At First Spark (The Spark Brothers Book 4) Read online

  Chapter Eight

  Danica

  Danica spun around in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom, pausing to smooth down the skirt of her off-the-shoulder dress. The light pink shade of lipstick she had applied complemented the magenta color of the dress and matched her freshwater pearl earrings. For once, she had left her hair down, even taking the time to curl it, as Abby had suggested. Her long, blonde locks fell in soft, loose waves around her shoulders. The reflection staring back at her looked like a woman dressed for a night on the town. Then why did she feel like throwing on a pair of leggings and crawling into bed with a book?

  “You look beautiful, Dannie-bear.” Her dad appeared in her doorway, a smile lingering on his lips at the sight of her. Mr. Reed’s tone took on a serious edge as he asked, “Now, are you sure you don’t want me to drive you to dinner? I don’t mind at all. I have it under good authority that a man tends to stay on his best behavior when his date’s father is around.”

  “Daddy, please.” Danica walked over and placed a kiss on her dad’s cheek. Once a large, muscular man who had owned his own construction company, his polo shirt and khaki pants now swallowed his thin frame. Cancer had done a number on him, but he was in remission, a blessing she thanked the Lord for every day. Leading her dad over to the bed, she gestured for him to sit down beside her. “You should be conserving your energy instead of worrying about me. I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself.”

  “I have no doubt about that,” Mr. Reed touted. “But as long as I’m alive, it’s my job to make sure any man who pursues you does so with respect.”

  “I think the fact that I still live with my parents will be enough to keep any guy in line.” She smirked, only half-joking about her statement. Danica knew her living situation wasn’t conventional, but she’d wanted to be near her parents after her dad’s cancer diagnosis a year ago. Moving home hadn’t been too hard of an adjustment for either side; in fact, today was the first time her dad was treating her like a teenager again. It was also the first date she’d had in a while, which explained her dad’s overprotectiveness. “You have nothing to worry about, Daddy. I trust Darren. I’m sure his friend is just as good of a guy as he is.”

  “If this Darren boy is such a good catch, why aren’t you going out with him?”

  Danica sighed. She wondered the same thing herself. She couldn’t believe Darren had followed through with setting her up with his coworker, especially when they had shared what she considered “a moment” last week. She thought their friendship had deepened over their shared interest in adoption. That afternoon had felt like a turning point of sorts, especially after she and Darren had spent some time visiting his niece together. They had sat side by side on a pull-out bed in the hospital room, taking turns holding Sofie. Even with Darren’s family nearby, Danica had felt like they were in their own bubble, enjoying one another’s company. Every time their shoulders brushed, or they exchanged a smile, she had felt close to him.

  Being around Darren was as natural as reading, something she’d done from the age of two. She’d started with sight words, then moved on to learning the alphabet. It had been such a thrill for her when she was able to sound out her first words. Reading had always brought her such joy and fulfillment; books unlocked whole new worlds for her.

  In much the same way, Darren gave her a similar sense of satisfaction. He was like a new world for Danica to discover, one that allowed her to feel all the emotions she read about in the novels she devoured night after night. But in her case, reality was so much better than fiction. Except for the part where the guy she longed to be with was pawning her off to someone else.

  Danica twisted the band holding an oval-shaped jade she wore on her finger as she contemplated how to answer her dad’s question. Touching the ring, the only thing that had been left with her when she’d been abandoned as a baby, gave her comfort. “It’s complicated, Daddy. I think Darren only wants to be friends.”

  Mr. Reed scoffed. “Friends? I don’t know if I should be relieved or upset to hear that. You have a heart of gold, Dannie-bear. If he doesn’t see that, then he’s not the man for you.”

  “Who’s not the man for her?”

  They both looked up to see Danica’s mother standing in the doorway, a checkered apron tied around her waist. Traces of what looked to be flour dotted the front of her yellow blouse, complementing her head of salt and pepper hair. Her dark brown eyes twinkled with mischief and gave her a youthful appearance, despite the fine lines on her face. She gestured with one hand for someone to answer her question.

  “The young man who set Dannie up on this date that she’s all dolled up for,” her father replied in a curt tone. “He’s too dense to recognize what he has right in front of him.”

  “Daddy, Darren’s not dense,” Danica jumped in to defend him. “He’s really sweet and kind and giving. I think you’d like him.”

  Mr. Reed harrumphed, not looking at all convinced.

  Mrs. Reed quirked a brow as she approached the bed where they sat. She reached over and brushed a wayward strand of hair off Danica’s forehead. With a tender smile, she stated, “He must be a nice man for you to speak so highly of him.”

  “He is. He didn’t even blink an eye when I told him I was adopted.”

  Her mom’s mouth fell open. “You told him already? I didn’t know the two of you were such good friends. I thought you were only spending time together because of Abby’s wedding.”

  “We’ve been chatting mainly about wedding stuff, but this topic came up kind of naturally. Darren’s so easy to talk to, I didn’t even think twice about telling him. And would you believe he wants to adopt one day, too? It’s not that surprising though, considering how good he is with kids. He’s a great uncle. I’m sure he’ll be a wonderful father, too.” Danica bit her lower lip to stop herself from gushing more. It was one thing to think these thoughts about Darren, but another matter to divulge them to her parents. She could only imagine what they must think of her to be going on and on like this about a guy. She shook her head, hoping the action would get rid of her silly thoughts. “I shouldn’t be talking like this. He’s not the one I’m going out with tonight, so it doesn’t matter.”

  “It does matter, sweetie,” her mother insisted. “Those feelings you have for Darren won’t go away just because you try not to think about them.”

  Danica gazed up at her mom, not missing the fierce protectiveness in her eyes. Her mom’s advice—both straightforward and sound—was exactly what she needed to hear. Funny how she had outgrown her old room with its pink painted walls and posters of Heartland, her favorite boy band, but she could not outgrow the need for parental wisdom.

  Both her mom and dad were priceless blessings from God. She couldn’t imagine where she’d be in her life if they hadn’t adopted her. They were the very real-life examples of her favorite verse from Proverbs about iron sharpening iron. Her parents always spoke the truth to her in love. With a soft sigh, she replied, “I know. It’s just easier to not think about something I can’t change.”

  “You know,” Mrs. Reed began with a knowing look, “there’s always prayer. God might not change his heart, but He could change yours.”

  Danica winced. As much as it frustrated her to be hovering over the line between friends and something more, she didn’t know if she wanted to settle completely in the friend zone. Having something to hope for was better than not having anything to hope for at all.

  “As much as I hate to admit it, Dannie-bear—” Mr. Reed winked “—your mother’s right.”

  “Of course, I’m right.” Mrs. Reed shot her husband a playful grin. “I was right about picking you, wasn’t I?”

  Mr. Reed reached for his wife’s hand, bringing it to his lips for a loud, lip-smacking kiss.

  “You guys are so sweet, you’re making my teeth hurt,” Danica teased. Shaking her head, she laughed along with her parents. She was thankful the conversation was headed in a more lighthearted direction. W
ith a long evening ahead of her, she didn’t want to go into it with a bad attitude. That wouldn’t be fair to Darren’s friend or be fun for either of them. “Thanks, guys, for the pep talk. I better put on my shoes before my date shows up.”

  Ding!

  The doorbell sounded as if on cue. Mr. Reed rose to his feet with his wife’s help and gestured toward the hallway. “You take your time, sweetheart. Your mom and l will go interrogate—I mean, entertain—the young man.”

  “Dad!”

  The wink her dad gave her before he left the room had Danica chuckling. She was so thankful to see him in good spirits. She knew without a doubt that God answered prayers because He had answered so many of hers regarding her dad’s health.

  If only she had the same amount of faith about God’s hand on her love life. She didn’t pray about it enough simply because she doubted if God had the best in mind for her. Or rather, it hurt too much to consider that what she wanted wasn’t in line with His will. She wasn’t ready to give up her hopes just yet.

  Even so, she said a short prayer, asking for clarity. If Darren’s not the guy for me, please tell me, Lord, so I’ll stop hoping. With those words, she slipped her feet into a pair of strappy nude wedge sandals and grabbed her purse before heading out of her room.

  As she walked past a collage of her childhood photos hanging on the wall, she heard the chuckle of male voices coming from the front of the house. Her mom’s bubbly, high-pitched one soon joined in. Danica quickened her steps, curious to know what they were talking about. The friend Darren had set her up with must be a decent guy to have her parents laughing so easily.

  She emerged from the hallway into the brightly lit foyer, eager to meet him. Her mom spotted her and gave her two thumbs-up. Danica wanted to roll her eyes at her mom’s enthusiastic gesture, but her body froze when she spotted her date’s face.

  There, standing in between her parents, was the handsome firefighter who was a regular subject of her dreams. Dressed in a pair of olive-green slacks and a crisp white shirt, Darren looked tanned and clean-shaven. He greeted Danica with a shy smile that made her chest swell with hope. Was it possible that Darren was taking her out tonight?

  Chapter Nine

  Darren

  Darren knew he was in trouble as soon as he saw Danica. Like five-alarm fire trouble. He’d never seen her look more beautiful. For once, she wasn’t wearing her hair in a ponytail or braid, but down around her shoulders in silky waves. Her dress clung to her curves in all the right places, revealing enough—yet not enough—at the same time. He inhaled deeply, trying to get as much oxygen into his brain as possible. He needed to stay level-headed and logical, a task that was proving harder to accomplish by the second.

  It appeared he wasn’t the only one having trouble.

  As soon as their eyes met, Danica’s cheeks flushed red. Her gaze immediately traveled up and down his body, looking at him like he was a stream of water in a hot desert. Apparently, rushing home from Brandon’s to change had been a good idea. Or maybe not. Because now he was going to have the hardest time keeping things friendly.

  Who was he kidding? That intention had flown out the window as soon as Julian had called to chicken out of the date.

  Okay, he hadn’t exactly chickened out. Darren supposed food poisoning was a good enough reason to stay home. But what were the odds that Julian would get sick right before his date with Danica? Darren couldn’t help but wonder if his friend really was ill. But there had been no time to debate the matter. Not when Danica was waiting for someone to pick her up for an evening of dinner and dancing.

  Darren’s mouth grew dry. Dinner would be easy. Dancing though? He’d be hard pressed to keep his distance from Danica then.

  It was going to be a long night.

  “Darren, what are you doing here?” Danica asked, her brows furrowed. “I thought Julian was taking me out.”

  “Well, long story short, he ate some old take-out that he shouldn’t have eaten. He’s really sorry he couldn’t make it. Since it was too last minute to reschedule, I offered to fill in for him.” He paused, trying to read Danica’s reaction. “I hope you don’t mind. I’m not as good of a dancer as Julian, but I’ll do my best to not step on your toes.”

  Her expression relaxed as she shook her head. “I don’t mind at all. And you’re in luck. I happen to know a few moves. Everything I know came from watching these two dance around the house.” She gestured toward her parents who were observing them with pleasant smiles.

  “Danica’s father and I did some ballroom dancing when we were younger. I’m sure you’ll do fine, Darren. You’ve got great posture.” Mrs. Reed gave his bicep a light pat, her eyes widening in surprise. “And what a strong upper body you have! You said he was ripped, Dannie, but I had no idea—”

  “Mom!” Danica quickly stepped in between her mother and Darren. She made a slicing motion with one hand over her neck. “We get the idea.”

  Mr. Reed let out a hearty laugh. “What your mother was trying to say is that good posture leads to good form, so Darren has all the makings of a dancer.”

  “Exactly.” Mrs. Reed graced Darren with a bright smile. “You’ll be fine. You’re in good hands with our Dannie.”

  “And we trust she’s in good hands with you, too,” Mr. Reed added in a firmer tone, despite the grin on his face.

  “Of course.” Darren nodded eagerly. “You have nothing to worry about, sir. I’ll treat her with the utmost respect.”

  “I’m counting on it.”

  “And that’s our cue to go,” Danica jumped in quickly. “Sorry to cut this conversation short, but we need to get going.” She turned to Darren, but couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “The reservation’s at seven, right?”

  “Right. We should head out. It was so nice to meet you both.” Darren shook Mr. Reed’s outstretched hand, then received a warm hug from Mrs. Reed. After Danica had kissed both her parents goodbye, he led her out the door and down the driveway.

  Once they were seated in his sedan and pulling away from the curb, Danica leaned her head back and groaned. “Can we please pretend none of that just happened?”

  Darren bit back a laugh, feeling bad that he enjoyed seeing Danica flustered. He couldn’t stop admiring how beautiful she looked with her cheeks flushed. Even still, he understood how embarrassed she must feel. He softened his tone and feigned ignorance, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Exhaling in relief, Danica pretended to wipe sweat from her forehead. “Thank you,” she stated graciously. “And for the record, I didn’t tell my mom you were ripped. I said you had a lot of muscles … which is pretty much the same thing, isn’t it?” she added, wincing.

  “Pretty much. I appreciate the compliment though.” Darren allowed himself a soft chuckle once Danica started laughing. He loved that she didn’t take herself too seriously. When he stopped at a signal light, he looked over at her at the same time she turned toward him. The air between them felt warm, almost electric, as they locked gazes. The sweet citrus scent of Danica’s hair filled his senses, giving him a heady sensation and making it hard to think. After a moment, a horn blared from behind, making them both jump. Darren stepped on the gas, crossing the intersection as the light turned yellow. “Sorry, I’m usually a better driver.”

  “No worries. I understand how nerve-wracking it is to meet the parents. Plus, my mom and dad are totally out of practice. It’s been a long time since I brought a guy home. I’m sorry they put you on the spot like that.”

  “They were fine. I enjoyed talking to them. How’s your dad doing, by the way? I know his health was the reason why you moved back home.”

  “He’s better. He’s been in remission for two months now. The doctors are really optimistic about his progress.”

  “That’s great to hear. Your parents remind me so much of my own mom and dad. I don’t get to see them much now, since they retired and moved to Texas. They’ll be coming out for Aiden’s wedding, of course, and to meet So
fie.”

  “They sound like a wonderful couple. Abby’s always telling me how much she loves them, especially your dad. Her own dad wasn’t around much when she was growing up, so it’s a real blessing for her to have a future father-in-law who’s such a great example of a godly man. I bet that’s why you turned out so amazing—I mean, uh, the five of you did.”

  With his eyes fixed on the road, Darren couldn’t see if Danica was blushing, but he heard the embarrassment in her voice. She’d stumbled over her last few words and immediately turned toward her passenger window. There wasn’t anything about the small city streets they were driving through that was particularly interesting. She was obviously avoiding his gaze. He tried to lighten the moment by downplaying her comment. “My brothers are the real stars of the family. I’m just a guy who gets to wear a cool uniform and ride in a big red truck.”

  Danica turned to face him, chuckling. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you. When you said big red truck, it reminded me of Clifford. Whenever I hear the words big and red together, I think of him. Do you know who Clifford is?” she asked with a bit of hesitation. “I know you don’t like to read, so I don’t want to assume.”

  “I do know him. And Emily Elizabeth, too,” he added with a proud grin. At least there was one book he could talk to Danica about. “My mom made sure to read to us when we were young. She was a teacher, so there were always books around the house. Only Brandon got her love of reading though, and her blonde hair and blue eyes. The rest of us take after our dad.”

  Danica smiled. “Isn’t it amazing how God created us? We all have the same set of twenty thousand genes, but the slight variations in them determine what we look like. Even siblings in the same family, like yours, can look completely different from each other. I find it all so fascinating. If I didn’t love literature so much, I’d probably be a scientist.”

  “Oh yeah?” he asked as he turned into the parking lot behind Sticky Lips, the barbecue restaurant where they were headed for dinner. The small square lot was nearly full on this Friday night, except for one space at the end of the second row. He maneuvered the car there, then turned off the engine. Turning to face Danica, he gave her his full attention. He was discovering how easy it was to talk to her and how much he wanted to get to know her. He hadn’t felt this comfortable with a woman since his ex. To find another woman that he connected with and felt so comfortable with was a pleasant surprise. “What would you study?”