Page 53 of Your Two Lips
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re a regular here?”
“I grew up here. Every local is a regular here.” Oh, right.
“I’ve only been a few times for lunch or coffee. What’s good for breakfast?”
“Everything.” The dimples again. “I like the veggie egg white omelet.”
“That sounds almost as healthy as a kale and beet smoothie,” I teased, not looking up from the menu.
“I get mine with a side of the orange French toast.”
“Ooo. I’ll have that too.”
The food arrived, and the reviews didn’t lie. It was delicious. Steamed tender fresh vegetables in the omelet and the right amount of vanilla and orange in the French toast.
“Alex and Angela seemed thrilled with their prize, a Mariners’ game with a player meet and greet,” I said.
“They’re both big baseball fans. ‘This is the year for the Mariners,’ they always say.”
I picked at the rest of my omelet. “How would you like to use our prize?”
“I hadn’t thought about it.” He winked. “I don’t know the place, The Lodge in Woodinville.”
“I do. It’s a nice hotel with a restaurant and, of course, a spa, on the edge of the Woodinville wine country.”
“I didn’t think wine grapes grew west of the Cascades.”
“They grow the grapes on the other side of the mountains and then bring them over, usually in the cool of the night like smugglers.” Finn raised his eyebrows. “My sister-in-law works at a winery.”
“The gift certificate is for two hundred dollars,” Finn said.
“We could have a nice dinner at the restaurant or enjoy a couple of spa treatments. We could make a weekend of it. Get a room. They have jetted tubs and luxurious amenities. My treat.”
Something flashed in his eyes. “Emily, I can afford to pay for a hotel.”
“Of course you can. I can too, and I would like to say thank you for all the training you did with me. I’m a better biker because of you.” His expression softened. “Oh, and the Burke Gilman bike trail goes right by it. We could take our bikes and get in a ride.”
His smile returned. “You know the way to my heart. Do you want to book it, or should I?”
“I’ll do it. Maybe I’ll throw in a few surprises for you.” I winked.
“The only surprise I am interested in involves you and no clothes in a soft bed for twenty-four hours.” Cue the sparks in all my pink parts.
“You know the way to my heart too.” My heart. Wait, no. Not heart. Sex goddess, sex goddess, sex goddess. Not forever.
36
FINN
We continued our midweek rides,though now for fun and the opportunity to start and end with a few heated kisses. Emily had taken my breath away the night after the race, putting herself out there like that. And the morning shower … that was hot. No two ways about it. How did I get to be the man she trusted with her healing body? I’d been the good guy, the fun time guy, and the toy, but I’d never been the cure. A sudden sense of unworthiness landed on my shoulders.
This was real. With Emily, I faced my fear in the bike race, and I was facing my fear of heartbreak, too.
She asked me to come to dinner with her father. After hearing about her training and the race, he said he’d like to meet me. I wasn’t sure what she told him about us and moving beyond friendship, but I wanted to pass if this was a test. Her money made me uncomfortable, but everything else about her made me feel at home, with her, and with myself.
Her dad was coming by the harbor on his way to Victoria, British Columbia, and docking for the night before a long weekend. He was late, so we grabbed ice cream at the marina while waiting. Emily would eat her favorite Island Dairy flavor anytime.
Sunlight danced on the water in the distance. Her phone chirped with a text indicating he was nearing the harbor and would dock soon in slip twelve. One of the big slips, usually reserved for yachts with wealthy owners. Emily had only said her dad worked in tech a long time and invested well. I'd say he invested really fucking well. I put that information out of my mind.
