“Hey, we all make stupid mistakes.” After all, I stayed with Levi this long.
A tall, thin waitress with shiny black hair sets a slice of pie in front of us with two forks. When she sees Adam, a flirtatious smile curls at her lips. “Hey, Adam. Haven’t seen you around in a while.”
“Hey, Bets,” he replies. “How’ve you been?”
She giggles in a harmonic melody. “You know. Same old work, no time for a social life, blah blah.” Jealousy lights up my insides. With a porcelain complexion, cool eyes under dark eyelashes, and bright red lipstick, she’s a knockout. Like a pin-up girl you’d see in a 40s magazine.
Adam sets his arm behind me on the couch. “Betsy, this is Jewels.”
Betsy looks me up and down before grinning. It’s the way you assess someone you think will eventually become a friend. Cordial, not judging. “Hey. Always good to meet a friend of Adam’s.” She turns back to Adam. “Let me know if I can get you guys anything else.” She winks his way before walking away.
“She seems cool,” I say. And she does, except I still can’t shake the feeling that she wants something more from Adam. It makes me feel strangely territorial.
With his arm still draped behind me, he turns so close that the warmth of his breath spills across my face. “I used to hang out here a lot.”
My throat becomes incredibly tight. It would only take a little nudge for our lips to touch. It’s one of those magical moments when you can feel your first kiss with someone coming. Our eyes lock. He rubs his lips together. As we stare at each other, I notice he isn’t breathing either.
I spring back to study the glowing green and white desert. “That looks...good.”
Adam reaches for the plate. “Get ready for the best key lime you’ll ever taste.”
I take a small, cautious bite, waiting for the flavor to hit my taste buds. The bitterness of the lime mixed with the sweet of the whipped cream is like a little party in my mouth.
Puckering my lips, I close my eyes and hum. “Considering this is my first time trying it, this is like really good. Delicious.”
“You’re kidding.” He sets his fork down. “You’ve never tried key lime pie?”
Shrugging, I cut myself a much bigger bite. “I used to be a picky eater.” A full moment passes before I realize I’m talking with my mouth stuffed full. Turning red, I press a few fingers over my lips.
Adam doesn’t seem to notice as he takes a similarly large forkful. “Maybe while you work on my list of things to do, I should be working on one for you.”
After swallowing the pie I stuffed in my mouth, I snort. “Except I’m the one who’s actually gone places, remember?”
“But no key lime pie? I’ll bet there are a ton of things you haven’t experienced. I’d venture to guess you’ll learn just about as much from me as I will when we execute your list.”
I’m filled with warm chills. I love the way he assumes we have a future together. The way he assumes I’ll say yes to his crazy idea. The thought of us being alone. On the road. “Oh, yeah? Try me.”
Setting his fork down on the suddenly empty plate, he raises his eyebrows. “Ever gone snowmobiling?”
“No way,” I answer rather forcefully. “Anything that has to do with the cold, you can count me out. I become a hermit once the first snow hits.”
When I realize I ate most of the pie without even asking if he wanted the last bite, I’m mortified. I’ve never wolfed anything down in front of a guy like that before. It seems I’m so at ease with Adam that I don’t even think about sitting straight, adjusting my hair, or making sure my lipgloss is well applied. It’s like hanging out with Kelly if she opted for a sex change.
“It’s not cold if you have the right gear.”
“Yeah, well, the only gear I have is a down coat and cotton mittens. I can barely cross campus without worrying about frost bite.”
Adam chuckles under his breath. “You can rent those kinds of things, you know. I’ll bet you haven’t been downhill skiing, either.”
“Heights, remember?”
“Says the girl who has been zip-lining and on the observation deck of one of the world’s tallest buildings.” His arm returns to the couch behind me once again. He looks down at me, his dimples flaring beside his wide grin. “Maybe we can make a stop in Colorado so you can try one or both.”
Licking the last traces of pie off my fork, I huff. “Slow down there, big guy. You’re acting like I’ve already accepted your proposition.”
He smirks, confident. “You haven’t turned me down.”