She pushed the button, and he came to where she was.
“I promise not to be distracting during your final attempts.”He took a step closer to her.“And I’ll leave the making out for in front of your house.”He winked.
“I don’t make out,” she whispered while her heart raced.He seemed to be very into touching her tonight and being flirty.Apparently, he was surer about their relationship than she was.
“Kissing, then?”he amended.
She blushed.“I suppose one or two would be okay.”
“Just not where anyone can see it,” he said with a nod of his head.“Got it.”
She shook her head.“Think about it.Would you want Madison to see us kissing in the bowling alley?Or imagine if she saw some other teacher doing something very un-teacher-like.You’d never hear the end of it.”
Steve chuckled.“You have a point.”
“And if there is gossip, she’s going to hear it.”
“Another good point, Miss Adams.I can see why you’re such a good teacher.You’ve got all the issues thought about before they happen.”
“As long as there is no glitter involved,” she said with a smile.“Then, all bets are off.Now, go win this game.”
“That seems to be a rather defeatist attitude.”
Esther held up the score sheet.“Have you seen this?You work with numbers for a living.Surely, you realize that even a perfect frame from me and three gutter balls from you would not help me win this game.Therefore, I am just being realistic.”
“But there are two frames left.”
“Even so, we both know enough math to know I’m not going to win.”
“But you’re not giving up, are you?”
There was a note of disbelief in his tone.What was it with guys and their need to feel like they had vanquished a formidable force?The Bennett boys had been the same.Not even Fred had ever let her bow out of a competition.Of course, he had been known, on occasion, to cheat to help her nearly beat his brothers at something.
“No.I intend to lose with as small a margin as is possible.”Eddie would be proud.Those were always his words when his older brothers were trouncing him in some game or another.
And thanks to Steve’s instruction on best bowling practices, she made a respectable showing.
“We should do this again,” Steve said, as she was removing her shoes.“Maybe once more without Maddie so you can perfect your game, and then, with her?”
She glanced up at him.“You’d be okay with that?”He had been the one to not want to bring Madison with them tonight.
“Well, it’s not like we’re going to go bowling tomorrow and bring her with the day after.We’ll do a few other things between now and then, so things should be more…” He shook his head and looked like he couldn’t quite decide what to say.
“We’d know better if this was a long-term thing,” she supplied.
He expelled a breath that sounded a lot like relief.“Yeah.That’s what I meant.”He took her rented shoes from her and let her carry the score sheet to the front desk where he paid for their games.
Then, when they got to his car, he stood close to her with his hand on the door handle.“You know, I don’t normally go around kissing people,” he whispered.“I don’t even talk about doing it.”He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers.
A small tingle of something skittered up her spine.Was it anxiety that they could be seen, or was it how she enjoyed the fact that he was eager to kiss her?Maybe it was both?
“But with you it feels right.Like maybe we’re meant to be together,” he said before kissing her a second time.This time it wasn’t just a brushing kiss but longer and more determined as his free hand cupped the back of her head.
That skittering something slammed into Esther’s chest, making her want to rub it while she was still in the midst of kissing him.
This was only their second date, and he was talking about … no, hinting at … forever?She should be happy about this.It was what she wanted, right?
She was the one who had wanted to bring Madison with them so they could bowl like a family.She was the one who had talked to her friends about being Madison’s mom.She was the one who had wanted Steve to ask her out.
