Page 23 of Under Ground

Maria laughs. “I’m babysitting, Casey. Not sitting on you.”

Casey lets go and thrusts her index finger into her mouth, still looking up at me.

“I’m taking your mom out somewhere real nice for dinner, and then I’ll bring her straight back to you,” I say, ruffling Casey’s hair.

She drops her hand, giggles, and buries her face in my leg. I love that she’s so comfortable with me—that has to be a good thing in Lana’s book, but it’s her mother I’m out to impress.

“Right. I’m ready.” Lana appears in the doorway leading to the hall, and I let go of a long breath. She’s wearing a long-sleeved black dress that ends about halfway down her thighs. It hugs her figure as if it were made especially for her—maybe it was.

She’s wearing light makeup, enough to highlight the blue of her eyes, and her hair is swept up onto her head in a tight bun.

I already find her beautiful, but right now, she’s breathtaking.

“I … uhhh …”

Maria laughs. It’s soft, but I hear it, and I raise one eyebrow as I turn my head to look at her, and she grins at me in return.

“Let’s get going,” I say, returning my gaze to Lana.

There’s only one thing I know at this moment in time.

I’m an insanely lucky man.

* * *

“Where are we going?” she asks, as we make our way through Havelock North and toward Te Mata Peak.

It might be a small town, but it punches above its weight as far as restaurants and wineries are concerned. Once I found out about the place we’re going to, I couldn’t think of anywhere better. “Peak House.”

She smiles. “I’ve always wanted to go there. I’ve just never been sure about taking Casey fancy places.”

“I’m sure she’d love it. But I’m glad it’s just us.” I change gear and shoot another glance at her.

“Me too.” She sucks in an audible breath and places her hand on top of mine. It’s a bold move coming from her, but I love it. Her hand lingers there for a moment before she removes it, but it gives me the signal that tonight’s special for her. It makes me all the more determined to make it better than her wildest dreams.

The restaurant is about halfway up the hill, and the road gets a little twisty along the way. Pulling into the car park, I find a spot and come to a stop. I look at Lana. “Ready?”

“Yes. I’m so looking forward to this.”

I grin. “Me too.”

After opening her car door, I lead her into the restaurant where we’re shown to our seats. It’s a simple layout with wooden tables and chairs and a polished wooden floor. I also know from looking online it’s not too expensive—the last thing I needed was to intimidate Lana with something too pricey.

“Here’s the menu. I’ll give you a moment to look it over and I’ll take your drinks order.” The waitress smiles.

“Thank you,” I say.

She nods. “You’re welcome.”

After we’ve selected drinks and our meals, I knit my fingers together and look across at my date. She’s got her head down, and she’s fiddling with the knife and fork.

“I get the impression you don’t go out much?” I ask.

Lana looks up and shakes her head. “Not really. I left home, got a job, didn’t date before Casey, and then she became my life.”

“You’re amazing.”

She drops her gaze. “I’m just living my life. Same as a lot of people.”

---