One Lucky Deal by Kelli Evans

She didn’t want to know which part she hadn’t gotten correct. “Tell me more about this cleaning naked thing.”
    Candace couldn’t help herself; she laughed.
    “Do you do that? Clean our house in nothing but your birthday suit?” Tad was trying to catch sight of her eyes. Candace was too embarrassed that she’d led him to this question to meet his gaze.
    “No. It sounds dangerous.”
    “It sounds sexy,” Tad admitted, and that caught Candace’s attention. She thought for a second his voice sounded too serious, but when she caught sight of his face and found him smirking she rolled her eyes again. “Tell me you own an apron.”
    Candace shook her head at him. “Why do you always joke like that?”
    “Who said anything about joking?”
    She stared up at him, trying to decide if he was being for real, but something about it made her choke on her own laughter. “Yeah, okay.”
    She hadn’t realized until now that the song had ended a while ago and the two of them had just kept on dancing. She felt like a fool, but looking around them she realized that everyone was sort of sucked up into their own worlds. People were dancing, celebrating, laughing, and drinking around them. Everyone looked like they were having a good time.
    Candace felt completely overwhelmed and detached from the party. It was her sister’s wedding. She should have been enjoying herself. She should have been helping pin a bridesmaid’s dress—or fix someone’s hair. Instead, she was in the corner, dancing with the most handsome man under the tent and wishing that tonight when they went home that it would be together.

Chapter 8
    The next thing Candace knew Tad had danced her over to the far corner of the tent and dragged her out onto the beach. They passed a couple who had the same idea and Candace pulled back. “What are you doing?”
    “We’re ditching it.” Tad stopped and spun around to her. She felt bad for half a second. She should have stayed. She was never going to hear the end of it from Ronnie if they just took off, but the thought of being out there on the beach with Tad was so much better than being in there finding a girl for Tad to take home.
    “Wouldn’t you rather be inside picking up some single bimbo?” Candace asked, her weight still pulling against him, her feet digging into the sand.
    Tad looked over her shoulder toward the tent. The wind was blowing just the tips of his finger-combed hair, and he’d already lost the tie to his tux somewhere. The band was playing some tune with an extensive saxophone riff, and Candace was certain she could smell the champagne in the air.
    “No, it’s been tapped. There’s nothing good left in there.” Tad shook his head, but Candace knew that was a lie. Although she wasn’t about to argue with him.
    She straightened but didn’t pull her hand out of his. She left it there and hoped he wouldn’t pull away either. They walked along the beach until the wedding was just a little speck of light and noise in the distance. At this pace they were going to walk themselves home in no time. Candace slowed her feet. She even stopped completely for a minute to slip off her shoes.
    With the end of her dress and the straps of her shoes in hand, she padded along the beach on the packed wet sand. Every once in awhile a wave would reach her ankles and cause goose bumps to race all over her skin. She didn’t really mind because Tad’s large body blocked most of the wind.
    “All right, so what’s been making you so edgy lately?” Tad turned to her.
    The light of the moon shimmered on the water and tossed a glow across the two of them. Tad looked even better in moonlight, and she hadn’t thought it possible. “I guess I’ve just been stressed. Everything seems to take extra effort lately.”
    “Even me?”
    “Especially you,” Candace said before she could stop herself.
    “I know what you mean.” Tad nodded, but Candace didn’t know if he did or not. She sure wasn’t going to