Chapter 21

 

 

The next night Kate dressed for her date and finished her makeup. The whole day, she’d vacillated between excitement and nervousness, and not even Brittney’s white chocolate macadamia nut cookies had helped.

“You have it bad,” Marta said from the door, savoring one of the remaining cookies.

“It feels like our first date ever,” she said, checking her makeup for the hundredth time.

“Of course it feels like the first date,” Marta scoffed, poking her head into view. “That’s when most of us kiss.”

“Or more,” Ember called.

“Or less,” Kate said, shaking her hands. “How can I be so nervous about kissing a guy? It’s not like I’m going to spend the night with him.”

“You’ve built this moment into a mountain,” Brittney reasoned. “You just need to climb. We all know he’s gorgeous.”

“You think so?” Kate asked, glancing her way.

Brittney grinned. “He’s better looking than Jason—and Jason was hot.”

Kate laughed nervously and forced herself to step away from the mirror. Perhaps they were right, and she’d built up this moment until it seemed insurmountable. It was just a kiss, and he might not even come to that.

Had she over-thought the night? Had she assumed something that was not going to happen? Fear suddenly gripped her. But she jerked her head, discarding the thought with a rigid No, she was not imagining the depth of his feelings.

The doorbell rang and she flinched. Ember smirked as she saw Kate’s nervousness and rose from the couch, beating Marta and Brittney to the door. When she swung it open, Reed stood framed in the doorway.

Dressed in jeans and a shirt bearing the United States flag, he looked much like he always had, but a twinkle in his eye sent a shiver down Kate’s body. Without speaking a word, he seemed to call to her, and of its own accord, her body answered.

She advanced to greet him and he pulled her into an embrace, the contact soft yet firm. She breathed deep of his cologne, the scent mingling faintly with the cotton of his shirt, which hugged his shoulders as tightly as she did.

“Ready for tonight?” he asked.

Her heart jumped at the loaded question. “Ready for anything.”

He laughed and waved to the blondes. “Thanks for not telling Kate about the firework sign.”

Kate registered the comment and rounded on them, but all three looked shocked. Even Ember appeared surprised, and as she stuttered a protest Kate rotated back to Reed. He bore a smile of satisfaction.

“They didn’t help me,” he admitted. “Not for lack of trying, though. Ember was quite persistent with Jackson.”

“Stubborn brute,” Ember muttered.

“That he is,” Reed said, and then gestured to his car. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“Starved,” she said.

She abruptly realized she hadn’t eaten anything besides Brittney’s cookies. She’d been so distracted by Reed’s date she’d forgotten food. She cast him a surreptitious look and found his eyes on her, a smile on his face.

Her roommates called out a farewell, their voices tinged with smiles, but Kate hardly noticed. She walked with Reed to his car and he opened the door for her. Then he got in and they drove away.

“I’m sorry the invite took so long,” he said.

“You’re worth the wait,” she said, laughing nervously as she realized how her statement could be interpreted.

He grinned. “It took forever to set up the board, and it was hard to actually get the fireworks. We had to drive all over the city for the right ones.”

“I can’t believe it all worked,” she said. “Once I saw the message I was worried something wouldn’t fire on time.”

“I was worried, too,” he said. “So I watched it from down the street.”

“It was a risky invite,” she said. “A bold invite, but a risky one.”

“I figured it was worth the risk,” he said, his lips twitching with amusement.

She looked away so he wouldn’t see her flush. In an effort to find a safe subject, she asked about dinner. After all the denials she expected him to refuse to answer, but to her surprise he did.

“We’re doing a barbeque in the park,” he said. “I have the smallest pavilion reserved in the Boulder City Park. We’re doing a Build-a-Burger bar.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Yep,” he replied. “Can’t go wrong with a good burger.”

“Too true,” she said.

A firework burst on a nearby street. Small and cheap, the spark of light faded under the light of the setting sun. The group of kids shouted in delight and set about lighting the fuse of another, and the screaming firework went off as they turned the corner.

“They should have waited,” he said. “It’s stupid to light the fuse before the right time. You rob the fireworks of their brilliance.” He cast her a meaningful look.

Her skin tingled and she had to swallow. “It’s almost dark,” she said. “So it’s almost time.”

They shared a smile and then he turned onto the freeway that would take them downtown. A few minutes later he pulled off and headed to a park overlooking the valley. Small pavilions dotted the slope, interspersed with tracts of trees and fields of grass. A sign as they entered the park indicated the city fireworks would start at nine.

“You’re taking me to see the city fireworks?” she asked.

“You sound unimpressed.”

She gestured to the thousands of cars threading into the parking spots along the way. “After everything else you’ve done, this just seems a little . . . easy?”

“I’m certainly not easy,” he protested.

She laughed. “True.”

“I think you’ll be pleased with the evening,” he said cryptically.

She threw him a look but he merely smiled and turned up a small side road. The main road through the park branched into dozens of smaller roads, each leading to pavilions scattered throughout the park. Most were large enough for a group, but a handful were no more than a table and a barbeque stand. Reed’s destination sat at the top of the park, a refuge hidden in a stand of trees.

She exited the car and breathed deep of the warm air, the scent tinged with pine and stone. Below, people were setting up chairs and blankets to view the fireworks. Children ran about with sparklers in hand, the festive atmosphere filled with laughter and music.

Reed unloaded a cooler and several boxes, which he set out on the table. As he poured charcoal into the grill, she turned and joined him, picking up the lighter on her way. He accepted it with a nod and set to lighting the charcoal.

“This is wonderful,” she said, sweeping her hand at the vista.

“The night is young,” he said. “But first, dinner. We’ll have to wait for the charcoal to be ready, but you can lay out the toppings if you’d like. I asked Marta what you like and she gave some suggestions, but I brought some of my favorites as well.”

She opened the cooler and began unloading the various potential toppings for the burger. Bacon, cheese, lettuce, and tomato were expected, as were pickles and various sauces, but there were several surprising options.

There were three cheeses including cheddar, pepper jack, and pimento. Avocado, sautéed mushrooms and onions, and a handful of onion rings were also available. Reed took the avocado from her hand and pulled a cutting board from the box.

“You don’t mess around,” she said, her tone filled with praise.

“I’m what you call a burger snob,” he admitted. “I’m okay with most burgers, but I’m always on the hunt for a good one. I also prefer to have homemade fries, but those would be hard to cook in a park.”

“Chips are good,” she said, pulling them out of the box. Then she noticed an odd choice. “Pita chips?”

“Those are the appetizer,” he said. “We’ll dip them in Nutella.” He pointed to the box and she spotted the jar.

“And dessert?” he asked.

“An all-American trifle,” he said with a smile. “It’s in the cooler.”

She pulled it out and admired the multi-layered dessert, complete with pudding and various fruits. “You know, if you didn’t have the dating thing down, you could get any girl with just your cooking.”

“What if I don’t want just any girl?” he asked with a teasing smile.

She met his gaze, her heart accelerated anew. “Then you could have the one you want,” she said.

He smiled and nodded, returning to his work. She continued to unload the dinner but stole frequent glances in his direction. She’d thought herself confident before, but now she felt certain. And she yearned for the impending kiss.