Page 74 of All Bets are Off

When we climb into the car, I hand him the flowers.

Flushing, Logan stares at them in wonder. “Really? For me?”

“Of course for you. Do you like them?”

He nods. “I’ve never received flowers before.”

“I’m glad to be the first, then.” Leaning over the console, I kiss his cheek.

“They’re beautiful.” He pets the petals of a daffodil with his finger. This is one of those interactions that stands out due to how very different it is from our old interactions. Our relationship has changed so much in such a short time. It’s still scary, but it’s also kind of exciting. My heart hasn’t beat this fast for anyone in a long time.

“Daffodils are for new beginnings, and forget-me-nots mean true love. The baby’s breath is for innocence, but that’s just filler, obviously,” I say.

Logan chuckles. “Thank you.” He kisses me softly. The more we kiss, the more I want more. It’s like that every time. And right now, the feel of his mouth on mine evokes so much emotion in me, I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. So, I turn away from him and start the car.

“Where are we going to eat?” he asks.

“Nautical. I got us a table on the back deck.”

Nauticalis known not only for its wonderful food, but for the contrast of being a topnotch dining experience in a relatively casual atmosphere.

In spite of my reservation, we wind up waiting fifteen minutes to be seated, but it’s worth the wait due to the awesome view. At this time of the day, the heat of the day has worn away, and a sweet breeze blows in from the ocean. The lanterns hanging around us blink on, lending a romantic air to the scene. Logan and I order beer and a couple of appetizers while perusing the menu.

“This is nice,” Logan says after we order. “Thanks for arranging it.”

I smile at him. Dipping some fried calamari into the sauce served with it, I pop it into my mouth.

“Good?” Logan asks.

“I think so. A little chewy, but what do you expect from squid?”

“I’ll stick with the crab dip.”

“You need to be a little more adventurous,” I say.

“The last time you said that, I ended up pulling a muscle in my back,” Logan reminds me, causing me to snort my beer and have to wipe my face with the cloth napkin.

We both ordered lobster, and I’m a little dismayed when I see it laid out on the plate.

“It’s looking at me,” I say.

“Here. Let me break it open for you.”

I have to look away when he does that becausegross.

“I can’t believe a seasoned Marine gets squeamish when looking at the inside of shellfish,” Logan teases.

“Yeah, well. Don’t tell anyone.”

He winks at me, which makes my stomach do a crazy little flip. “You’re secret’s safe with me.”

After dinner, we leave our shoes at the dunes, roll up our pants, and take a walk on the beach. Hand-in-hand. With people around. A few people stare at us, but no one seems to be particularly bothered by it.

“Look!” Logan suddenly says, wading into the water and bending over to pick something up. “It’s a conch! And it’s in good condition, other than this chip here.” He holds fingers the broken edge before holding it up to his ear. “I wonder why you can hear the ocean?”

“There’s probably some scientific explanation,” I say.

“On second thought, I don’t want to know. I’d rather think it’s because the ocean has surrounded it for eons.”

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