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“I’ll eat anything you make. Hard stop.”
I’d run into town after breakfast and gotten some fine slivers of beef and thick chunks of my favorite cheddar that came from a local farmer. The grocery store bakery had just put out soft baguettes, so I’d bought a loaf along with a hot mustard I loved. Baby lettuce and a fresh tomato added a freshness to the mix.
Elliot murmured approval as she chewed the first bite of her sandwich. “How is this so good?”
“I’m a professional. What can I say?”
“You’ve brought enough for a large family.”
“I usually come with my brothers, and they can pack it away. Regardless, bringing snacks is key to a successful fishing day.”
She asked for specifics about how I’d made the sandwiches, which obviously delighted me. To explain, I took on a serious demeanor, as if I were a professor with a PhD in sandwiches. “First, I slice the baguette and hollow out a bit of the bread, sothere’s not so much bread in every bite.” I went on to explain the rest of my process, including my equal layers of beef and cheddar. “It needs to be the right height to eat easily. If there’s too much beef, it makes for awkward eating.”
“I hate that. All the stuff inside falls out and you have a big mess,” Elliot said.
“Or, if the baguette’s too hard, it scrapes the roof of your mouth.”
“Another reason to hollow out the bread. Genius.” She laughed. “Two food geeks having lunch.”
“No one gets it like you do,” I said. “I’ve bored every member of my family too many times.”
“You can talk food with me any time. Actually, it’s kind of sexy.” Her eyes twinkled at me.
Sexy. Okay, then. She thought I was sexy when I talked about food. There could be a real future with this woman.
All I wanted to do was stare at her. The fresh air gave her cheeks a healthy glow, and her eyes sparkled. She’d braided her hair in a plait that hung down her back. A simple cotton summer dress the color of periwinkle had been paired with a jean jacket, but it was discarded in the warmth of the day, leaving her muscular arms out for me to admire.
“It’s nice to see you like this, relaxed and out of the kitchen.” I reached over to playfully tug on the straps of her sundress. “This is pretty on you.”
“Thank you. I wasn’t sure what to wear to a fishing expedition.”
I laughed at the wordexpedition. “I’m not sure this qualifies as one.”
“Maybe not for you. Anyway, then I remembered you said I didn’t have to fish if I didn’t want to. Which I don’t. Do you mind?”
“Not at all.”
“It’s just nice to sit here looking at my surroundings.” Elliot wiped one side of her mouth with a napkin but missed a smear of mustard.
“You have a little something there on your cheek.”
She looked me right in the eyes. “Can you get it for me?”
I swallowed the butterflies that traveled up from my stomach to the back of my throat. With my napkin, I dabbed away the yellow spot, sorry it came up so easily. When I moved my hand away, hers darted out to wrap her fingers around my wrist, pulling me closer.
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot this week,” she said huskily, her breath warm against my skin.
“Yeah? What were you thinking?” This close to her, I felt a little dizzy.
“Last weekend, when we were getting ready for the wedding, there were a few times when I thought you might kiss me.”
“Were you disappointed we were interrupted?” I wasn’t going to pretend that what she said wasn’t true. “Or relieved?”
“Definitely disappointed.”
My whole body hummed. If this was a mistake, I certainly didn’t care right in this moment.
“Can I kiss you now?” I asked.
