“What does he do?”
“He sells insurance.”
“I think you like being outside too much to be stuck in an office all day.”
Laney squeezed his hand, smiling. “I think you’re right. But I try not to think about ittoomuch because then I’ll feel like I need a plan, and then a plan to execute that plan. Before you know it, I’ll be stressed out and planning instead of enjoying my time here.”
“Cross that bridge when you come to it.”
She’d figured out that he was simply walking the tree line around the field, rather than going into the woods, so they were about halfway through with their walk. He’d told her when he first arrived that he’d promised his mom he’d have dinner with them and they ate at five o’clock.
“It seems unnaturally quiet around here today,” he said, looking at the empty campground.
“It wasn’t earlier, when they had the kids outside, but Rosie decided today was a good day for cartoons and hanging around inside. Paige and Katie didn’t go on the ride because they’re pregnant, and I think Katie went to work. But I guess they traditionally do a big ride to someplace where they can have a picnic. You wouldn’t believe the stuff they packed on their four-wheelers. Leo even had a small barbecue grill on his.”
“They’re a fun bunch, but you’ll probably be a little relieved when they’re gone.”
She thought about that for a moment before shaking her head. “Not really. I like them a lot. I was worried before they got here, because they’re the boss’s family and all that, but they’re so nice and they clean up after themselves, so it hasn’t even seemed like work.”
When they had made the circle around the field and back to her camper, she wasn’t sure if he was going to tell her he was leaving, but he didn’t. Instead he sat back down in the chair and took a sip of the lemonade she’d poured for him.
“Okay, I went for a walk,” she said. “Now you tell me when you cried during a movie.”
The tips of his ears turned pink. “I was hoping you’d forget.”
She laughed. “Not a chance. Come on. A deal’s a deal.”
“One of my mom’s favorite movies isHope Floats, and there’s this scene where the asshole ex is driving away and his little girl is chasing after the car, crying for him.” He stopped and cleared his throat. “I might have had something in my eye, though.”
Laney knew the movie well and she always cried during that scene. “That’s definitely a multi-tissue movie for me.”
“If I’m lucky enough to have kids, I couldn’t imagine doing that.”
She couldn’t imagine him doing that, either. She’d seen him with the Kowalski kids, and she’d also seen him with people in general, and he was too good a guy to abandon somebody he loved. But she was also reminded that Ben did want kids, and the sooner, the better. He was a man who was past ready to settle down, and she just wasn’t there yet.
For now, though, he seemed content to sit in the shade of her awning and talk to her. It was a relaxing way to spend an afternoon, and she found herself wishing it wouldn’t end. But two lemonade refills later, they heard the distant rumble of ATV engines, and Ben stood.
“I should go before they get here,” he said. “Otherwise I’ll end up standing around, shooting the shit and listening to the stories and, before you know it, I’ll be late for dinner.”
“I’m glad you came over today.” She stood up, too, since it seemed rude not to.
“Me too.”
He was standing close to her, and she watched his gaze lower to her mouth. But he wouldn’t kiss her goodbye because she’d told him she wanted to hit the brakes. After three days of not seeing him, though, she didn’t want brakes. She wanted going too fast, skidding through corners, barely in control.
She closed the gap between them, and put her hand on his arm. It was all the invitation he needed, and he lowered his mouth to hers. He was gentle at first, almost tentative, but when she put her hand on his neck and slid her fingertips into his hair, he deepened the kiss. His tongue slipped between her lips to dance over hers. And as her knees got shaky and she couldn’t stop the small sound of need from deep in her throat, Laney wondered how she was supposed to resist this man. Hell, she wondered why she was even trying to.
He kissed her until the sound of the four-wheelers got too close to ignore anymore. Then he broke it off and smiled at her.
“I should go. Tell everybody I said hi, though, okay?”
“Yeah. I hope you have a nice dinner with your family.”
He started to walk away, but then he turned back. “You could come, you know. To dinner. My mom wouldn’t mind.”
Meeting his family was too much and her stomach knotted, but she wasn’t sure how to say no when he was looking at her like that. And part of her really wanted to meet them because she knew Ben and his parents were close, and she couldn’t help but be curious about them. “I...are you sure she wouldn’t mind? Unexpected dinner guests are one of my mother’s worst nightmares.”
“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”
