Page 62 of Love At The Shore
Jenna smiled.Thank you, Maureen. I owe you one.“Thanks. Come on in.”
Lucas took a step and then stopped. “Oh.” He offered her the bouquet. “These are for you.”
They were wild flowers, as beautiful and free as the ocean, in a mix of vibrant colors—sunny yellow, bright violet, red and hot pink. Jenna couldn’t help but think about the Rice Krispies Treats he’d loved so much.
Rainbow-colored food is my favorite type of food.
It was official. Rainbow-colored flowers were now her favorite type of flowers.
“Thank you.” Joy bubbled up inside her.
Lucas stepped inside and as the sweet perfume of the wildflowers mixed with the balmy sea breeze, she smiled and inhaled deeply.
It’s totally a date.
Lucas had never been on a date with children tagging along before, and he had to admit, it made things interesting. In a good way, though—especially where the salad was concerned.
He poked his fork at the pile of greenery on his plate. “So what have we got here? We’ve got some arugula, figs and…” He glanced at Ally. “…chocolate chips?”
“Yes, they are.” She nodded and took a giant bite of romaine lettuce dotted with semisweet chocolate morsels.
“Ally insisted on making the salad,” Jenna said.
“I see. It’s…”Adorable. “Delicious.”
It actually wasn’t half-bad. Who needed croutons when there was chocolate? Maybe Ally was onto something.
Nick also seemed to have something up his sleeve, although Lucas couldn’t quite figure out what it was. He’d spent enough time with the kid to know when something was on his mind. He finally let loose with it during the chocolate-laden salad course.
“So.” Nick set down his fork and met Lucas’s gaze from across the table. “We have prepared a list of questions.”
Lucas nearly choked on his arugula. “For who? Me?”
“You did?” Jenna’s eyes widened in what looked like genuine horror. It was kind of cute seeing her so rattled for a change.
But not quite as cute as her children grilling him to see if he was good enough for their mom. Ally had even brought a notepad. She pulled it out from beneath the dining table and flipped through its pages.
Pages…plural.Good grief, how many questions did they have?
Lucas suppressed a smile and prepared to face off with Nick and Ally.
“Question number one.” Nick squared his slender shoulders. “Where did you grow up?”
Jenna reached for her wine glass. “Well, this is relaxing.”
Lucas did his best to keep a straight face as he answered the question. “Arroyo Grande.”
“Okay. My turn.” Ally consulted her written list. “Who taught you how to surf?”
“The VCR.” Lucas popped a bite of salad into his mouth.
Jenna laughed. With any luck, she was starting to have a good time again. He wanted this to be a nice date. Scratch that—he wanted it to be anexcellentdate, despite the impromptu interrogation.
Ally screwed up her face. “What’s that?”
Really? The VCR wasn’t that out of date, was it?“Proof that I’m a lot older than you.”
“Okay. Next question.” Nick glanced at his sister.
