Page 65 of Heating Up (Nugget)
Aidan let out a disappointed sigh. “Cigarettes, huh?”
“Yep. Case closed. You’re welcome.”
He wished it were that easy. “I’ll look into it. Thanks for the tip. Why don’t I meet you over at the Bun Boy in twenty minutes?” He didn’t bother to tell her that today was supposed to be his day off. It was mostly shot anyway.
But tonight he and Dana were going bowling. And he planned to kiss her again.
Chapter 13
Dana couldn’t decide between jeans or a sundress. She lay them on her bed, vacillating between the two. She knew Aidan liked the dress but feared her butt would hang out when she bent over to roll the bowling ball down the lane. The jeans, on the other hand, were tight and might just split up the seam.
In the end, denim seemed more appropriate for the Ponderosa, so she dropped her towel, slipped on a lacy pair of undies, and shimmied into the jeans. She paired the pants with the yellow sleeveless blouse Grace had given her from Farm Supply. It was too hot for the boots, so she put on a pair of strappy high-heeled sandals that had been part of her Harlee booty. They were too stylish for a bowling alley, but they were sexy. And for the first time in a long time, Dana felt like sexing it up. She even wore a push-up bra she’d ordered online.
From her bedroom she could hear the front door open and close and knew Aidan was home. He’d probably want to shower. Good thing she’d already done her hair and makeup.
There was a rap on her door. “You decent?”
“Not yet.” She didn’t want him to see the other clothes on the bed and know she’d agonized all afternoon over what to wear.
“I just have to take a quick shower,” he said, and she smiled at how she’d called it right.
“Okay. I’m almost ready.”
“You mind if we go somewhere other than the Ponderosa for dinner? I ate breakfast there.”
“I don’t care. You want to go to the Bun Boy?”
He groaned.
She opened her door a crack. He tried to get a look at her, but she wouldn’t let him. “What’s the problem?”
“I spent an hour at the Bun Boy doing an inspection so Donna can get an open-flame permit for some barbecues she wants to install. The woman talked my ear off and is a little bonkers.”
“Oh, shoot.” Dana held her hand to her mouth. “I was supposed to tell you about that and I forgot.”
“Don’t worry about it. I just don’t want to go there for dinner and get cornered by her again.”
Dana laughed. “She’s not that bad, but we can go anyplace you want. We can even eat home.”
“No, this is your night . . . even though we’re not celebrating. Yet. What else is around here?”
“Not much, unless we go to a neighboring town. But by the time we eat it may be too late to bowl.” The lanes closed at nine.
“We’ve got three hours.” He looked at his watch. “I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.”
True to his word, he found her in the living room thumbing through her mail, all set to go. His hair was still damp, curling around his neck, and he smelled like aftershave and something so good she wanted to burrow her face in his throat.
“Ready?” He tugged her off the couch and they headed for the door. “Where to?”
“There’s an Italian place in Blairsden and an Indian place in Glory Junction. We had Italian last night, so I say we head for Glory Junction.”
Aidan pulled a face. “I don’t like Indian food. I’m being a pain in the ass, aren’t I?”
“You shouldn’t have to eat something you don’t like. We can go back to Reno; plenty of choices there. But we probably won’t make it back in time to go bowling. We can go another time; I’d rather have a good meal. Unless you have your heart set on it.”
“No. Maybe we could catch a movie in Reno after dinner.”
“That would be fun.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been to a movie. It had probably been with Griffin because she didn’t like to go alone.
