Page 67 of The Pink House

She smiled and inched farther from the edge of the stream. “I’ve had fun today. Is fishing always this exciting?”

“Not always.” Charlie smiled back. “Though it usually is relaxing.”

“You know what I’d like to do now?”

“What?” Charlie had the feeling he knew. He tried to hide his disappointment at having their outing cut short.

“I’d like to go home, shower and change clothes.”

Charlie nodded. Just as he’d thought.

“Then I’d like to take you out for breakfast at that new place on Lillibridge Road. My treat.”

He couldn’t stop his smile.

“Unless you’re busy,” she added, obviously mistaking his silence.

He wasn’t sure what got into him. Truly, when he looked back, Charlie wondered just what he’d been thinking when he slung an arm around her shoulders and kissed her lightly on the mouth. “Never too busy for you.”

* * *

Conscious of Charlie waiting for her in the living room, Hannah kept the shower short. She did wash her hair, a necessity since the blond stands held a fishy smell in addition to streaks of mud. That smell carried through to her body and her clothes that now lay in a tangled mess on the bathroom floor.

Once all the mud and muck had swirled down the drain, Hannah dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of white shorts with a bright blue tee.

Since one of her canvas shoes remained stuck in the muck of Pigeon Creek, she donned a pair of strappy sandals.

“I’m ready,” she called out.

Charlie glanced up from his phone. “Wow. Not only do you look amazing, you cleaned up in record time.”

“That’s because I’m starving.”

Charlie untangled his tall body from the sofa and rose, all six feet one of handsome male. “Falling into a creek will do that to you.”

She narrowed her gaze. “You’re wearing a different shirt.”

“Am I?” A smile tugged at the corners of his lips even as his expression remained innocent.

Hannah was positive, well, nearly positive that this was a different shirt. It was his almost smile that had her pressing forward. “Yes, you are.”

She stepped close, though why she wasn’t sure. It certainly wasn’t necessary for the conversation. Hannah fingered the hem of the faded MIT T-shirt, then sniffed. “Yep. Definitely different.”

This time, he blasted a full smile in her direction. “While you were showering, I ran home and took one of my own. Couldn’t go out for breakfast smelling fishy with a beautiful woman.”

“Looks like we’re ready, then.”

Instead of crossing the yard to where his truck was parked, when they reached her driveway, Hannah gestured to her hybrid SUV. “Let’s take mine.”

“I was hoping for a ride in this.”

“Do I need to open the door for you?” she asked, recalling his insistence on doing that for her.

“I believe I can manage.” He slid into the passenger seat. “How do you like it?”

“I love it.” They kept the windows down as they drove downtown, the breeze drying the edges of her hair, still damp from her shower.

“There’s a community parking lot behind the food market,” Charlie told her. “You’re more likely to find a parking spot there than on the street.”

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