Page 62 of (Un)Expected

“No,” I said quickly, brushing off her offer. “Marta, you don’t have to do that.”

“Don’t be silly, darling. You know I live for this stuff.”

Before I could say another word, Cole answered for the both of us.

“We’d love to.” Then, his grin turned toward me. “It’s a date.”

TWENTY-SIX

“What the fuck am I doing?”

Staring in the goddamn mirror, I tried to figure out what all this shit in my hair was supposed to do. Was the goal to make me look like a damn oil rig spilled out of my head? If so, mission fucking accomplished.

Glancing down at my phone, I wondered if I’d have time to shower before meeting Alex. If I’d known that helping her neighbors was the key to getting her to agree to dinner, I would have set up shop in their garage a week ago.

Even though she never called it a date, and joining her elderly neighbors for dinner was not what I had in mind for our first time out together, my nerves felt differently. My palms wouldn’t stop sweating, and I had a severe amount of buyer’s remorse over my clothes.

I’d never acted like this before. Something about Alex had taken all the rational thoughts from my brain and turned me back into a teenager, preparing for my first real date.

“Fuck it,” I muttered, shoving myself away from the counter. Alex had seen me at my worst more than once, and she hadn’t gone running for the hills.Yet.Pulling on my favorite flannel, I headed tothe cabin’s front door, grabbing Calla’s spare set of keys from the table by the door.

Thank God for that girl—she’d saved my ass more than once this week. Luckily, she only used her car on the rare occasions she left town, mostly preferring to walk or take an Uber. I’d tried to give her money several times, but she refused. All she asked was that I fill the tank before bringing it back. Before I left Saint Stephen’s Lake, I was going to tear apart the car, make sure the damn thing ran like it was brand new.

When I left.

The familiar pang hit my chest. I hated how quickly time seemed to be ticking down. Adam was a week into filming, which meant we’d have seven more at the most. Even with reshoots and everything else, there was no guarantee we’d be back here anytime soon. Something about leaving this town made my chest throb; I hated the idea of heading back to California.

Even after five years in LA, it never felt like I belonged.

Saint Stephen’s Lake felt like home.

At least, it could.

As soon as I pulled into Alex’s driveway, she exited the house, holding a dish in her hands. I took in her appearance, loving how her dark jeans molded to her shapely thighs. She kept it simple with a red hoodie, which was still enough to make my mouth water. Goddamn, I wanted to kiss her again, pretty sure that her lips would be etched in my brain forever. She made a little mewl when I dragged her closer, needing her to know how much I wanted her.

I did want Alex.Badly.

Enough that I was willing to ignore all the red flags in our way. I still hadn’t talked to Adam, wanting to wait until Alex made her decision. Well, mostly. I was also scared shitless. There was a reason that Adam and I had managed to be friends for so long. We both stuck to our lane, never encroaching on each other. Even if their relationship wasn’t real, Adam might be pissed that I was pursuing her. I’d hate for something like this to come between us, but I’d already tried tostay away from Alex. It didn’t work then, and it sure as hell wouldn’t happen now that I’d gotten a taste of her.

I shook my head, pushing that thought out of my mind. Tonight was all about Alex and me. She had started to relax when we spent time with Marta and Curt; they held a large place in her heart, and I could see why. They loved her dearly, and they were also the warmest people I’d ever met. Sure, they had grilled me about my intentions with Alex before she arrived, but once I was honest about my feelings, they welcomed me into their home with open arms.

I climbed out of Calla’s car, meeting Alex at the end of her walkway. I reached out and took the pie dish from her hands, eyeing the container curiously. “What’d you make?”

Alex blushed. “I tried to make an apple pie. Calla walked me through all the steps, so it should be edible.”

“Should?”

“60-40.”

We stared at each other for a moment, unsure what to do with each other now that we were face to face. I bent down, dropping a soft kiss on her cheek. The same red color filled her cheeks. Damn, that could get addicting fast. I liked being the one to make her blush.

I reached out, lacing our fingers together with my free hand. “So, anything I need to know when we get in there?”

Alex scrunched her nose. “Not really. Curt and Marta are open books, so they’ll expect you to be the same. Oh, and if you’re a Cowboys fan, don’t mention it. Curt is a die-hard Giants fanatic. That’ll be the fastest way to get on his bad side.”

She continued to talk about them as we walked toward their property, following the convenient path that linked the two houses. When we reached the door, she forwent knocking, instead walking into the main living room. The house reminded me a lot of Alex’s, but with a more antiquated feel. The walls were a warm honey, accented with reds and oranges. The furniture was made from a hearty oak, as if each piece had been carved by hand.

“Hello?” a voice echoed from the kitchen. “We’re in here!”