Page 57 of Picking Pismo

David hugged her back. “It was my pleasure. Now go and have a great time with your friends. You can eat all the candy you want. Your dentist can deal with the consequences.”

Claire walked Alexis and Juliet out to the parking lot, double checking with Juliet’s mom about the girls’ plans for the weekend and confirming what time Juliet’s mom would drop her off later that evening. They drove off, and Claire wandered back inside to the empty office. The lights in the exam room were off. Claire peeked into the next few rooms looking for David.

A room past the bathroom had the lights on, Claire called out down the long hallway, “David, are you back there?”

She waited for a reply.

A second later, David emerged from a side door. He flipped off one of the hallway lights as he strode toward her. Claire froze in place, locking eyes with him. Gulping, her palms began to sweat, and her insides turned on themselves.

Managing to find her voice, Claire said, “There you are.” Without thinking, she fluffed her hair unnecessarily.

Without breaking eye contact, David closed the gap between them. Clearing his throat, David replied, “Here I am.” He reached, giving her hand a small squeeze before letting go. “Did Alexis get off okay?”

Claire nodded. “She’s off and ready to live her best life.”

“How about you?” David tilted his head, studying her. “Are you ready to go? Or did you want to swing by my parents’ house first to drop off your stuff?”

Catching a whiff of David’s manly scent, Claire nearly stumbled forward while she said, “I don’t care. Either way.”

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, David’s steady strength settled her. “If you don’t care, let’s head out. I don’t want to miss the sunset. I have everything packed and loaded into my truck. Sarah helped me get everything ready,” said David.

“Sounds perfect,” said Claire.

Then David kissed her on the temple, breaking their physical barrier even more. “I can’t wait.”

The words rang in her ears, nearly making her pool into a puddle on the floor. Leading Claire out of his office, David locked up and then took her hand as they walked across the parking lot to his truck.

His skin against hers sent a zing down her back. And BOOM. Claire knew she was in love.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

At the stoplight, David tugged at his collar. Stealing a glance at Claire, he asked, “Is the temperature, okay? Or should I adjust it?”

Before she responded, David reached out and cranked up the air conditioning. Was it just him? Or was his truck suddenly a thousand degrees? His brow slick with sweat, he swiped it with the back of his hand. He turned his attention back to the stoplight.

“I’m fine.” Claire shifted in her seat, leaning closer to him. “But I don’t mind you blasting the AC.”

“Sorry, I tend to run a little warm.” David pushed up the sleeves of his shirt. “It’s one of my many glaringly obvious flaws.”

Claire laughed. “Flaws?” She squeezed his forearm. “You’re such a liar. I happen to think you’re terrific, nonexistent flaws and all.” She smiled warmly.

“I think my ex-wife would beg to differ,” replied David.

“Lauren’s an idiot,” Claire stated flatly.

David chuckled, easing the tension in his neck and shoulders. His nostrils flared from a whiff of her perfume. “Enough about Lauren. Did the drive go okay? Any traffic?”

Claire replied, “There was a little traffic getting out of the city, but overall, not too bad.” She gazed out the passenger side window, staring at the view of the ocean peeking out between the homes. “I don’t know when we’ll make the trip again. Once Alexis starts school, we won’t have the time or money to keep coming down here.”

His gut clenched tight. “I’d love to see you and Alexis whenever you manage to come up,” said David.

David wished he knew a better response. He wanted to scream Pick me! Pick Pismo! But how could he ask that of her? What did he have to offer her? You could marry her. He let the idea settle.

Shifting in her seat, Claire paused. She opened her mouth to speak, but then quickly shut it. Finally, after a long pause, she said, “I’m sure we would enjoy seeing you too.”

Grover Beach came into view. David pulled into the parking lot then followed behind the few other cars making their entrance onto the packed sand. He drove slowly, but the truck bounced up and down on the uneven sand.

Claire gripped onto his arm. Her fingernails nearly piercing his skin. “Are you sure this is safe?” She glanced at him. “Have you done this before? Or is your truck going to get stuck? I can’t dig us out. I don’t have the upper body strength.”

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