Page 25 of The Runaway Bride's Vow

Her warmed her face. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’ll go.”

She felt so foolish. She turned for the door. All she wanted to do was to get away.

“Brooke, wait.”

She stopped but didn’t turn around. She hesitated. The last thing she wanted to do was face him again, but if she didn’t, he might suspect there was more to her lunch offer than wanting to be friends. She forced herself to turn but didn’t speak.

“My date is with Mabel.” As the pent-up breath rushed from her lungs, he continued. “She invited me over for some coffee and to tell me about the history of this place.”

Brooke couldn’t believe she’d let herself jump to the wrong conclusion. Although his wording could easily be interpreted that way. Had he done it intentionally? She wasn’t about to ask him. “You need more than coffee for lunch.”

“I have a bologna sandwich in the pickup.”

“This is better.” She hoped.

He arched a dark brow. “Did anyone ever tell you that you can be insistent?”

She shrugged. She didn’t want him to know how much effort she’d put into this lunch.

“Okay. Let me finish this piece, then I’ll join you on one of the benches.” He turned back to his work.

“You want to eat in here?” She glanced around at all of the sawdust and dirt. Immediately, her nose curled up. “It’s too dirty.”

He glanced over at the area. “I suppose it is. We could eat out on the steps.”

“I have something better in mind. I’ll just wait for you.”

He hesitated and then straightened. He brushed his hands off on his jeans. “Fine. Let’s go.”

“I thought you wanted to finish what you were working on.”

“It can wait. You are obviously anxious to eat. What did you do? Skip breakfast?”

She started for the door. “Yes, but it’s no big deal.”

“Why?”

“Because I rarely eat breakfast. I prefer a large coffee to get me going in the morning. So, when lunch comes around I’m ravenous.”

“You wouldn’t be so ravenous if you would eat some breakfast.” He reached out to take the bag for her.

When she went to hand it to him, their fingers touched. A shiver raced up her arm and settled in her chest, making her heart pitter-patter. Her gaze met his and held a moment longer than necessary. She couldn’t help but be drawn in by his dark eyes. Realizing she was staring, heat rushed up her neck. She glanced away.

As they made their way outside, he asked, “Where would you like to eat?”

Immediately, she said, “The beach.”

“Seriously?”

She nodded. “I’ve never had a picnic on the beach before.”

“I suppose being from the Midwest would explain that.”

“How do you know where I’m from?”

“You’ve got that Midwestern drawl going on.”

He was the first one to point this out to her. “I do?”

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