Page 23 of Turn Up The Heat

Shane’s mouth popped open in surprise. “You’re makingguacamole? Doesn’t that stuff come in jars just like everything else?”

Bellamy’s wry laugh caught him right in the chest. “Shane, you took my freaking carapart. Do you really think making a little guac is rocket science in the face of all that?”

He stammered. “Well, I don’t know. At least I’m sure I won’t screw the tranny up. The guacamole, not so much.”

“Oh, it’s not hard,” she said, eyes sparkling. “Now fresh-baked croissants?Thoseare a pain in the ass.”

“Okay, wait. You make croissants? As in, the baked goods you can find in aisle three?” Shane tried to rope in his complete shock, but failed. She might as well have told him she was going to whip up a quick batch of butter.

Bellamy served up a look that suggested homemade croissants were the garage equivalent of a simple oil change.“Sure. They’re more time consuming than difficult, which is what makes them a pain. Kind of a fun way to kill a Sunday afternoon, though. The results are definitely worth it.”

Boy, if that didn’t make watching a football game from the old recliner look downright lazy. Shane’s brows drew inward. “So, are you a chef, then?”

She barked out a laugh. “Oh, God, no. I just cook for fun.”

“What a coincidence. I eat for fun.” If Shane had known how freaking provocative her laughter was, he might’ve tried harder not to piss her off yesterday.

Don’t look now, but you’re flirting with the rich girl.

The realization jammed into Shane, freezing his blood in his veins. “You know, I should let you go.” Hell if this part of the conversation wasn’t ten minutes too late. “Your friends are probably waiting for you to go to that bonfire, and all. I don’t want to keep you.”

Bellamy’s laughter shorted out like a faulty fuse. “Oh. Well, it doesn’t start for another couple of hours, I guess, but yeah. Yeah, you should get on with your shopping, too.” She paused, chewing her lip. “Thanks for the update on the car. Have a good night.”

“Bellamy, wait,” Shane blurted, thinking only of the smile that had now faded from her lips. “Maybe I’ll see you. Later. I’m going to the bonfire with a buddy of mine.”

Her mouth lifted at the corners, the faint suggestion of her smile playing there for only an instant. “You are?”

The words were the verbal equivalent of Switzerland, so neutral that Shane couldn’t read her tone at all. Still, something about that sexy laugh she’d given up before spurred him on before he could think.

“Yup.”

He was now, anyway.

8

“Let me get this straight. You made a date with hot mechanic guy in the middle of the produce aisle and you didn’t even tellus?” Holly’s expression was an equal mixture of shock and wicked grin as she halted a steaming mug of Irish coffee halfway to her lips.

“A little louder, Holly. The people in the next county didn’t hear you,” Bellamy whisper-hissed, her breath puffing into the frigid night air.

The bonfire had been roped off for safety, separated from the milling crowd by an eight-foot circumference of rope and resort staff. It still gave off a decent amount of heat and a hell of a lot of atmosphere, although the plunging nighttime temperatures could still knock the breath right out of a girl.

Or maybe it was her recollection of the mechanic with a smirk so sexy it should be illegal that was doing the job all by itself.

Bellamy sighed. “And I didn’t make a date with anybody. I ran into Shane at the grocery store, and when I mentioned going to the bonfire, he said hemightsee me. I hardly think it’s a date if he was planning on being here anyway.”

Jenna rolled her empty coffee mug between her gloved palms. “I don’t know. Was it a casual ‘maybe I’ll see you,’” she deadpanned, giving an off-the-cuff wave. “Or was it more hopeful, like ‘maybe I’ll see you…naked’?” She added a waggle of her dark blond brows for emphasis.

“He said maybe he’d see me, like a normal person,” Bellamy insisted. “It’s not a date. He doesn’t even like me, remember?”

Holly scoffed at the protest. “I still think ‘maybe I’ll see you’ qualifies as a date. It implies intent,” she pressed, taking a long draw from her mug.

Bellamy arched a brow. “What are we, in court? A date involves phrases like ‘pick you up at seven’ and ‘are you up for sushi?’. ‘Maybe I’ll see you’ doesn’t count.”

Holly laughed. “Sell stupid somewhere else, sweetie. You tried on three different sweaters and you’ve got that sexy-tousled thing going on with your hair. This is totally a date. And by the way, your hair looks fabulous,” she added.

Jenna nodded her approval, huddling closer for warmth. “You dolook pretty hot.”

“Anyway, I don’t know what the big deal is.” Holly shrugged. After the kiss he laid on you last night, a date seems like the next logical step,” Holly said, recovering from her laughter.

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