Page 76 of Love on the Run

He’d keep his mouth shut on that point. Brittany did seem to like Anna, but she also overstepped her bounds a little too often for his taste.

“We don’t have anything planned tomorrow except the church service in the morning. Should I ask her to have lunch with me?” Anna asked.

“If that’s what you want. This is your trip, remember. You’re in charge.”

Anna’s eyes widened. “Wow. Ten missed messages.”

“From who?”

“Brittany.”

Beau tapped his knuckles on the table. “I’m not trying to make decisions for you, but that’s a lot. It might be a good idea to put some distance between you two.”

Anna’s shoulders rose and fell as she typedquickly on the phone. “She sends so many messages. I can’t keep up.”

Reaching out, Beau rested a hand over Anna’s braced wrist. “Stop. You don’t have to reply to every message and email immediately. This is your time.”

She looked up at him, and the crease between her brows disappeared. “You’re right. I’ll reply to the messages after dinner.”

Great. Now that she wasn’t on the verge of exploding, Beau released her hand. It wasn’t a good idea to hang onto her longer than necessary.

She pulled her hands back and twirled the rings on her fingers. “This has been the best trip I’ve ever taken.”

Beau sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m glad.”

Their waiter appeared and took their orders before slipping away again.

Anna leaned forward, propping her arms on the table. “Where does this trip rank for you?”

“That’s not really a fair question. I haven’t been away from home many times.”

“Still, would you rate this experience a five out of ten?”

Beau shook his head. This was a dangerous game. He didn’t like lying, but telling her the truth was just asking for trouble.

“Higher or lower?” she asked, twirling her rings again.

“Higher.”

“Seven?”

“Higher.”

“Nine?” she asked, eyes wide and ridiculously beautiful.

Shoot. He might as well seal his fate. It was impossible to resist her when she asked for anything.

“Higher.”

Anna’s smile spread wide, and she clasped her hands in excitement.

Well, she clasped her right hand. The left one was still injured, and something shiny fell to the floor.

She gasped. “I dropped my ring.”

“I’ll get it.” Beau slid out of his seat and knelt beside the table. The ring shone underneath the table. He picked it up and handed it to her.

A loud gasp from a woman behind him drew his attention. The woman was staring at him with a wide-open mouth.

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