By the time Saturday afternoon rolled around, Beth was becoming nauseous from all the ups and downs she’d experienced in the last day and a half. One minute she was looking forward to her date with Drew. The next minute, she was debating whether or not to call it off.
Nicole had been her saving grace. Every time Beth started to get cold feet, she’d call her best friend and get reassured that she wasn’t being stupid by giving Drew a shot. Honestly, she was making herself sick with all the dependency, but she needed a shoulder to lean on and Nicole got the luck of the draw.
“You ready for this?” Nicole asked.
It was four fifteen and Beth was standing in front of her bathroom mirror fixing her hair and makeup. She had her friend on speakerphone so she could get ready and talk at the same time. Drew had sent her a text on Friday letting her know that he’d pick her up at five on Saturday evening. Giving him her address had taken more resolve than giving him her phone number, but she’d done it. His reply back to her, including a smiley face and a ‘see you tomorrow’, had her grinning and all feelings of unease disappeared.
With less than an hour until he was due to show up on her doorstep, she’d needed Nicole’s support yet again. “I think so. I just hope I’m making the right decision. The friends thing was working well. What if this ruins it?”
“What if it makes it better?” Nicole countered.
“I know. I’m just worried about all the what-ifs. I can’t help it.”
“Considering what that jackass Ben did to you, it’s not surprising. Speaking of which, he hasn’t shown up again, has he?”
Beth had told Nicole about Ben showing up at the café earlier that week. Her friend had wanted to track him down and have a nice long chat with him. It was a sweet notion, and Beth appreciated it, but she also knew it wouldn’t help anything in the long run. If Ben showed up again, she would most likely have to look into getting a restraining order. That wasn’t a pleasant thought, but she couldn’t have him continuing to show up at her shop and disrupt her and her business.
“No.” She finished running the brush through her hair, and debated whether or not to put it up or leave it down. “I just wish I knew what he wanted. First the club, and now the café? And why so much time in between? It doesn’t make sense.”
“No, it doesn’t. But you know what they say. Curiosity killed the cat.”
She laughed. “Thanks. I’ll try and remember that.”
Deciding to leave her hair loose, Beth cleaned up the counter, and went to her bedroom to start getting dressed. Drew said they would be keeping things casual, so she was opting for shorts and a fitted T-shirt.
“Just remember to relax and have fun. It’s just a date. And Drew seems like a nice guy.”
Beth waited until she’d pulled her shirt over her head before answering. “So did Ben, at first.”
“You have to learn to trust again sometime.”
“Maybe I need to have that tattooed across my forehead or something.”
“Nah. If it was on your forehead, you’d only see it when you looked in the mirror.”
As usual, talking to Nicole had lightened her mood considerably. “Okay, I think I’m ready. And . . .” Beth glanced at the clock beside her bed. “I have over twenty minutes to kill. Just enough time for me to psych myself out again.”
Nicole snorted, and Beth could almost see her rolling her eyes. “Do you have any idea where he’s taking you?”
Beth strolled into her living room and took a seat on her couch. “I asked, but he said he wanted to surprise me.”
They spent the next several minutes throwing out ideas on where Drew might be taking her on their date. It had started with things such as dinner and a movie, but by the time a knock sounded on her front door, they were both giggling and making jokes about outrageous costumes and scavenger hunts.
“I think he’s here.”
“Relax, and have fun. Oh, and call me tomorrow. I want details.” With that, Nicole hung up, not giving Beth time to respond. Sighing, she tucked her phone into her purse before going to answer the door.
Drew stood on her front porch with a small bunch of red flowers. They looked a little like lilies, but she’d never seen lilies that color before.
“Hi.”
“I hope I’m not too early. I couldn’t wait any longer.” He gave her that smile she loved so much.
“Eager, huh?” Was it wrong that she had the urge to grab him by his shirt and yank him inside?
“Just a little.” He handed her the flowers. “These are for you.”
She took his offering and brought them close enough to inhale their scent. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
Drew surprised her when he reached up and ran his hand along the side of her face. His fingers left tingles in their wake where they touched her skin. Her body heated, and her desire to kiss him overruled everything else. Throwing caution to the wind, she grabbed hold of his shirt with her free hand and pulled him to her.
He offered no resistance as her mouth sought his.
The kiss was brief but intense. When she took a step back, they were both breathing hard. Her body and her mind were at war. They’d been dancing around their attraction for over a month. Her body knew what it wanted. But she had to be strong. Things needed to be discussed before they went any further—what they both wanted, what each expected.
She released him and backed away. “Let me put these in water, and then we can go.”
Beth took a few extra minutes in the kitchen to calm herself down. Her libido was in overdrive.
When she walked back into the living room, Drew was mumbling to himself.
“Everything all right?”
He snapped his head up to meet her gaze. “Yeah. Fine. Are you ready to go?”
“Sure.”
Beth locked up and followed him out to his vehicle. He opened the car door for her, and waited until she was settled in the passenger seat before closing it and rounding the car to get behind the wheel. Drew was being a gentleman, and she had to say that so far, she was impressed. Not that he hadn’t been a gentleman before. He’d always been polite and attentive when they were together, but this was more than letting her walk through a door first. She felt valued. Beth really hoped it wasn’t all an act.
“So do I get to know where we’re going?” she asked.
He shot her a quick smile before refocusing on the road. “We’re having a picnic. There’s a concert at the park tonight celebrating the beginning of summer.”
Definitely not what she’d been expecting. But the more she thought about it, the more appealing it sounded.
It didn’t take them long to arrive at their destination. The park was divided up into various areas. Given it was a beautiful Saturday evening, there were a lot of people milling about. Most of them, however, were congregated around the soccer fields.
“Did you want to walk around a little first, or we could scope out a spot near the stage?”
Although Beth would have loved to have taken a look around—it had been a while since she’d been to this park—she’d been on her feet all day. “I think I’d like to find a place and sit. It’s been a long day.”
Drew headed to the back of the car to gather the blanket and food he’d brought. “Did something happen?”
She shook her head as they made their way around most of the people to a grassy area not far from a small stage. “No. Just busy. The warmer weather means more people are out and about. I really shouldn’t complain. It’s great for business. But I think I’m going to have to hire some help soon. It’s getting to be too much for Tommy and me by ourselves.”
He laid out the blanket a good distance away from where the band would be playing. While they were here to see the concert, he also wanted them to have a little privacy. It was a date, after all. “That’s probably a good idea. I mean you’ve had a good number of people in there every time I’ve stopped by. Have you even had a vacation since you opened?”
Once he had everything on the blanket, he motioned for her to have a seat.
“No. The only days I have off are the days we’re closed. Tommy’s taken a few days here and there, but not many. We’ve both been working hard to make the café a success.”
“It sounds like it worked.” His grin was back, and Beth felt that fluttering in her stomach.
She swiftly looked away, trying to keep a hold on her emotions. Besides, they were in public. “So what about you? How was work yesterday?”
Drew began removing items from the cooler he’d brought. “Slow. We had a few med calls, but that was about it.”
“Is it like that a lot?”
He quirked an eyebrow at her.
“Slow, I mean.” He held out a container filled with tiny sandwiches, offering her one. “Thanks.”
After removing a sandwich for himself, he replaced the container inside the cooler. “Water? I would have brought some wine, but they don’t allow glass here, and I’ve never felt it quite right to drink wine out of a plastic cup. It reeks of high school kids sneaking into their parents’ liquor cabinets.”
He wrinkled his nose, and she chuckled. “Water’s fine.”
Drew twisted the top off the bottle and handed it to her. The whole situation was quaint and different, but she found she liked it. This was something she could see them doing over and over again.
***
Shawn had thought a concert in the park was a great date idea, and Drew was beginning to think his friend was right. The longer he sat next to Beth on their blanket, the more he realized that he owed Shawn. Drew had picked a spot in the back near a cluster of trees to give him and Beth a little privacy. He knew, as the time for the concert got closer, every inch of grass in front of the stage would be packed with people.
“Wow.”
Beth’s exclamation brought his attention back to her. She’d bitten into one of his sandwiches and was staring at it with wide eyes.
She met his gaze. “This is amazing. Where did you get this?”
“I made it.” A feeling of pride spread through him.
“Remarkable. Do you cook, too?” she asked.
He shrugged. “A little. When I have the chance. I wouldn’t call throwing together a picnic cooking, though. It was mostly just slicing, chopping, and mixing.”
Before he knew it, she was on her knees. “What other goodies do you have in there?”
He motioned toward the cooler and sat back as Beth opened it to look inside.
A few moments later, Beth had pulled out and opened several containers. She took a bite of each of their contents. “This is really good.”
“Thank you.”
“No, Drew, I mean seriously good. Are you sure you’re a firefighter?”
He laughed. “Pretty sure.”
She shook her head as if she’d heard some private joke, and then lowered herself back down next to him. “Where did you learn to make stuff like this?”
“Desperation, mostly.” He picked up a strawberry and popped it in his mouth.
“Most of the guys I’ve met either order takeout or warm up TV dinners when they get desperate for food.” He wasn’t sure if the look she was giving him was one of pride or skepticism.
As they continued to eat, he explained. “I guess my mom spoiled me. She used to cook these amazing meals when I lived at home. Then I came to the city and . . . well, like you said, it was mostly takeout and TV dinners. After a while, I couldn’t take it, so I asked my mom if she had any simple recipes I could make. Things kind of grew from there. I found it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was.”
“I’m impressed. I mean you could open your own café and give me a run for my money with these sandwiches.”
He grinned. “That’s nice of you to say, but I think I’ll stick to my day job. Cooking is just a hobby.”
She surprised him with a hard kiss that lingered.
When she pulled away, he took a deep breath, inhaling her scent. “Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”
It was her turn to shrug.
Deciding to test the waters, he leaned in and kissed her this time. She didn’t resist in the slightest, and their lips mingled together for several minutes before they broke apart.
“Thank you for agreeing to tonight,” he said as he picked up his sandwich again.
Beth didn’t comment, but there was a twinkle in her eye. He had no idea what the night would hold for them, but he wasn’t going to worry too much about it. They were together—on a date—something he hadn’t thought would happen for a good long while. He was going to enjoy every minute of it.
By six thirty, they were still nibbling on the food he’d brought as the area in front of the small stage began to fill in with people. Some brought blankets like Drew and Beth had, while others had lawn chairs. As the number of people grew, so did the noise. Even the hint of privacy had disappeared.
“There’re more people than I thought there’d be.”
She glanced in his direction as she took a sip of her water. “How did you find out about it?”
“Shawn. He’s a good friend, and he was my captain for seven years.” Drew couldn’t help smiling as he remembered some of the crazy stuff that had happened to them during the time they’d worked together. Shawn was like a brother to him. He was the same age as Drew’s brother, but unlike Seth, Shawn hadn’t pushed Drew aside. Shawn had taken Drew under his wing when he’d joined the fire department. Drew didn’t know if he would have made it through that first year if it hadn’t been for Shawn.
There was a knowing look on Beth’s face. “You’re close.”
“We are. I used to work with him a lot on our days off. It doesn’t happen much anymore, though.”
“That’s too bad. You should always have time for friends,” she said.
He nodded. “What about you? I know you and Nicole are pretty tight.”
Beth snorted. “Yeah. You could say that. I mean we were close before, but after . . . well, let’s just say if not for her, I’d still be sitting in front of my television in my PJ’s with a quart of rocky road ice cream.”
Drew wasn’t sure what to say to that. He knew she had to be referring to her ex, but the last thing he wanted to do on their first date was talk about what he knew was a sore subject for her. “Did you meet at the club?”
“We did. It didn’t take long for us to start hanging out outside Serpent’s Kiss, though. A girl always needs a shopping partner.”
He was glad to see that sparkle back in her eyes. The sun still glowed bright in the sky, and created a sort of halo around her face as she stared back at him.
“You’re so beautiful.” His voice was soft . . . reverent. “The way the sun is shining down on you, you look like an angel.”
She looked over her shoulder, and then leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “Is that what you want? For me to be an angel? I thought you were looking for something a little . . . naughtier?”
Her breath washed over him, and he shivered. Or maybe it was her words that caused his reaction.
Before he could figure it out, the band took the stage, and welcomed everyone to the show. Drew was listening, sort of, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Beth. She was smirking back at him. “Beth . . .”
She placed a single finger over his lips. “Later.”
There was a part of him that wanted to drag her back to the car and make out like a couple of teenagers. He wasn’t sure how well that would go over with Beth. It was the only thing that stopped him.
Taking a calming breath, he nodded.
Beth grinned and removed her finger.
The band began to play, and she turned her attention toward the stage. Drew, however, continued to watch her. Everything about Beth was appealing to him. He loved her eyes. When she looked at him, he felt as if he had an acrobat inside his stomach doing somersaults.
Of course, that didn’t lessen the effect her body had on him. Everything from the silkiness of her hair and how it flowed down around her shoulders, to the way the clothes she wore seemed to accentuate her curves. Whenever he was near her—and even when he wasn’t—he wanted to bury himself in her softness.
As if she knew he was thinking about her, Beth reached for his hand and brought it to rest on her lap. It looked completely innocent. And at first, it was. Then she shifted a little, spreading her legs. Heat he had only dreamed about radiated from between her legs. He closed his eyes and tried to keep from embarrassing himself.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yes.” He didn’t open his eyes. He couldn’t. But he also wasn’t willing to remove his hand either.
“You sure?” He didn’t miss the amusement in her voice.
He glanced over at her. “You’re enjoying this.”
“Just a little.” There was no hiding her smile.
Drew sighed and tried to concentrate on the band. He couldn’t say he was very successful since it was impossible to ignore the woman sitting beside him.
It was getting close to eight thirty, and he could tell the concert was winding down. A few people who had chosen to sit closer to the back had already begun packing up their things.
“Did you want to stay ’til end?” he asked, hoping she was as ready to go as he was.
Without a word, she began gathering their things. He took the cue and finished packing everything into the cooler he’d brought.
Once they had everything, Beth and Drew made their way back to the car. The parking lot was less crowded than it had been before. The soccer fields were empty, and with the exception of two young kids with their mother, so were the playgrounds. He went to the back of the vehicle and opened the trunk.
No sooner had he tossed everything into the trunk, he felt her press against him from behind.
He sucked in a breath, unsure of what to do. They weren’t exactly alone.
All thought left him as Beth cupped his erection—the one he’d been trying to tamp down for the last two hours. “We need to talk about our lists. Are you up for that?”
She squeezed him a little, and he nodded.
“I can’t hear you.” She squeezed again. Harder.
“Yes. Please.”
Beth chuckled and released him.
He groaned when the cool air hit him as she moved to her side of the car. Never had he wanted a woman quite like he wanted Beth. Then again, he’d never wanted a woman like Beth before.
Giving himself a moment, he made sure he wasn’t going to be giving anyone a show before closing the trunk. The sooner they went over their lists, the sooner he could get some relief. At least, he hoped.