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He loved her terms of endearment, even if she said them to everyone. He loved the challenging and appealing look in her bright blue eyes even more. Before he could pin her against the nearest tree, kiss her thoroughly, and prove they had something special between them, she gave him a sassy smile, turned, and strode off up the trail, still holding her water bottle.
Reed groaned, not so much because he knew he was in for another hour of trying to keep up on this incline but because of the interruption of what could be called flirtation. He hated that he knew she was a master at flirting. Could he be special for her?
He capped his water bottle, put it in a side pocket, zipped the backpack, and hurried after her. She didn’t stop for any kind of break but plunged up the trail until the babbling creek became swollen and finally the waterfall appeared. It was beautiful, falling almost a hundred feet over mossy rocks. As a stupid teenager, he’d hiked up here and tried to scale the side of the falls to the top. He hadn’t made it. Luckily, none of his friends had gotten hurt or made it either.
Esther glanced over at him with sparkling blue eyes. “Isn’t it gorgeous?” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
She was gorgeous. Heart, body, face, and soul. He could only nod in agreement. She plopped down on the grassy side of the creek and hurriedly untied her shoes. Reed watched as she yanked off her shoes and socks and plunged her feet into the cold water. Leaning back on her palms, she closed her eyes and murmured, “Ah, this is heaven.”
Reed’s jaw went slack and his stomach pitched. He was going to ease down and kiss her full on the mouth. That would be heaven to him. Would she agree? Or was he just another in a long line of men smitten by the beauty, brains, and perfection that was Esther Delta?
He walked closer, slid off the backpack, and set it on the ground close to her. He sat close enough that their arms brushed. Her eyes popped open, and she held his gaze. Her blue eyes were full of him, and he thought sometime on this date he would get the chance to kiss her again. This kiss had nothing to do with Garret or any fake dating ploy, and he would make sure she knew that. After they kissed for a very long time.
“Get your shoes off,” she said. “You’ve got to experience this.”
Reed obeyed. He was always in charge and the leader, but not right now. He’d obey pretty much anything she said. Icy wetness enveloped his feet. It should’ve initially shocked him or felt too cold until his feet went numb, but his feet were tired and sweaty from the hike. It felt great.
“Heaven, right?” Esther asked, pushing her arm against his.
Reed looked her over and nodded. “Heaven.”
She licked her lips. He needed to take things slow and be suave and charming, but his heart was racing out of control as she stared at him.
“Are you going to feed me or what?” she asked. “I’m starving.”
Reed chuckled. “Of course.”
“Sorry, that came out really demanding.” She studied the waterfall and not him.
Was he throwing her off kilter? He was on shaky ground himself, so drawn to her he could hardly think straight. He didn’t mind. If it was shaky ground next to Esther, he’d stand on it through an earthquake. “No worries. I don’t want you hangry.”
She smiled at him, and the earthquake settled. They’d been friends for a very long time and he liked and respected Esther. He needed to calm down and stop being a “simp” as his brothers would call it, angling for a kiss every other second.
He zipped open his backpack and pulled out a blanket first, spreading it out underneath them as she shifted to let him lay it out. He brought out the lunch from Lori’s bakery and set it on the blanket as well.
“Thank you. This looks delicious.” She inspected the sandwiches. “Please say the Italian on Lori’s sourdough is for me.”
He smiled and nodded.
“Yay for you prying information out of my mom. I was muttering about her being a traitor, but this is worth it. I haven’t had Lori make my favorite sandwich in far too long. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He wanted everything to be perfect. Her favorite hike. Her favorite lunch. Would it make her fall for him, or was he just another sucker who got his three dates then was done? She was calling her mom a traitor for giving him info. That didn’t bode well for his hopes.
“Would you pray for us?” he asked.
“Sure.” She said a sweet prayer of gratitude and blessing on the food and both of their families.
They ate with the splashing of the waterfall as accompaniment. It was almost August, so the water had slowed down from the rushing torrent of spring or early summer, but there was still a decent flow. They were close enough that the mist felt almost as good as his feet in the cold water. His club sandwich tasted great too, but the best part of lunch was Esther. She was far too appealing and sweet, moaning over how good the sandwich was and then making a huge fuss about Lori’s homemade Oreos. Her “favorite cookie.” Reed thought he might get a hug for that one, but unfortunately she just thanked him profusely and slowly ate the cookie. He ate his oatmeal chocolate chip as he watched her enjoy the cookie.
As she looked to be done eating, she smiled at him. “Thank you, sweetie. Best lunch ever.”
He pumped his eyebrows. It was so cute how she called everyone sweetie or honey, from a baby to an old, grumpy man, but he selfishly wanted to be her only sweetie. “Best second date ever?”
Her mouth turned down. Did she not like him reminding her it was their second date? Would she really turn him down gently after date number three? His gut tightened at the thought. He had to do everything in his power not to let that happen. But he wouldn’t be a wimp and claim time spent alone with her wasn’t a date.
He downed the last swallow of his juice, and he thought of an idea. “Have you ever gone under the waterfall?”
She tilted her head to look at him. “You can’t go under the waterfall.”
