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He grinned, watching her with amusement in his dark eyes as she explained.
“You knew that!” She hit him playfully and climbed into the car.
“Yes, I did know that, but watching you blush as you explained it was too hard to resist,” he said before shutting her door and walking around to the other side.
Jessica watched him, unable to believe things were going so well. He was smart and interesting and he seemed to be enjoying their time together as much as she was. Often in past relationships, there was a power struggle with one person more committed to the relationship than the other, but with Mitch, it felt like they were on the same level.
“So, axe throwing is in the same building as the bowling alley?” he asked as he climbed in.
“Usually, but tonight we’re doing something a little different. Turn right on Main Street and I’ll direct you from there.”
“I’m intrigued.” He put the car in reverse and backed out of her driveway, heading toward Main Street. He turned the volume a little higher on the Christmas music playing on the radio then reached for her hand, drawing it over onto his lap and interlacing their fingers while he drove.
She smiled. Since the first time they’d gone out, he’d been doing that. Holding her hand in the car. It felt so freaking good, it was hard to let go once they’d reached their destination. They were keeping things casual in front of everyone, but the residents in Blue Moon Bay would have to be dead not to notice the sparks flying between the two of them.
His little text messages throughout the day were nice, too. Hearing her phone chime every now and then made her feel like a teenager with a crush. He was thinking about her when they weren’t together, and she was enjoying this new-relationship rush.
“Turn here,” she said, pointing to the side road as they approached their destination.
“Christmas Tree Forest?” He slowed as he drove along the dirt road to the gravel parking lot already full of cars. That evening’s event sign hung above the farm entrance. “Another charity event?”
She grinned. “Yep,” she said, unbuckling her seat belt as he put the car in park.
Mitch’s look of approval had her heart soaring. She’d suspected the town’s charity spin on all the local activities would appeal to his humanitarian side.
“How does this work?” he asked.
They climbed out and headed toward the group of people wearing similar shirts to hers near the entrance to the Christmas tree farm.
“We’re putting our axe-throwing skills to the test and to good use,” she said. “Each team paid an entry fee to compete in the farm’s competition. We rallied support from sponsors and raised over two thousand dollars to buy trees for families in need this holiday season.”
Mitch paused several feet from the others and pulled her closer. Her heart pounded in her chest as his expression held her hostage, a look of deep respect and admiration reflecting in his eyes. “You, Jessica Connolly, are truly incredible.”
She swallowed hard and forced her response to be casual, despite the intensity of the chemistry radiating between them. “Wait until you see me throw an axe.”
…
Damn, she wasn’t kidding.
Standing among the tall, thick evergreens on the tree farm, illuminated by brightly colored holiday lights, Mitch watched as Jessica stood twelve feet from the target in the farm field. The scent of hot cocoa and chestnuts roasting on a nearby open fire made his stomach rumble, but he refused to hit up the snack booth and miss her shot.
A look of concentration on her face, she took aim, then let the axe fly through the air. The hatchet completed its full rotation and then stuck just shy of the bullseye.
Her skill was impressive, but it was the look of happiness radiating on her face that held him captivated. She was so beautiful and so caring. Charity bowling, charity axe-throwing… She was doing a lot of good that holiday season for the community and the residents of Blue Moon Bay, and he couldn’t deny the tug in his chest.
Did he do enough for his hometown?
He’d always known he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and go to med school. His own practice in L.A. had hosted a lot of free clinics and offered medical care to everyone in need, whether they had insurance or not. Then he’d left to try to make the world a better place, to make a difference, traveling overseas with Doctors Without Borders. He knew he was achieving his goal of helping the world, and he couldn’t deny the sense of pride and accomplishment he felt. But what about on a smaller scale? Had he ever truly made a difference to the people he’d grown up with, his neighbors and friends? The community that raised him in Blue Moon Bay?
He could easily donate money to the local charities, but suddenly it hardly felt like enough. Jessica and the rest of the teams out there that evening had put in the time and effort to raise funds through their competition. They showed up. The night before, the members of the local bowling leagues were upping their game to raise money for the food bank. He hadn’t realized how much his own community needed the support. Growing up in the touristy, coastal town with all the advantages he could ever have wanted, he hadn’t seen the fact that not everyone in Blue Moon Bay was as fortunate as he was…
He swallowed hard as Jessica walked toward him. Her flushed cheeks and hair blowing in the evening breeze caused his pulse to race. In two days he’d actually started to crave that beautiful smile of hers whenever he wasn’t with her.
“Great shot,” he said.
“I would have hit the bullseye, but the wind took it,” she said with a teasing grin, as she watched her teammate step up to the mark.
He cleared his throat. “Hey, um…I was wondering if there were any other charity events like this one that maybe I could get involved in…”
