Page 22 of Summer Swoon

I don’t know how long it went on or what would have happened right there in the meadow if the distinct sound of footsteps didn’t break through our sensual fog. I ended the kiss and cocked my head to the side as I listened, my eyes not leaving hers.

The steps moved closer and voices became clear. I squeezed Eve’s waist before kneeling and holding out my hand to help her up. She scooted toward the other side of the blanket, her gaze still on mine. When I licked my lips, it dropped to my mouth. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in through my nose, then let it out slowly. When I opened them again, Eve was watching the people walking a few feet away.

“Ready to start moving again?”

Thankfully she nodded. I don’t trust myself to keep my hands off her if we don’t. We collected our trash then stood and folded the blanket. I stashed both in my backpack then looped the straps over my shoulders.

More people are on the trail than when we walked in, a few of them with dogs. Eve stopped to say hello to all of them…the dogs, that is.

“Do you have a dog?” I asked when we started walking again.

“No.” She shook her head. “I had one growing up, but my ex-husband was allergic.”

It’s not the first time she mentioned her ex, but the time was never right for me to ask about him. We have about a mile to go before we reach the truck. Now seems like as good a time as any.

“How long has it been since the divorce?”

“Just shy of three years.”

“What happened?” I asked, then realized that bordered on being rude. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

“No, it’s fine,” she said. “I found out he started dating a woman at work. From what I understand there were a couple before her, but I didn’t know about them. Otherwise, the divorce would have happened sooner.”

“That must have been hard.”

“It was. When you plan your life a certain way, it’s tough to pivot.” She shrugged. “Thankfully my daughter is grown and I’m financially independent. It would have been much harder if it happened when she was young, before I started writing.”

“How old is your daughter?”

“Grace is twenty-two now, so she was nineteen when it happened.” I stopped walking, too shocked to move. “What?” she asked.

I shook my head as we started moving again.

“I can’t believe you have a daughter that age. You don’t look much older than that.”

“I started young,” she said around a chuckle.

There was more I’d love to ask, but this is a date, not an interrogation. We have plenty of time to get to know each other. Besides, if she tells me hers, eventually she’ll expect me to tell her mine and I’m not ready to do that yet. Not all of it anyway.

We approached the truck and I opened the passenger door. Eve climbed in and once she clicked her seatbelt into place, I closed the door. I searched my mind for ideas to extend this date, but only one interests me. As I settled behind the wheel, I prayed it would appeal to her too.

I started the truck and turned down the volume of the radio before turning to face her.

“I’m having a great time and don’t want our time together to end just yet,” I said. “Would you be interested in coming back to my place? We can sit on the deck and have a drink or two?”

Her eyes searched mine for a few heartbeats.

“I’d like that,” she said. Then her mouth curled into a mischievous smile and she added, “Plus, if I go home too early, I’ll hear about it from Aunt Winnie.”

My answering laugh echoed through the cab as I shifted into drive and pulled out of the parking lot.

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