Free Penny Serenade by Ann Cory Page B

a left at Foxglove and mine’s the second one on the left.”
    “Got it. Is it a house, or do you live in an apartment?”
    “It’s a house.”
    “Wow. Your business must be doing well.”
    “I saved big, and got an even bigger loan,” she said. “I’ll be paying that baby back for the rest of my life.”
    Dominic snorted. “Yeah, I have a whopper of a college loan. The funny thing is, I learned more from watching my dad then I did all those years of tests and presentations.” He reached up and adjusted the rearview mirror. “Oh and, about the lack of air conditioning. You’re sweet to put up with it.”
    Audrey had been too amped up on heady bliss to notice. “No biggie. My car door makes a hideous sound when you open it. I swear it could wake the dead. But I still love the old clunker.”
    His chuckle sent tiny vibrations through her. It was crazy to be this comfortable with a man, and one she still knew so little about. She’d been under his spell from day one, and each moment she spent with him she wanted to find out more. They’d be at her house soon and she didn’t want the time with him to end just yet.
    “When we get to my place, I’d like to show you something. Outside,” she added, not wanting to give him the wrong impression.
    “Do I get a hint?”
    Audrey let out a shaky breath. She didn’t want to hold anything back from him. “I have a moon garden in my backyard. It’s where I like to write on nights I’m restless.”
    In the glow of the streetlight she saw him turn to her. “What’s a moon garden?”
    “A garden created to be enjoyed in the twilight hours,” she explained. “All the flowers are night blooming and give off a very sweet fragrance. It’s got—” she paused a moment thinking why would a guy find that interesting. “You know what, never mind. It must sound silly.”
    “What? Are you kidding me? I’m excited to see it.”
    She gave him a look though she didn’t think he could see. “You’re not just saying that?”
    “No. I don’t say things that I don’t mean. I’m interested in what interests you.”
    Audrey couldn’t believe she was sharing so many things with him, and was shocked at her willingness to let him in so fast. She kept waiting for a warning bell to sound. Allowing someone in went against her nature. She couldn’t determine if the trembling in her belly was raw need or nerves.
    They turned onto Foxglove and the car slowed.
    He leaned forward, one hand on the steering wheel. “You said the second house?”
    “Yes, on the left. That one right there,” she said, pointing to the one-story blue house. “You can park next to my car on the driveway, if you’d like.”
    He turned into her driveway and her pulse thundered. It had to be nerves from sharing personal things with him. She’d told him the reason behind the pennies, and now she planned to show him her garden. Both of which were sacred to her. At first glance he’d thought her pennies frivolous things. And while she’d moved on from that, it would hurt if he thought the same about her garden.
    Audrey jumped as her door opened. She hadn’t realized the car had stopped and he’d gotten out. Dominic held his hand out while she unfastened her seatbelt. Disoriented she took his hand and set her feet on the concrete.
    “I can’t wait to see this moon garden,” he said. “I’ve never seen one.”
    “It’s not that big of a deal,” she mumbled while getting out.
    “You thought I’d be bored at the constellation show, and I thought it was great. So let me be the judge before you downplay it, okay?” He winked and rested his hand on her lower back. “After you.”
    His touch burned through her blouse and heated her skin. Whatever the reason for her sudden hesitation, it vanished as quickly as it had started. Audrey floated, rather than walked as she led him under the ivy woven arbor and into her backyard.
    Agates and pebbles trailed alongside the house and opened up to a large