Page 12 of Rekindled Heat

"Do you still like Mexican food?" I ask.

"I love it. What were you thinking?"

"There are a lot of things I could do. Tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas. Don't want you to get tired of it, though, so we've got to mix it up."

"I'm not fussy about food."

"That's not how I remember it. And you said you’re tired of takeout."

I look beside me, and his cheeks are pink. He's blushing. OMG, that's so cute.

"In college, you learn to eat what's available. I didn't have the budget or the bandwidth to source the foods I liked, so cafeteria food it was."

"That's got to be tough. I didn't go to college, and sometimes I regret it. I'm taking some business classes online to help me run my business more efficiently."

"That's amazing."

Before I know it, I blurt out something I shouldn't.

"Would you ever date a woman without a college degree?"

His hand hesitates in reaching for his glass. "There are many roads to success. College is just one of them."

"Way to avoid answering my question."

"Come on. I know where the Mexican section is in this store."

That was not exactly the answer I wanted to hear. 'I would if it were you, Brandy' or 'only you, Brandy,' but instead, I get the runaround. I don't know what to think. I get mixed signals from him. I'm afraid of coming on too strong, though. We walk the aisles of the store like we are an old married couple, bickering about products and vetoing ingredients.

In the end, we get ingredients for Mexican, Italian, and Chinese. We stock up on fruits and veggies and get a couple of bottles of wine to go with the meals I've been planning. All in all, it was a successful trip to the grocery store. We load everything up in the trunk and take our seats in the car.

"Erik, is there any chance we could go for a walk on the beach? I've never been to one. No ocean in Woodland Falls and all,” she chuckles.

"I thought by now you would have taken a trip somewhere sunny and sandy."

"I've always used my savings to go to quilting competitions or special sewing events. None were ever near a beach."

"Then it'll be my pleasure to take you."

He gives me one of those winning smiles of his and I almost melt in the passenger seat. The warmth it creates in my body goes straight to my sex, and I cross my legs to try and get some friction. The man is too handsome for words. Erik takes me to a beautiful beach, and the sound of the waves crashing takes my breath away.

I take off my sandals and go meet the sea. It seems like a miracle how the tide comes in and out, and the foam climbs all the way to where I'm standing. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. The scents are different than those I'm accustomed to. Back in Woodland Falls, we only have lakes and rivers, and it's a completely different experience. It's all fresh and piney, whereas here it’s all wind and brine.

"Do you come here often?" I ask him.

"That sounds like a bad pickup line."

"I'm serious!"

My eyes finally flutter open, and I realize Erik's been watching me instead of the horizon. He takes my hand and pulls me to walk along the shore. Fireworks are going off in my head, and I have to keep myself from doing a little victory dance. Maybe not all is lost. Maybe he would like to rekindle our relationship. At least, that is what I hope.

After a thirty-minute walk, I stop and plop down on the wet sand. Inside, I'm bursting with pleasure because he did not let go of my hand all this time.

"Erik. Do you feel the connection?"

He stays quiet and then finally says, "Honestly? I feel confused as fuck."

"We're different people now."

---