Page 11 of Summer Kisses

I opened the door. "Good luck with your show. It was fun."

"Thanks, Hazel. For everything."

"Of course. That's what friends are for," I said glibly as I slipped out of the room. I settled at my desk and tried not to pay attention to the booth door to see when Brady came out.

I was on the phone when a shadow appeared across my desk. "I'll put a hold on that book for you, and you can pick it up in the next day or two."

"Thank you," the woman on the other end of the line said as I hung up.

"What's up?" I asked Brady.

He raised a brow. "Is that how you greet your fiancé?"

I looked around; there were a few kids playing with the toys on the carpet, one coloring at a table, and another browsing puzzles to check out. But no one was looking at us. I stood and smoothed my hand over my skirt. "How should I greet my fiancé?"

He surprised me by banding an arm around my waist and pulling me flush against his body. "I missed you."

Then he kissed me, soft and sweet. It only lasted a few seconds, but I was breathless when he pulled away. "Can I take you to lunch?"

Sandy, one of the pages who covered for me on breaks, appeared out of nowhere. "I can hold down the fort if you want to go out to lunch."

I almost said it wasn't necessary, but then I remembered our plan to be seen around town. "Thanks, Sandy."

"I remember what it's like to be young and in love. Now go. Have a good time."

I blushed as I reached for the purse I kept in my drawer. We'd gone to lunch before, but this time it felt different. He was my boyfriend. His hand caught my arm and drifted down until his fingers were interlaced with mine. "That's better."

"Are you enjoying this?" I asked, my face feeling hot.

He grinned. "I am actually."

I shook my head and asked lightly, "It's a game to you."

"Mmm. I wouldn't say that." The look he shot my way was intense, and I couldn't put a finger on why.

I waved goodbye to my coworkers at the front desk.

"Do they know we're engaged?" Brady asked once we were outside.

The sun warmed my skin. "I'm sure they do. Grandma wasn't exactly quiet about it at bingo night, and there have been a few days for the gossip to get around town."

We got into his truck, and he glanced over at me. "Where to?"

"Can we go to our usual place?" There was a restaurant called the Mucky Duck on the beach in Captiva, and it was the best for lunch and putting your toes in the sand.

"The Mucky Duck it is."

He kept his work truck clean since I rode with him all the time, and it only took a few minutes to drive to the restaurant.

"Are you ready for this?" Brady asked.

"It’s not much different than any other day," I lied.

He chuckled. "I guess so. If you think holding hands and kissing is not much different than what we normally do."

"Obviously, that's not usual—" I stumbled over my words.

His forehead creased. "If you're not comfortable with this?—"

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