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I shake my head.
“Because you’remyun-normal person, and it makes things a whole lot more interesting.”
Shoot.
Shoot, shoot, shoot.
NowFlirty Sethis jumping up on my list because his dimple has made an appearance and it makes goosebumps race over my arms. I think I’m gonna have to come up with a new way to list Seth’s qualities. One that doesn’t go numerically, because I don’t think it’s physically possible to rank them by number.
By the time Seth is driving us back to my house, daylight is almost completely gone and I’m simultaneously tired and full of energy.
Viewing the sunset from the water was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever witnessed in my life so far. Orange and pink shades swathed the cobalt sky in a bold display of color, and it reflected on the rippled surface of the blue lake. I tried to take a couple pictures and videos, but they just don’t do the real thing justice. Even after the sun itself had disappeared below the horizon, colors lingered, bathing the display in frothy, more muted variations of the same colors.
Though it’ll mean a late night because the sun doesn’t set until after nine, sometimes closer to ten, Seth promised we’ll bring Ella and Eli out to see a sunset before the summer’s over. They probably won’t be as fascinated by the actual sunset as I was, but I know they’ll jump at the opportunity to go out on the boat again. Especially because they’ve been asking me at least twice a day since Friday when we’re going on the water next.
Right now, though, I’m letting my cheek rest against the cool leather of the seat as I watch Seth drive. His left hand is on the wheel because his other hand is clasping mine on the console divider between our seats, and he’s wearing a T-shirt he borrowed from Marshall. My current vantage point affords me a dimly lit view of his strong jawline, and I kind of love how messy his thick hair is. When he’s on duty he usually has it swept back with matte hair product, but because of our earlier swim, it’s simply laying however it wants to after he ran his fingers through it.
My own hair is back up in my go-to messy bun—I willneversay perfect messy bun because there is no such thing, and we just need to accept that fact—and I’m wearing a pair of Jess’s shorts over my swimsuit bottoms. I still have Seth’s shirt on over my nearly dry top, though, and I don’t want to take it off. It’s so big it hangs to my mid-thighs when I’m standing, but it’s also soft and it smells exactly like Seth and sunshine and grilled steaks. Three of my favorite things.
“So, how did the mystery date measure up?” Seth asks, glancing over at me when he pauses at a stoplight downtown. “I need to get your feedback so I know what to keep or change moving forward.”
“Ah, so this is like a survey?”
“Pretty much.”
“I never do surveys.”
He laughs and squeezes my hand as the truck eases forward. “Okay, then it’s not. Think of it as me gathering information to improve our future dates. If, that is, you’ll go out with me again.”
“Who says we wentout?”I tease, stealing his words from yesterday. “And that’s literally a survey. You just gave a definition instead of sayingsurvey.”
“Would it be terribly hard for you to humor me just this once?”
“Probably. You’re kind of hard to make laugh.”
“That sentence doesn’t make sense.” But he’s smiling as he says this.
“Neither do surveys. You know, like the ones on the bottom of a receipt? I don’t do them.”
“Okay, but just this once? I’ll make sure to exclude you when the department sends out our annual survey of how you think we’re doing, though.”
My brows lower. “That’s a thing?”
He snorts. “No, but if it was, you wouldn’t participate anyway, Miss Surveys-Aren’t-Helpful.”
“Ha-ha. Very funny. But fine. Let me think.” I pause to make it seem like I have to ponder what to change or keep about the date. Realistically, I’d relive it a hundred times over exactly like it was, but I’m not gonna say that. Not right away, anyway. “My favorite part was, obviously, the man I was on the date with. I feel like that’s an important detail.”
He nods as he turns into my neighborhood. “Very important.”
“As far as the meal goes, my steak was just a tad too done. The dessert and side dishes made up for it, though.”
“My sincerest apologies.” The twitch in his lips says he knowswhythat happened. “I’ll have to speak to the chef personally.”
A smile pulls at my own lips. “As far as the boat ride—that was just top notch. I didn’t know a tour of the most expensive houses where you don’t see inside them could be so interesting, but it was. Oh, and don’t even get me started on that swim. The water couldn’t have been more perfect.” My grin widens. “Of course, I think my favorite part of it all was your kisses. I sort of felt like we were in our own movie, butsomuch better.”
Seth smiles as he turns into the driveway but says nothing. He kills the engine and, still wordless, comes around the truck to open my door. Without a word, he kisses me. It’s a soft kiss, a gentle reminder of his love, and it’s enough to make me cry. A tear slips down my cheek at the tenderness, and Seth brushes it away quietly before helping me down. The pressure of his hand at my lower back as he leads me inside is so familiar yet so exhilarating, and I don’t even step away from his touch as we talk to Joanna and Ben for a few minutes before they head out.
We go upstairs to peek in on the kids, who are sound asleep in their rooms with angelic expressions even though I’m sure they consumed more sugar than I normally allow in a week. Then, knowing how easily I could test my boundaries with my own room being down the hall, I suggest we sit on the porch for a little while. I see Seth hesitate because I know the only reason he shows as much restraint as he does is for me, but I’m reluctant to see the evening end. I’ve never been on a date like tonight’s, and I need it to last a little longer.
