Page 124 of Banter & Blushes

“Guess he likes you, Mayor Hollis.” Beck grinned as he walked up to snap a leash on the dog’s collar. “Wasn’t sure if you were coming.”

“I wasn’t, either.” Sliding out of the golf cart, she swung a large tote over her shoulder. “I thought we could…”

“I’m not talking business tonight, Hollis.” Beck whistled and gave a light tug on the leash. “I have the casserole warming in the oven. Are you ready to eat?”

“I’m starving.”

“Hope you like paper plates and drinking out of a coffee mug,” he said. “I’m not exactly stocked for surprise dinner parties.”

“I never guessed.”

He gestured to the porch. Caroline followed him, and Quint followed her.

The screen door squeaked as they entered, and the warm, cheesy aroma filled the air. Caroline’s stomach growled despite her nerves. Beck grabbed two tattered beach towels just inside the door and threw one across the worn kitchen table before spreading the other on the floor. Quint settled in quickly, his tail sweeping back and forth with gleeful anticipation.

She looked around at the small cottage. The interior was minimal and comfortably worn, a reflection of Beck’s laid-back personality. Surf posters were tacked to the walls. A sun-bleached couch lined up against the wall. Caroline noted with faint amusement; a hammock was suspended in the corner like it was a legitimate piece of furniture.

“Nice place,” she said, circling back around to him.

“It’s not the Ritz, but I’m happy,” Beck replied, unclipping Quint’s leash and tossing it into a basket by the door. “We don’t need much, do we, Quint?”

“Why, Quint?”

Caroline followed him into the kitchen, where Beck opened a cabinet filled mostly with mugs boasting about tourist destinations and a stack of paper plates. He grabbed two of each and set them down.

Putting on his best Irish brogue, he lowered his voice. “He took eleven hundred sticks in the water. Only three came out.” Giving her a wink, he dropped the accent. “Pretty sure the sharks took the rest.”

“So, you named him Quint after the captain in the shark movie?”

“One of my favorite summer movies. The dog loves his sticks.” Opening the fridge, he looked inside. “I have water, energy drinks, a few bottles of beer, and a bottle of …” He pulled out a green bottle with a peeling label from the back of the fridge and snorted. “Questionable apple cider from a tea party when my sister and niece visited. I think it’s been in there for two years.”

“I’ll have whatever you’re drinking.”

“It won’t be this.” Beck placed the green bottle on the counter and pulled out two beers, twisting off the caps before handing one to Caroline. “We can eat outside.” His free hand swept through the air. “It’s part of the ambiance.”

Caroline took the bottle and looked at him skeptically. “Paper plates and beach towels? I’d hate to know what you think of as a formal dinner.”

“More beach towels. Classy ones.”

They both laughed, and Beck clinked his bottle against hers. “Cheers,” he said before taking a sip. It was easy and relaxed, like the relaxed way they had joked during the meeting. “Grab the plates. I’ll get the food.”

Caroline hesitated; her heart caught in a strange tug-of-war. There was something unexpectedly intimate about dining on the porch.

Just the two of them.Alone.

Her heart fluttered with a mix of apprehension and excitement.

Stop it, Caroline,she thought.This isn’t a date.

She didn’t date. This was impulsive, and she wasn’t impulsive.

“What did you say?” Beck asked, pulling the casserole out of the oven.

“I said nothing.”

“I thought I heard you mention a date.”

Caroline wanted to curl up and die. “I may have been thinking about a date for the gala, nothing else.”

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