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She threw her towel at his head, then moved up the stairs with a loud laugh.
He stood the minute he heard the water go on upstairs. There wasn’t much he hadn’t seen downstairs, but off the kitchen, he found a nice outdoor garden space. There were white brick pavers under a few outdoor chairs and a small fire pit. He could envision spending the evenings with her looking up at the stars on this patio.
Back inside, his snooping confirmed that all the pictures were of her family members and a few pieces of art before he settled back down in the armchair. He heard her bare feet gently padding along the floor upstairs. Was she excited to spend time with him?
She arrived downstairs in a blue-and-white-striped, knee-length dress, her hair braided, and wearing sandals. The smell of lavender and some type of mellow spice combination made him want to get closer. It looked like she’d put on makeup again.
Yep, she wanted to look nice for him.
“Gorgeous as usual. Do you feel better?”
Looking calm, she suddenly snatched at the red bag, but he pulled it away in time to save it.
“A deal’s a deal. You’ll get these when we arrive at our destination.”
“Fine, then I’m ready.” She grabbed her purse and keys before opening the door to usher him out.
He stopped just over the threshold, leaving little space between them. He could see a faint blush on her bronze skin, either from her workout or his nearness. Her eyes widened, but she met his stare.
“Try to keep an open mind.”
“I agreed to burn the rest of my day off with you. Don’t push your luck.”
“I’m worth it.”
“The cakes will be, if nothing else.” She smiled before giving him a push and then locked up.
“A Jeep is a little impractical for the city, don’t you think?” she said as he took her elbow to help her step up inside.
“Nah, I only use it off-duty, which is almost never, and when I go out to the lake, which again is rare.”
“So you admit you’re a workaholic. Most cops are in denial.”
“I don’t think the job gives us much choice. You can’t just clock out at three when a shift is over if you’ve just seized a kilo of meth and arrested a dealer or arrived on scene at a domestic and one spouse is getting ready to start popping off. I’m sure you deal with the same problems.”
“True, but the paramedics get to work four ten-hour shifts, so we get more days off.”
“Spoiled.”
“So where are we headed again?”
He ignored her failed attempt to catch him off guard and concentrated on the road to head out of the city toward the parkway that ran along the Potomac. They sat in comfortable silence as the city faded away into a two-lane road surrounded by lush greenery. Whenever there was a break in the trees, they could spot boats and kayaks in the river and dozens of people jogging or biking along the trail that ran parallel to it. He took a right at the second overlook with a small wooden sign that readRiver Runners.
“What is this place?”
Reaching into the back seat, he grabbed the bag with the cake, the tea, and a few towels. Then he paused simply to enjoy the moment alone with her.
“Can you swim?”
“What?”
“Can you swim?”
“Yes, why?”
“Just in case.”
“Just in case of what?”
