Page 90 of Coveted Justice

“I love pizza. It’s one of my favorite foods. I could eat it at every meal.”

She knew Josh loved it, too. That’s why they’d both been so enthusiastic about eating here. Again.

With the check taken care of, they walked out of the restaurant. Josh captured her hand in his and they walked that way - hand in hand - to his truck. He opened the door for her again which he didn’t have to do but she thought it was a really nice gesture. He must have had a lecture from Uncle Reed before he’d picked her up tonight, because he’d never opened her car door before. Clearly, she was capable of doing it herself.

He started the vehicle but didn’t pull out onto the street right away.

“How about we drive down to the lake? I kind of have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?”

“A birthday surprise. But only if you want to. I can take you home if you’d rather.”

She didn’t want to go home. She was enjoying her evening with Josh and frankly, she didn’t want it to end.

And she was curious as to what kind of surprise he had in mind. She wasn’t a hugely spontaneous person and wasn’t always fond of surprises, but Josh didn’t seem like the type to plan something that she wouldn’t like.

“No, let’s go to the lake. That sounds nice.”

It was a beautiful night, the moon high in the sky and the stars twinkling above. One of those perfect summer nights that never seemed to last long enough, but she’d think about when it was cold and snowy.

Josh parked next to the shore, pulling in so that the truck bed was facing the water. He twisted around and pointed to the back of the truck.

“How about we sit outside? I think it’s warm enough.”

That tension was back but this time it was something different. It was…romantic. And sexual. She wanted Josh to put his arm around her again. She wanted him to kiss and touch her. If she was reading this situation correctly, he wanted to do the same thing.

It might be her birthday, but boys brought girls to the lake after dark for one thing. Parking. At least that’s what they’d called it in high school.

Josh lowered the tailgate and she sat down. He handed her a blanket before ducking back into the cab of the truck.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, his voice a little muffled. “I need to get something for the surprise.”

She didn’t have a clue what he was doing, but the next thing she knew he was walking toward her carrying a small cake with a lit candle stuck in the center.

He’d bought her a cake. It looked like it was her favorite, too.

Chocolate fudge.

“Are you going to make a wish?”

She wasn’t sure what she should wish for. Right now, it felt like she had everything in the world.

Another kiss. That’s what she wanted. From Josh.

Closing her eyes, she let an image of Josh kissing her run through her mind before blowing out the single candle. When she opened her eyes, Josh was grinning and holding two plastic forks.

“I say we dig in.”

It sounded like the perfect plan.

“Thank you,” she said in between bites of melt in the mouth cake. It had fudge icing, too, along with a whipped mousse filling. “This is a great surprise.”

“I’m glad you like it. I was worried that you wouldn’t like the cake I picked out. I tried to remember your favorite.”

“Chocolate is always a good choice. This is delicious.”

They didn’t say much until their stomachs were full and the cake was gone. It had been the perfect size, just enough for two people to enjoy.

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