Page 23 of Why Not Both?

“He can do Lighthouse. When do you want to go?”

“Oh. I usually take transit. Can you bring him on the bus?”

“I’ll just drive.”

“You live and work Downtown and you have a car? What’s the point?”

I shrug. “Daze, Sophie, and I share it. My and Daze’s parents live in Maple Ridge. So we use it to drive out there. Then sometimes to get groceries and stuff. One car to rule them all.”

He gives me that mischievous smile again. “Lord of the Rings.”

“What? No. I didn’t mean—”

“You quoted. I guessed. I get another favour.”

“I was quoting the book,” I protest.

He leans forward in his seat, fixing me with his clear blue gaze. I’m locked on it, my heart in my throat as I realize I could happily drown in his eyes forever.

“Tell me the truth, Lis. Have you ever read the books?”

“I read The Hobbit,” I answer weakly.

“It counts. I win.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Dr. Who. I also win.”

Suddenly I notice we’ve both leaned toward each other over my desk and his face is only a few inches from mine. My gaze drops to his lips and my pulse races. How did I get here? What am I doing?

I sit back, slowly, so as not to appear to be running.

“So tomorrow. I can pick you up. What time?”

He clears his throat as he sits back, the mischief gone. I wonder if he’s as affected as I am.

“Nine? We’d get there by ten. The hike takes a couple hours. Then we can come back, eat lunch, and watch The Dark Crystal.”

“That sounds like a date.”

“Nope.” He stands. “Just two friends. Hanging out on a day off. I’ve got popcorn.”

I raise an eyebrow. “If you’re inviting me over to watch a movie, you better have popcorn.”

His laughter floats back to me as he walks away, and it takes me much longer than it should to focus again on my tasks. I have a lot to do to get ready for a day off.

A couple hours later, Vic enters my office.

“You did great today,” she says, sitting across from me.

“Thanks. It was fun. The catering company I worked for last had a lot of corporate clients, so this was the kind of thing I’m used to. And Tina’s ready to take over for the next couple days.”

“Excellent. I knew you’d have no trouble jumping in.” She sighs. “I just wish Mark had given me more time. I lost an event last week because of him leaving so quickly.”

“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that.”

She shrugs. “Business. You have everything you need for the rehearsal dinner and wedding this weekend?”

I nod and motion to my computer. “I’ve been going over everything. It all looks doable. I checked the stock and it’s all there. So we’re looking good.”

---