Page 12 of Fighting Fate

Which made Rosie once again question just why Adam was there with her. And why he’d asked her for another date, too. He must have women throwing themselves at him. Why would a man like Adam pick me, a girl who’s average in just about every way?

“Finished?” Adam said, nodding towards her glass.

“Sure,” she agreed, wondering why he was in such a hurry to get out of there. They could have had another drink. Though when she stood up and turned around, she saw what he’d obviously already seen; a queue of people outside the pizza place waiting for tables.

“Busy place,” Adam noted as he led the way outside, holding the door open for Rosie to come out. “Though considering how good the pizza was, I’m not surprised. Thanks for suggesting the place.”

“You’re welcome.” Pointing across the road, she said “That’s a really good Bavarian brew house and restaurant. We could go there next time.”

“Great idea! Can we go look at the menu?”

“Sure,” Rosie agreed, and as they stepped down from the raised pavement to cross the road, a huge hand folded gently around hers.

Surprised, Rosie looked down at her hand, and then up at Adam. He wasn’t holding on tight, though, she could easily pull her hand away if she wanted to, and his hand felt really nice on hers, strong and warm but not sweaty, so she left it there.

They stood hand in hand to check out the menu, Rosie shaking her head at the host who came to ask them if they wanted a table.

“Looks great,” Adam said after a few minutes. “I want to order half the menu, even when I’m full of pizza.”

Rosie chuckled, and he looked down at her with a grin. “Not really. But maybe tomorrow night? Or whatever night you’re free next to play hooky with me?”

“Probably not tomorrow,” she admitted. “I won’t get away by a reasonable time. Maybe the following night, though, I can let you know?”

“Suits me,” he agreed amiably.

“That said, we don’t need to get the boat back for another hour. Want to take a walk?” Rosie suggested.

“Love to! Which way?”

She pointed to their left, along the marina past the ranks of yachts moored at floating slips. “Down that way to the yacht club? Otherwise it’s a fairly steep hike over the middle of the island, and though I’m sure you wouldn’t even break a sweat, I’d probably expire before I got to the top.” Pretending to consider, she said “Actually, it’d probably be easier for you to give me a piggyback.”

Adam snorted with laughter. “I’d happily give you a piggyback if you needed one. But since there’s an alternative, let’s both maintain our dignity and walk to the yacht club, huh?”

“Smart man. I knew there was a reason I liked you apart from those stunning good looks.”

Adam actually stumbled, fingers tightening around hers for a moment. “You think I’m good-looking?”

“Are you kidding?” Rosie stopped in her tracks. “I didn’t have time to Google you properly but I’m a hundred per cent sure I’d have found glamour type shots of you posing for some Men’s Health sort of magazine. Probably in black and white.”

“Well.” Adam frowned. “I was world champion for three years. Of course I did features like that, there’s a certain amount of media attention which goes with it…”

“You have to be joking!” Rosie spluttered. “You really don’t have any idea how you look?”

He looked down at her with furrowed brow, and she shook her head and resumed walking, perforce tugging him along with her since he was still holding her hand.

“You really have spent the last few years isolated in a gym smelling of sweaty socks, huh,” Rosie said after they’d walked for a few minutes.

“Yes?” Adam looked even more puzzled, and she smiled.

“I guess that makes me the lucky one.”

“Isn’t that what I said to you about your crush not recognising what an amazing woman you are and grabbing on with both hands?”

“Every cloud has a silver lining, I guess,” Rosie mused. After all, if Luke hadn’t turned her down, there was no way she’d be here with Adam, and she had to say, she’d had an absolutely delightful evening so far. Strolling along with him hand in hand on a warm summer night, the air scented with delicious wafts of garlic and herbs from a restaurant they were passing overlaid on the salt-water scents of the marina, she struggled to recall a time she’d felt as simply content as she did right at that moment.

They strolled past the moored rows of boats and down the road towards the yacht club; Adam turned towards the villas beyond it, but Rosie tugged on his hand.

“No, this way. There’s a beach.”

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