Page 38 of Fake It True

My friends collectively giggled at that.

“I’m not opposed to it,” I finally said. “But I’m not going to report back.”

“Nothing wrong with a little privacy,” Tish said dryly.

By the time Friday rolled around, I was beyond impatient. Things had been blessedly quiet as far as hearing anything else from my parents, or Nathaniel. Officer Blankenship told me they were in a holding pattern with the case moving forward as the prosecution team negotiated with the various attorneys involved.

Leo had texted me he wanted to take me out to dinner. Initially, I thought that meant we’d be going out to dinner withDora and his parents. When he picked me up, I asked, “Are they meeting us there?”

He slid his gaze to mine as he shook his head.

“Dora?”

His smile was slow and sent my belly into a swoop. “Just you and me, sweetheart,” he murmured as he leaned across the console to kiss me.

By the time he lifted his head, I was breathless with heat pooling low in my belly. I felt liquid all over. I was relieved I was sitting down because no doubt my knees would’ve given out otherwise. As it was, I needed time to recover.

“Oh. Is that okay?” I belatedly asked a moment later.

Leo pulled out of the parking area. “Is what okay?”

“Don’t you usually have dinner with Dora and your parents on Friday before she stays over there?”

“Not always. When Dora first came to me in Juneau, I didn’t even have a bedroom for her. She stayed with my parents for a little while. When I decided to move here because the job opened up, it was ideal for them to finally move back completely and keep up with one overnight a week. That way, Dora’s comfortable there.” His eyes slid to mine as he slowed to turn down a side road off of Main Street. “Now that I’m seeing you, it makes for a convenient night for us to do something. We can have dinner with them sometimes, but it’s not a requirement.”

“What did you do on Fridays before we met?”

“Sometimes I had dinner with them, sometimes I went out with the guys. Sometimes I just hung out at my place and relaxed.”

He reached over, squeezing my knee, the brief touch sending heat and sparks scattering through me.

I tried to breathe. “Where are we going?”

“I thought we’d go to Fireweed Winery. Is that okay?”

“Of course! I love good food, and I’ve heard the winery is amazing.”

A few minutes later, Leo slowed to a stop while we waited for a moose and two calves to cross the road. I smiled as I watched them. While the mama moose looked like she was ambling, her calves were hurrying to keep pace.

“I never could’ve imagined how often I would see moose here. It’s wild,” I said with a little laugh.

Leo chuckled as he waited until they fully crossed the road before beginning to drive forward again. “They’re pretty much everywhere.”

“I haven’t seen a grizzly bear yet though, and I’ve decided I’m fine with that.”

“Yeah?” he prompted as he turned into the parking area for Fireweed Winery.

“I saw one of the taxidermy ones at the airport. They’re huge! Once, when I went out to the transfer station, I saw the tracks for one. Their claws are so long that they wouldn’t even have to be trying to hurt you to really hurt you.”

“They don’t want to encounter humans either. They’re just living their life being bears,” Leo said wryly. “If you ever wanted to see them, we could fly over to Katmai Park. They have the viewing platforms there, and it’s pretty safe.”

A short while later, we were in the restaurant and I glanced around. “Until I moved here, I didn’t realize Fireweed Industries was from Alaska. They’re kind of a big deal.”

Leo flashed a smile. “When I was growing up, they ran a mine in Willow Brook. That shut down, right about when my parents moved to Juneau. Their winery and brewery started the whole thing. They’re kind of the craft beer equivalent of one of the big beer places. Once that took off, they kept expanding into other things. Their flagship distribution place and restaurant are in Fireweed Harbor. It’s nice they opened this here. I’m hopingthey’re going to start doing local’s night like they do in Fireweed Harbor.”

“What do they do for that?”

“Discounts in the restaurant for locals. The best part is you get to taste test their wines and beers, including ones that aren’t officially in production yet.” Leo waggled his brows. “It’s fun.”

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