Page 26 of The Summer Dare
“Did you move around a lot growing up?”
“For the first five years of my life—yes. But after my parents divorced, Mom moved us to live near her family at University Place.”
“Does your mom still live there?”
Shaking my head, I continue, “No. When Dad got his last assignment, an opportunity for her to become a traveling nurse landed in her lap and Lizzy moved in with him.”
When we hear the engine of Jared’s truck, Ryan leans closer to me and says, “That’s my cue… I can’t wait for this day to be over so I can spend more time with you.”
With that, he kisses me quickly, then stands to take his plate to the sink.
“Just put them in the sink. I’ll take care of it in a minute,” I offer, bringing my own dish to join his.
When he’s halfway through the sliding glass door to the deck, he stops to face me. “Thanks again for lunch. I’m looking forward to tonight.” With that, he shuts the door and walks across the deck out of sight.
He has no idea how much I’m looking forward to seeing him this evening.
I spend the necessary time cleaning up the kitchen before heading up to my room to read. With the constant banging against the wall, I groan in frustration. There’s no way I can read under these conditions.
Grabbing my e-reader, I slip on my flip-flops and head downstairs. Stopping in the guest bathroom, I apply sunscreen and grab the large beach blanket that’s stored in the linen closet. Then I grab my favorite folding chair from the garage and some snacks before heading to my second favorite place in Seaside—the beach.
While Jared finishesthe last few things today, I fill out my paperwork and check in with Dad to update him on today’s progress. As I listen to him drone on about the progress of a remodel he’s doing in Long Beach, my thoughts return to Lanie. I can’t wait to spend more time with her tonight. It’s like each minute took an hour to pass. I can’t wait to finish my day, so I can spend the evening with her. It’s been hell, attempting to go through the motions of my typical work day.
Finally, when I see Jared heading this way, I make an excuse to end the call with my dad. “Hey, Dad, Jared’s about to leave. I’d better get going.”
“Okay, Son. I’ll talk with you tomorrow.”
Jared walks to his truck as if he’s purposely trying to torture me—slow and without a care in the world. He takes his sweet time putting each of his personal tools in his cargo box. Is he gonna pull out a label maker and color code them, too?
Jesus Christ, man. Just get in your friggin’ truck and leave.
Nope—I can’t be that lucky. The bastard has to pull out his phone and do something with it before even turning over the engine. Finally, he puts his truck in gear and starts rolling down the road.
When his rig is finally out of sight, I grab the bag I’d hastily packed when I ran home this morning. There’s no way I wanted to waste more time by driving across town before my date tonight. Before I can exit the vehicle, Lanie’s walking down the steps from the back deck and rounding the corner of the house.
The moment her eyes meet mine, a heart-stopping smile spreads across her face. My chest tightens and apparently, I turn into all thumbs, getting out. Thankfully, she’s none the wiser of the fact that I nearly fall out of my truck when my toe catches on the bottom lip of the doorjamb.
Could I look any less graceful?
Rocking back on her heels, she pulls her lower lip under her teeth. “I wasn’t sure what the plan was. Ready to come inside, or do you need to finish your day first?”
My eyes dart to the bag in the front seat. “If you don’t mind me changing here, I’d rather stay.”
Her eyes roam over me from head to toe. “Yesterday, I noticed you’d showered after work. I’ve got plenty of towels and hot water if you wanna use it.”
Only if you join me, almost rolls off my tongue, but somehow, I manage to keep that thought to myself. Instead, I merely nod and agree. “I’ll just be a few minutes.”
Smiling she reaches for my hand. “Well, we’ve got aboutthirty minutes until dinner’s ready, so take your time.” With that, she leads me inside and shows me which bathroom to use. Wasting no time, as soon as I’m alone, I shuck off my clothes and take the fastest shower humanly possible. It’s like I can’t get back to her fast enough.
As I descend the stairs, my mouth waters the moment I smell the delicious aroma of Lanie’s cooking. When I enter the kitchen, the cheesy casserole is on the stove, and on the counter is more cantaloupe from this afternoon along with a salad. But as I look around the room, Lanie’s nowhere to be found.
Confused, I call out, “Lanie?”
A second later, she appears in the hall. “Just grabbing the growler from the fridge in the garage.”
When I see Pop’s logo, I grin. “Decided to try the Puckering Pear, I see. Is that where you wandered off to today?”
“Yeah, I ended up near Pop’s, and I thought I’d give it a try.”
