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When he opened his eyes, Kyle was leaning over the bar counter behind Leah, shaking his head and mouthing the wordpathetic.
Dakota mouthed shut upthen released Leah because his friend was right. He was acting like a crazy person, sniffing Leah like that. He was cooler than this. He had skills. He didn’t need to come unglued here.
“Please, sit.” He gestured to the other side of the booth and waited for Leah to sit before he slid into his side again.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said as she set her purse beside her. “Fey shot out of the house when I opened the door to leave and I had to look for her.”
“Fey?”
“My kitten.”
“Ah, yes. Noah told me about the kitten.”
“He reported that back to you, did he?” She thanked the waitress for the water she set down in front of her and ordered a hard cider.
“I’ve got minions throughout Maplehaven.” Dakota rubbed his hands together like an evil genius.
“I don’t doubt it. You should run for mayor. With your popularity, you’d easily win.”
“It helps when you’re the son of the dude who owns the sawmill that basically employs like two-thirds of the town. You get to know everyone. Besides, I’ve lived here for thirty-three years.”
“An adventurous guy like you never wanted to live anywhere else?” She took a sip of her hard cider the waitress had set in front of her and Dakota became distracted by her lips. Would he get to taste them tonight? She’d let him hug her. What other gifts would she grant him?
“No. I’m meant to live and die in Maplehaven.” He swigged his beer then played with the moisture rolling down the sides of the bottle. “I’ve visited a ton of places though, sometimes for a month at a time, but I always come back here.”
“Your family must be happy about that.” Her voice cracked a little on the wordfamilyand he wondered what that was about. He could tell she wasn’t entirely comfortable being on this date yet, so he filed that curiosity away and went to work on relaxing her.
“I like to think they are. They don’t seem to mind having me around.” He gave her what he hoped was a friendly, no-pressure-here smile. “So tell me about Fey.”
Her entire face lit up. “Oh, she’s the cutest thing.” She cupped her hands together and held them above the table. “She like fits here and has the softest gray fur and these beautiful green eyes and the tiniest meow and…” Her words trailed off as she met his gaze. “And I’m sounding like a crazy cat lady, aren’t I?” She dropped her hands quietly to the table top then slid them into her lap.
“Not at all. Pets are like family. I could go on and on about how wonderful Ginger is.”
“Where was Ginger when you were with my class this week?”
“Hanging out at Birch Peak Adventures with Krista. I would have brought her on the trip, but Luke told me two of his classmates are allergic to dogs and one is deathly afraid of them.”
Leah’s face softened at the mention of her students. “Yes, that’s right.”
“Not that Ginger is anything to be afraid of. She’d lick you to death before she ever bit you.”
Leah laughed and the sound was one he wanted to hear again and again. A sound he wanted to be responsible for making. “How long have you had her?”
“I got her as a pup about four years ago. She’s been a great sidekick.”
“Also in the running for mayor from what I hear.”
Dakota chuckled. “Yeah. She pretty much runs around Maplehaven and checks in with everyone. I have no idea how much she actually eats in a day because I’m sure she gets fed something wherever she goes.”
“Well, she’s probably very active so it doesn’t go to her waistline.”
“She is a true adventure dog,” Dakota agreed.
“Perfect for a guy like you.”
He was thinking Leah might be perfect for a guy like him too when Kyle came over.
“Hey, people.” He beamed a smile to Leah. “What can I get you guys tonight?”
