Most of the women he’d dated didn’t like it when random fans interrupted them while they were out.
“Yeah, just tell me what you want.”
“Surprise me. You know what I like.” Matt kissed her cheek before stepping out of line.
As often happened, once people saw him with other fans, they decided to approach him too. Not only did he take photos with the trio who’d first spoken to him, but he also posed with ten other fans.
Before anyone else decided ice cream was a good idea and recognized him, he headed for the picnic table where Liv was waiting for him.
Matt kissed her cheek before sitting next to her. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault, and I don’t really blame them. Last summer, if I’d been about to get in line for ice cream and I saw you standing there, I would’ve done the same thing.”
Something between a laugh and a snort escaped him. He’d gone into the restaurant more times than he could count in the past, and she’d never asked him for anything more than his lunch order. “No, you wouldn’t have.”
Liv raised a spoonful of ice cream toward her mouth. “Yeah, you’re right. I wouldn’t have done that to you. But if it were Jordan Mead or Travis Hart, I would’ve been just like your fans earlier. I am, like, their biggest fan,” she said, altering her tone to match the young woman’s.
“And all this time I thought I was the member of Eclipse you liked the best.” Sighing, Matt shook his head. “I can’t do it today, but I promise I’ll introduce you to Jordan or Travis so you can get their autographs and some pictures.”
Although he knew Liv was being silly, he did want her to meet his friends and his family, which was something that rarely happened with the women he dated. In fact, the last girlfriend he’d introduced to his family had been Juniper Stanley. Seven years ago, she’d been an up-and-coming actress with a recurring role on a popular sitcom. Thanks to her acting ability and the attention she garnered from being with him, she was now a household name with four blockbusters under her belt and another being released this fall. Before her rise to movie dominance, he’d thought she might be the one. After her first film catapulted her to the top, however, she’d changed—and not for the better. Now, he occasionally saw her at charity events and awards shows, but otherwise, he had no contact with her.
“I can’t wait.” Liv pushed his bowl toward him before taking another spoonful of her own. “I almost got you a banana split, but the ice cream here is so good it should be against the law to put toppings on it.”
Matt scooped up a large spoonful of pistachio ice cream. “The jury is out on that. I happen to be a connoisseur of ice cream.”
“I’ve heard of wine connoisseurs, but ice cream? I think you’re making that up.”
A few of the people in the line for ice cream kept looking in his direction and then talking to each other before glancing his way again. Before they came over, interrupting his time with Liv again, maybe they should take the walk they originally intended.
Standing, Matt reached for her hand. “If we’re going to get in that walk before we leave, we should go now.”
Liv didn’t argue, and with their ice cream in hand, they headed toward the path that started to their right.
Thankfully, the path that took them through wooded areas and around the lake was empty, but it also led them past the entrances to the go-carts and the ropes course. Today, both were crowded with people of all ages.
“The last time I was here, they were still working on that area.” Liv pointed to the ropes course. “But I wouldn’t mind trying it sometime.”
“I’ve done a few. We’ll have to come back and do it.”
“You snowboard, ski, surf, and do things like that.” Liv pointed toward the course. “Sounds like you’re a bit of an adrenaline junkie.”
She wouldn’t be the first person to accuse him of that. “Did I forget to tell you that I enjoy skydiving?”
“Uh, yeah. Why would anyone be willing to jump out of a perfectly good plane?”
“Funny, my mom has asked me the same thing.”
“Seriously, do you have something against sitting still?”
“No, but while I love getting lost in a good book, life’s too short to spend all your time cooped up inside. Honestly, I can’t think of an activity I won’t try at least once.”
“I think you’d get along well with my cousin Andrew. If it’s labeled dangerous or, in some cases, stupid, he’ll do it without batting an eye.”
So far, Matt had only made one emergency room visit in his life. “The worst injury I’ve ever had was a broken ankle, and I got that running track in high school.”
The path rounded a corner, leading them past the north entrance of the mini golf course and then back into the woods.
“So, Mr. Connoisseur of Ice Cream, what’s your verdict on Heavenly’s pistachio?” Liv pointed at the remaining ice cream in his bowl.
