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I lean against the frame of the window. “You do know that’s fiction, right?”
“I don’t see you coming up with any better ideas. I mean, have you asked her outanywhere? Even forpizza?” He says the last word as though it’s somehow cringeworthy—as though he’s going to retell my idea to Freya later and they’ll have a good laugh over it.
“I asked her to go running with me once.”
He groans. “What the hell, dude? Are youtryingto turn her off?”
“I like running.”
“Sure. I like running too,” he mutters. “I also like getting my car washed. But I wouldn’t have asked a woman to go get my car washed. Stick with festivals, fairs, vineyards. And no pizza. Not unless you want to be permanently friend-zoned.”
“Lesson learned.” I look out my window again, watching the way the glow of the streetlight casts eerie shadows onto the pavement.
“But listen,” he adds, “tread carefully. Her brother’s a good friend. I don’t want to see her get hurt by someone Freya set her up with.”
“Freya didn’t set me up with her,” I say quickly.
He chuckles. “It’s cute that you think that.”
My spine stiffens at his words, and I’m about to ask him what the hell he means, but I spot Millie walking down the street toward the house.
“She’s coming. Gotta run. Thanks for the advice…not,” I add, my tone thick with sarcasm.
I end the call and trot down the stairs with Junie at my heels just as Millie comes through the door.
“Hey! How was your week?” I ask as Junie leaps up against her. For an old dog, she sure knows how to knock a person sideways.
“Pretty good. How about you?”
“Great. My CO even set us free a little early today. I took Junie out already,” I add, hoping for some points. And when her smile widens, it does something to me.
I love how her smile stretches across her face, crinkling up her cheeks with the cutest damn dimples and making her eyes shrink to tiny slits. It’s almost cartoon-like, but it drips with this sincerity that hits me in the gut.
Damn, she’s cute without even trying to be. No wonder I asked her out within five minutes of talking to her.
Of course, that was a crash-and-burn moment.
“Thanks. That’s really nice of you. You’re totally spoiling her.”
“She deserves to be spoiled,” I tell her. “So, uh… I was thinking of checking to see if there were any festivals coming up.”
“Festivals?” She looks at me like I just sprouted a third nipple at the tip of my nose.
“Yeah. You know, like street festivals or maybe a fair or something. You interested?”
“Uhhh…”
She draws out the word as though she’s trying to decide whether I’ve lost my mind. I don’t blame her in the slightest. I’m asking myself the same thing.
Damn you, Mason.
I should know better than to listen to a SEAL.
“I thought you were going to spend every day you could on the beach,” she reminds me.
“That was the plan. But it’s sometimes nice to do things that have that local kind of vibe, you know?” I lie and am kind of proud at how believable I sound. I tuck my chin inward at her perplexed look. “You’re not into festivals?”
She expels a brief laugh. “No, actually. I mean, you’re right about the local vibe and all, I’m sure. But I get that all day at the diner. So in my down time, I kind of like quieter things. Like just ordering a pizza or watching a movie or something.”
