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Mary Ellen smiled. She was curious to meet Lily now, too; she wouldn’t mind picking her brain about how it felt to date a guy who was known to play the field—and not only that, but how she’d navigated going from dating to engaged. She looked out at the lake again. Was it really a possibility that she and Antonio might go down that road? Who knew? It was far too early to tell.
After they’d eaten, they walked back to the cabin to collect the rental car. The resort was busy, and there were no boats available for the afternoon, so they’d booked one for the next day and were going out for a hike this afternoon.
“Do you know where you’re going?” she asked as he pulled out of the resort and headed east.
“I do. The guys have a big development up on the other end of the lake. Smoke told me about some good hiking trails up there. I thought we could have a look around the place and then go for our walk.”
“Great.” She liked that he seemed to know his way around out here, even though he hadn’t visited in years.
When they arrived at the resort at Four Mile Creek, Mary Ellen got out of the car and looked around. “I think I love it over here even more,” she said with a smile. There was a big modern lodge and newer houses, some of them right down on the water’s edge.
“I had a feeling you would. You might be a down-to-earth Midwestern girl, but your taste is more modern, right?”
She nodded. “I guess it is.”
He put his arm around her shoulders and tucked his thumb under her chin and tilted her head, so she was looking into his eyes. “I already know you so well.”
“It seems you do.” It felt good that he did.
“If we get a place here, we should look at the ones on the water.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering if he’d explain what he meant. He could only mean rent one, couldn’t he?
He shrugged and gave her a mischievous smile. “Are you ready to walk?”
She nodded.
“And what’s it to be? Do you want to take a trail, or do you want to look around the shopping plaza first?”
She smiled through pursed lips. If he knew her so well, he should already know the answer to that.
He nodded and started walking her past the lodge to what looked like a little town square—there was even a clock tower overlooking the main area and a little café with a terrace outside. She loved it, and she loved that he really did know her.
“Did you know this is where Laura has her store?”
“Oh. I think I did, but I hadn’t put two and two together.”
“Do you want to go see if she’s there?”
“Sure, why not.” She liked Laura, and if they were visiting with people, it’d be nice to see a familiar face.
Antonio stopped when they reached the jewelry store and took his time browsing the window display. Mary Ellen loved looking at jewelry, though this was way out of her range. Laura had become a big name in the last few years, and her work carried the price tags to go with it.
“What’s your favorite stone?” asked Antonio.
She shrugged. She liked them all and she didn’t want him getting any ideas about buying her something—at least, not from here.
He gave her a stern look. “You have to tell me, otherwise it will be a surprise, and I already know you don’t like those.”
She shook her head. “You don’t need to get me anything.”
“I know, but I want to. Can I?” He held her gaze. It felt like he was asking other, bigger questions, too. Did she trust him? Would she allow him to do something nice for her? Did she have hang-ups about money? She looked back into his big brown eyes, and all she could see in them was that same care and concern she’d seen that first night at Molly’s.
What the hell? “Yes, if you want to. Thank you.”
His face relaxed into a smile and he cupped her face between his hands and landed a kiss on her lips. “Thank you.” He turned back to the window display. “Not a ring, not just yet.” She sucked in a sharp breath, but he just shot her a mischievous smile. “I’ve seen you wear earrings, and a necklace sometimes, but never a bracelet. Don’t you like them?”
She shrugged. “I do, but I don’t have any.”
