Sparks Fly

was going to lean in to kiss her and she could hardly wait to feel the sweet pressure of his lips on hers. Instead, he stood and reached out a hand to help her up.
    “So, tell me, what were you thinking so hard about before I got here?”
    Angelina reeled slightly from the change of subject. “I wasn’t thinking about anything much,”
    she lied, knowing she couldn’t possibly admit that she’d been thinking about him. “Your mother said she was going to rest a little, but I’m sure she’s waiting for me by now. I should be heading back.”
    Will, who hadn’t let go of her hand yet, said, “Not so fast. Mom can wait. Right now, you’re coming with me to my favorite place.”
    Not even bothering to protest—she wanted to be with him more than she wanted to do a consultation, especially now that he was being straight with her—she followed him willingly to his car.
    “Where are you taking me?”
    He waggled his eyebrows at her. “This trip is on a need-to-know basis. And you, sweet Angelina, don’t need to know.”
    A few minutes later, they arrived at the site of a small carnival, complete with a Ferris wheel, a miniature roller coaster, an arcade, and a booth selling cotton candy and toffee-covered popcorn.
    He was out in a flash to open her car door. Her hand in his, he made a beeline for the Ferris wheel.

    “Madam,” he said as he paid for their tickets and helped her into the slightly sticky seat, “your carriage awaits.”
    Amazingly, Angelina really did feel like a princess. They inched closer and closer to the top as the rest of the passengers boarded. When they reached the very top, he said, “When I was a kid, I thought this was the top of the world. I would save all my paper route money and come here with a fistful of nickels, just to see what the world looked like from the sky, over and over again.”
    Angelina followed his gaze out across the lake to the thick forest beyond. “It’s incredibly beautiful.”
    “Every summer I’d memorize this picture, trying to keep it with me for the next nine months until I could come back.”
    She felt like she was looking straight into his heart. “Couldn’t you have taken a photograph back with you?”
    “A picture could never do this justice. I tried to paint it once in college, but ...” He stopped short.
    Angelina was so shocked to find out Will could paint, that for a moment she was utterly speechless. By the time she regained the use of her tongue, all she could manage was a lame, “I didn’t know you painted.” Realizing she sounded like an idiot, she added, “Except for finger paints, that is.”
    He gave her a confused look, so she explained, “Your mother told me how you used to smear finger paints all over the house when you were a little boy.”
    He was quiet for a long moment. “Funny. I don’t remember that.”
    She laughed. “She definitely does.” Will grinned and Angelina fit the puzzle pieces together.
    “You really take after her, don’t you?”
    “I wish. I used to fiddle with painting in college, but eventually I accepted that the only way I was ever going to make a living was out in the real world, working in an office like everyone else.”
    Even as she listened to Will’s disparaging remarks about his artistic talent, or lack thereof, Angelina guessed he was being far harder on himself than any art critic or teacher could have been. Not only was he discounting all of his special talents that made it possible for him to start a Fortune 500
    company, but she could hear the passion and longing in his voice when he talked about painting, no matter how he tried to disguise it.
    Too soon their ride was over and she lost her chance to probe deeper into Will’s artistic past. He grabbed her hand and directed them across the park to the mini roller coaster. After they were seated, Angelina said, “You should know, I’m not very good on roller coasters.”
    Will gestured to the pint-sized ride. “Even ones with butterflies and sunflowers?”
    “Even those.” At his look of disbelief, she explained, “When I was about five a fair came to our town in Idaho. It had a roller coaster like this one and I begged my father to let me ride it, even though he said I was too small.”
    Will gave Angelina a slow smile. “Let me guess. You didn’t give up until you got your way.”
    She lightly punched him on the arm before continuing her story. “I still remember that ride. It was the scariest thing I had ever done. I