookie confections and chocolates from the Sweet Memories Bakery and the Sugar & Spice candy shop. Her eyes were the size of Josie’s pink cream cheese mints.

“A lot to choose from,” he said in commiseration when she didn’t seem to know what to pick. He scratched his chin, missing the stubble he oftentimes allowed to grow between business trips. But a formal date was a formal date, even if she was five years old, and she’d deserved the effort it took him to shave.

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