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“Since you guys are on such a roll, any advice on where I should take her for dinner?”

“Make it more than just dinner,” Wes advised. “Give her an adventure. Something she’ll never forget.”

“Like what?”

“What’s your passion?” Jayson asked.

“Women,” Lex joked.

“What else?” Jayson prodded, rolling his eyes.

“Flying,” Lex stated, a slow smile forming on his face.

“There you go.” Brand slapped his hands down on the table. “Give her a first date to remember on your Spitfire.”

“If this works out,” Lex said, grinning from ear to ear and lifting his bottle, “I’m making all three of you my best men!”

They all clinked bottles.

“Just don’t get married before me,” Brand grumbled, “or I’ll be pissed.”

Lex, Jayson and Wes cracked up. And for the first time in a very long time, Lex felt his confidence boost.

Chapter six

For what felt like the hundredth time, Summer studied her face in the bathroom mirror, making sure her eyeliner looked even and there were no stray flecks of mascara anywhere. She couldn’t do anything about the lines feathered at the corner of her eyes or her laugh lines. But that was life.

With a soft sigh, she set the blush brush down on the counter. Fifty-two was no joke, and it was impossible to hide the flaws like she used to. But she wasn’t going to pine for her younger years, and she had no plans to chase after youth and get invasive plastic surgery. Squaring her shoulders back, she lifted her chin and reminded herself each year on this earth was a gift. At the same time, she was learning to accept all the lines. She couldn’t go so far as to say she liked them, but acceptance was the first step.

She did a little turn, hoping her outfit was okay for whatever Lex had planned. He’d been coy when she’d asked, so she had no idea where they were going for dinner. That meant going with her gut, and nowadays, comfort was priority number one in her life. She’d decided on a little floral swing dress with pockets and gold sandals. Her auburn hair brushed just past her shoulders in soft waves and she’d spritzed on her favorite perfume.

She was as ready as she’d ever be.

Anticipation filled her, and her hands trembled slightly. She couldn’t remember the last date she’d been on. Okay, that wasn’t exactly true. She’d just done her best to block it from her memory. Because it had been with Scott. Ten years ago. God, she was out of practice.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she reined in her nerves. Unpracticed didn’t even begin to cover it. How much had dating changed in the last ten years? Reality smacked her in the face. Oh, my God, I haven’t been on a date in a decade. How incredibly sad was that?

To be fair, it wasn’t like she’d had a ton of free time to dedicate to dating. She’d spent so much time caring for her mom the last several years, and she didn’t regret a moment of it. Plus, Scott had soured her toward men and relationships, so when the potential might have been there she hadn’t even looked.

Despite her nerves, she was ready to give it a go. To spend some time with the only man to snag her attention in…well, forever. Lex Battle. The perfect name for a former Navy pilot. He said he’d flown fighter jets, and she could totally see it. Tall, lanky and armed with a devil-may-care attitude, she was willing to bet he flew fast and took chances.

Now it was her turn to take a chance. To dust off the ol’ libido and have some fun. Maybe even take a spin on Lex’s battlefield. However, she wasn’t in any rush. She’d always possessed self-control when it came to sex and never jumped into anything physical until after at least three dates. That was one rule she held hard and fast to. And since she rarely dated, that meant she’d slept with a total of three men in her lifetime.

She blinked her eyes a few times at that realization, then looked down at Flossie, cuddled up in her bed, snoring softly. “Flossie, your mom is practically a nun.” The dog didn’t even open her eyes.

But was it her fault her previous partners had only been so-so in the bedroom? Let’s just say no man had ever made her want to rip her clothes off and have an all-night fuck fest. Not even close. It was more, okay that was kind of nice, goodnight. Wild, crazy, uninhibited, need-you-or-I’m-going-to-die sex happened in your twenties and thirties, right? And now being at the mercy of menopause, she feared that ship had sailed.

Summer gave her head a shake. For a woman who didn’t rush into things, she was thinking an awful lot about sex, and that was highly unusual for her. Normally, if she thought about it at all, she was wondering how much she could push it back before the man got annoyed. Guess that’s what happens when your previous lovers leave you so unfulfilled, you want to lie in bed and watch the latest episode of the baking championship on the Food Network rather than get frisky.

But there was just something very enticing about Lex. He got her engine revving, sure, but he also made her feel comfortable. He was easy to talk to and she was definitely attracted to him. His smile, his honesty, his good looks all drew her in. She loved how he’d admitted being nervous to approach her. He’d been a gentleman, too. So much so that she’d initiated the first kiss.

And what a kiss it had been. The memory caused tingles to race over her body. The strange thing was it hadn’t been all wild and passionate. It had been slow and searing, and it had ended far too fast. His touch made her want more.

Three-date rule, she reminded herself. Keep your legs together.

A knock sounded at the front door and her heart skittered. “Relax,” she told herself, smoothing her hands down her flowy floral dress. It’s just a date. A first date. No expectations, right? Just testing the waters with a charming silver fox from the next town over.

Pulling in a deep breath, she opened the door and smiled at Lex. “Hi.”