CHAPTER 15
Luke
That same tremulous feeling from our pizza date settled into my gut as I got out of my truck in Mina’s driveway the next evening. I swiped my clammy hands over my jeans and tried to tamp down the feeling. This case of the nerves both made sense but didn’t. It wasn’t our first date. Not really. Maybe our first official one but considering we’d had pizza together and I’d touched and kissed every square inch of her body while we blew each other’s minds, tonight should be a cake walk.
But there was a lot riding on this date. Our entire future hinged on tonight.
Reaching her front door, I swiped my hands down my pant legs once more, then knocked on the crisp white wood.
Seconds later, it swung inward, and just like that, Mina stole my breath.
Dressed in khaki shorts and a dusky pink shirt, she had her dark hair pulled back from her face. A bright smile graced her lips. “Hi.”
I felt an answering smile spread over my mouth. “Hey. You ready?”
“Yes. Just let me?—”
“Mrroww.”
The chirp of a cat interrupted her words. We both glanced down at the orange cat that curled around one of her legs.
Mina heaved a soft sigh. “Joe, you can’t come.”
The cat chirped again and ignored her, twining between her legs.
I leaned down and held out a hand.
“Careful. He’ll bite.”
Joe, however, did the opposite. He butted my hand with his head and purred.
Smiling, I scratched his chin. “Hey, bud.”
“What are you? Some kind of animal whisperer? First Pebbles and Betty, now my demon cat?” Mina shook her head, but a smile toyed with her lips.
I chuckled and straightened. “I just like animals. I guess they sense that.”
“Maybe.” She lifted a foot and nudged the cat back into the house. “Let me grab my purse, and we can go.”
When she stepped back, I stepped into the doorway to make sure the cat didn’t escape. “Why did you name him Joe?” It wasn’t a name I heard often, especially for a cat.
Mina picked up a gray backpack-style purse. “It’s short for cup of joe. I got him about the same time I opened my coffeeshop. I guess I had java on the brain,” she said with a quick laugh. “In reality, I should have named him something like Diablo or Ted, after the serial killer Ted Bundy.”
That surprised a soft chuckle out of me. “Why?”
“Because he lures mice and bugs to him, then murders them without compunction and plays with their corpses.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That’s, um, pleasant.”
She laughed and motioned toward the door. “It’s not, but at least my house is regularly pest-free, even if I do occasionally find a gutted mouse by the back door.”
I gave the cat one last assessing glance before I closed the door as we exited the house. I would do my best to stay on the cat’s good side, lest he attempt to slice my throat in my sleep some night.
“So, where are we going?” Mina asked as she hopped up into my truck.
Shutting her door, I walked around and got in before answering her. “There’s a great seafood place on the water in Juneau. I thought we could go there, then head down to the beach and hunt for sea glass.”
Her eyes lit up as she smiled. “That sounds fun.”
