Page 59 of Hiding Forever

“Honesty. That’s nice.” Yet another fascinating, refreshing trait of Riley’s.

“I have no reason to lie to you.”

“Other than not telling me why you’re here,” I tease, then realize he might not see what I said as funny.Crap.

He nods, his gaze unfocused, as if he’s thinking about it.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Bad joke.”

“No. It’s honest. I like that about you.”

“I like that about you, too.”

He draws in a deep breath. “How about we take a break from the kittens tonight and do something fun? If you want,” he adds. “And only for a little while.”

“Okay. What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. Something outside. Tennis maybe?”

“Hmm? I like the outdoor idea and I like tennis, but what if we did something else?”

“Like?”

I think of some options. “What about the beach? We could walk down there dressed in disguise. I doubt anyone would recognize us at night.”

“What kind of disguises?”

“Hoodies and sunglasses?”

“At night?”

“Wigs and hats?”

Riley laughs.

Itty-bitty jumps at the deep sound.

“Sorry, girl.” He pets her head. “They eat slowly.”

“Is that a no?” I ask.

He straightens and draws in a breath of contemplation. “It’s a yes. I’d love to get in disguise and walk to the beach with you.”

“As long as it’s not too risky,” I add. “We can always play tennis, even at night. The courts have lights.”

“I like the beach idea. I love the smell and sound of the ocean.” He gets a dreamy look in his eyes, and my heart sighs.

Not making a move on him tonight might be my biggest challenge yet. We need to keep things simple and not add desires into this adventure—his first outing with me. I can’t screw it up.

---