Page 63 of A Little More

He took his hat off, ran a hand over his head, and replaced it. How had a day that started off perfectly end up so shitty? And it wasn’t even lunchtime.

“We don’t even know if Junior’s going to say anything. And Gina wouldn’t have the first clue about who to call to complain.”

“No. But John will be down here almost once a week until the end of the project. And you know how much he’s fallen in love with Ms. Iris’s cooking at the diner. It’s only a matter of time before she sees him there…”

“Chill.” He set his hands on her shoulders. “Deep breaths. You don’t need to drive anywhere until we figure out what roads are open. We have time to think about this.”

“Great. While you think, I’ll be cleaning out my office.”

He palmed the back of her head, bringing her body closer. “That won’t happen. For now, focus on the kitchen renovation. That makes you happy. You have all the pieces there, ready to be installed. I can’t work with the fields flooded. That means all the free labor you can use. No need to wish for trouble before it happens. Maybe you need some of that yoga to help relieve your stress.”

Her shoulders rose and fell with her deep breath. Risking physical harm, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

She stiffened but didn’t pull away.

Nash coaxed her along, finally drawing her into the kiss. He gripped her waist, wanting her to stay put. If only she felt that somehow it would work out. The store. Their relationship.

But it wouldn’t work one-sided.

“You still owe me a date,” he mumbled against the side of her neck.

She leaned away from him with a mixture of suspicion and annoyance. “Right now?”

“To the movies. There’s nothing else to do here until the water recedes. The movie theater will be dark. It’s one town over.”

“We could run into someone.”

“I go to the movies all the time with different women.”

Her eyes widened. “Such a player. I thought you didn’t date.”

He laughed, glad that she had a little jealousy over his statement. He tugged her back to his truck. “With friends. I like watching movies. There’s something odd about sitting in a movie theater next to a guy.” Kissing her one more time, he opened his door. “You’re much cuter than Dewey.”

Finally, she smiled. “Thanks. I think.”

He took her back to the house, opting to stay in the truck instead of following her in while she changed out of her wet jeans. They’d never leave again if he caught a glimpse of her changing.

The ride to the movie theater lasted longer than necessary, having to detour around standing water from the swollen creeks and downed trees.

“Shit.” Gina’s white SUV sat a few rows over in the parking lot. He’d have to search his truck for some type of tracking device. Or else figure out how he screwed over Karma.

“I see it. I knew this wasn’t a good idea.”

“Let me call someone to come meet us. Make it look like we’re bored like the rest of the county and headed to watch a movie.”

“I’m sorry, Nash.” She chewed on her bottom lip. He rubbed his hand along her thigh.

“Not a problem.” He sent Juliana a text.

Welcome home. Want to go to the movies?

He drummed his fingers on the seat between them, waiting for her answer.

“Nash?”

His phone buzzed.

Sure…but why don’t you take the pretty girl sitting in your truck?

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