"Like what?"
"Anything. Something I don't know yet." He takes a bite, watching me with those warm brown eyes. "We've kissed and held hands and you've met my anxious disaster of a brain, but I still feel like I'm learning new things about you every day."
I consider. "I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was ten."
His eyebrows rise. "Really?"
"Obsessed with dolphins. Had posters all over my room. Drove my parents crazy talking about echolocation and pod dynamics."
"What changed?"
"I realized I'd have to spend a lot of time on boats. I get seasick." I shrug. "So marketing it was."
He laughs—genuine and delighted. "That's very practical of you."
"What about you? Did you always want to be a deputy?"
His expression shifts, going more serious. "Not always. For a while I thought I'd go into crisis counseling. But then I realized I could help people more directly in law enforcement. Be there in the moment when they need someone."
"That fits you," I tell him. "The helping people part."
"Yeah?" He looks pleased. "River said I have a savior complex."
"You kind of do. But in a good way."
We eat and talk, and it's easy. Natural. The kind of comfortable conversation where you lose track of time because you're so focused on the other person.
When he walks me back to the hardware store, he stops just outside the door.
"Thank you for lunch," he says.
"You paid."
"Thank you for letting me pay for lunch. And for holding my hand. And for—" He touches his lips, that shy smile appearing. "For the kisses."
"Anytime, Deputy."
He leans down and kisses me one more time. Slow and sweet and perfect. When he pulls back, he's grinning.
"See you tonight."
"I'll be there."
"I know." His hand finds mine one last time, squeezes.
Then he's gone, heading back toward the station, and I stand there watching him go, still feeling the warmth of his kiss on my lips.
The afternoon drags on foreverand also passes too quickly.
When I walk back into the hardware store, River immediately notices my kiss-swollen lips and Seth's satisfied expression still lingering on my face.
"Good lunch?" he asks, not bothering to hide his amusement.
"Shut up."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it very loudly."
