Page 222 of Steamy Ever After

“Not at all. It’s too warm in here. You ready to go?” That was a lie. The heat she felt had nothing to do with the temperature in the restaurant. In fact, earlier she’d felt chilly.

“Sure, yeah. I’ll take care of the check, and we can be on our way.”

“That would be a good idea, wouldn’t it?” She laughed. God, she’d completely forgotten about paying. Where was her mind? Easy answer—her mind was on Brodie Butler, and as hard as she tried, she couldn’t think about anything other than how good it felt to be with him.

“Where to, pretty lady?” Brodie asked when they left Big Sky.

“We could walk around town since we aren’t in a hurry to get anywhere.” She missed being downtown, and all the cute shops she used to visit when she was in college.

Thursdays were the best. That’s when the streets turned into a giant farmers’ market. It wasn’t limited to farm stands. There were also booths offering ethnic foods, others sold clothing, and musicians busked on every corner. She couldn’t remember the last time she came down for it. The boys would love it.

“You’re quiet, but it looks like whatever you’re thinking about is something that makes you happy.”

“You know what? You’re right. I was thinking I should bring the boys down on Thursday, for the farmers’ market. Have you been? It feels more like a street festival.”

“I haven’t been in years, but I’d love to join you if you wouldn’t mind me tagging along.”

Oh. Her boys. And Brodie. That wouldn’t work. Finn had already asked about him spending time with them.

“Hey, you know? Now that I think about it, I wouldn’t be able to join you this Thursday. Maybe another time though.”

“I’m sorry, Brodie. The boys?—”

He held up his hand, so she stopped talking. She felt horrible, though. He’d been nothing but nice to her. He’d immediately picked up on her discomfort and let her off the hook.

“I know we finished eating a few minutes ago, but damn, something smells good.”

“That’s Mama’s Meatballs. You can smell their garlic knots from miles around, or at least it seems that way.” Once again, being here today reminded Peyton how much she missed it. San Luis Obispo was only a half hour from her place in Cambria. She had no good reason for never coming down here, other than she didn’t think about it.

“So…maybe…you and I could…” he began.

“What?”

“Sorry, I’m screwing this up.”

Peyton didn’t need to ask what he meant. She was enjoying her time with him so much that she didn’t want it to end. And when it did, she’d want to know when she could see him again. Wanting it was totally unfair of her, though, given she’d just cited her boys when he suggested visiting the farmers’ market with them.

“Brodie?”

“I’d really like to have dinner there sometime.”

“You should. It’s amazing and reasonably priced too.”

“Peyton…I…uh. This is so awkward.”

She sighed. “I know.”

They were quiet on the walk to the car. When they got close, Peyton wondered if he’d still care to go for a drive or if he’d want to return to Cambria.

“Ever been on See Canyon Road?” she asked, not wanting to give him the chance to bring their day to an end.

“Not in years. You sure you want to take this baby on a dirt road?”

“Why have an all-wheel-drive car if you never take advantage of it?”

When he studied her, she wondered if she was imagining that the heat in his eyes matched her own.

“Beautiful and badass,” he said almost too quietly for her to hear before adding, “Which way should we go?”

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