Page 52 of Stirring Up Love
But not interesting enough to lose sight of his master plan. “Grand Canyon.”
She shook her head, chewing. Swallowed and said, “That’s three and a half hours north. We’re headed east.”
“Did you study maps all night or something?” Not answering, she took a bite, and he laughed. “Oh my gosh, you did, didn’t you?” Actually, that played right into his hand.
“In that case, you’re aware that the picturesque town of Sedona”—he unfurled the final pamphlet and held it up in front of his face—“is an hour closer. With scenery rivaling the beauty of the Grand Canyon.”
“Ha,” she said. “Is that gem written in the brochure?”
He put it down, scanned the trifold page. “It is not, but it should be.” She was looking at the pictures. “Beautiful, right? Majestic, even.” He was laying it on as thick as the layer of syrup on his waffle, but it seemed to be working.
After another moment’s consideration, Simone sat back and folded her arms. “You promised me we’d get back in time for my sister’s bachelorette party. That’s the only reason I agreed to this drive.”
He licked his lips. “Right, and we will. But you’re the one who wanted to stop overnight. What’s one more detour?”
“First of all, this wasn’t a detour. Phoenix was on the way. And secondly, I needed a break from you, okay?”
Oh. Okay.
“Oh gosh, now you’re doing it again. The pouty face.”
He bit his lip. “The one that made you kiss me?”
“See?” She sat forward and shoved a spoonful of oatmeal in her mouth, talking while she chewed. “This is why I needed a break.”
Ohh. That was new information. He pressed a thumb to his lips, to test a theory. Simone dodged her eyes down, quick, then coughed, and he smiled. “So you liked the kiss?”
“I wasn’t the one who said it was a mistake.”
She had him there. Except despite what he’d said, his only mistake was pulling away. “Okay. But Sedona ...”
She laughed. “What is it with you and this sightseeing kick?”
Besides the joy of seeing the country—he wasn’t faking an interest in exploring—he desperately needed more time to prove he wasn’ta total jerk. “You’re not the least bit interested in seeing cactuses up close?”
“Cacti. And what’s so cool about them? They’re basically pine trees’ big bad cousins.”
“What?”
This time she chewed and swallowed before answering, her thin gold bracelet sliding down her arm as she gestured. “The spikes. They’re basically more aggressive pine needles.”
He tipped his head back and laughed. “Wow. Just ... wow.” He bent and shoved a forkful of waffle in. Winced, regretting it. So. Much. Sugar. “So you really wanna drive straight back home?”
Simone nodded. “That’s literally what we agreed to.”
“Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.” Or two hundredthousand, because if they got back home with her still unconvinced, there went his chances.
She pillowed her chin on her knuckles and blinked at him, angelic. That couldn’t bode well. “How about we drive straight home, only stopping for gas and caffeine. How does that sound?”
Finn gave a thumbs-down. “You make me sad, Simone.” He picked up her coffee and took a big gulp before she could stop him.
“You make my head hurt, Finn.” She went to take a drink but wrinkled her nose and stood up. She grabbed a clean mug off the stack. Something about the gesture was so petulant that it warmed his heart and pissed him off at the same time.
“Maybe I’ll save you the effort of weaseling out of the deal, because I don’t want to be in business with a party pooper.”
She put the mug back, stomped over, and took a big, hearty swig of their shared coffee. “I am so not a party pooper. I’m the fun one.”
He snorted. “Keep telling yourself that.”
