Rather than answer immediately, he ate the last spoonful. “It’s really good,” he admitted. “But I’ve had better.”
“Where?”
“Two places immediately come to mind. Pirate’s Cove in Newport, Rhode Island, and Vanilla Moon in Healdsburg, California.”
“I’ve never been to Newport or Healdsburg, and I don’t see myself getting there anytime soon, so I’ll settle for ice cream from Heavenly.”
“California might be out for a long weekend trip, but Newport’s only about a five-and-a-half-hour drive from here. If we fly, we’d be there even quicker. Just name the week and I’ll make us reservations.” He had cousins in the area, but she might be more comfortable at a hotel.
“I’ll get back to you. We have a lot of weekend events we’re catering this summer.”
Ten
She’d intentionally avoided going out in public with Matt for three reasons. The first was that she wasn’t sure how she’d feel about random people interrupting them. While she hadn’t appreciated the fans today, it hadn’t been as annoying as she’d feared, at least not for her. Despite Matt’s friendly smile and willingness to pose for photos, she’d sensed his annoyance. Her second and third reasons were tied together. She’d been seeing pictures of Matt with women for at least a decade. More often than not, including the photos this spring with the dark-haired woman, the headlines claimed the two were in a romantic relationship. Liv wasn’t used to the spotlight, and the idea of her picture appearing on the Star Insider’s website or a popular social media site made her cringe. However, what she feared even more than the pictures circulating was seeing some of the comments people would make, which would no doubt leave her in tears. Keyboard warriors thought nothing of posting mean and spiteful comments. And Liv could only imagine what some people might say about her, especially if they compared her to some of the other women Matt had been linked to over the years. At least there hadn’t been any paparazzi hanging around today. Even she would have noticed some random person walking around with a state-of-the-art camera and snapping pictures. As for photos that fans had taken, they’d been too obsessed with getting pictures of themselves with Matt to snap any of her with him. The longer he stayed in Orchard Harbor, though, the more likely it would get out that he was in town. In turn, that might send professional photographers with their fancy cameras to town. But at least for the moment, she didn’t have to worry about that.
“You’re awfully quiet over there,” Matt said as he turned into his driveway. “I don’t think you’ve said anything since we left Smugglers’ Cove.”
“Sorry. I’ve been trying to guess what else you have planned for us today.” So far, he hadn’t dropped a single clue. “But since we’re back at your house, does it involve me beating you in a game of pool again?”
They’d played multiple times, and while he’d done better against her, he’d yet to win a game.
“Nope, not tonight.” He waited for the garage door to open and then drove inside. “But soon I want a rematch.”
“Name the date and time, and I’ll be there.” She waited for him to come around and open the car door. She found it unnecessary, but he insisted. Since it seemed to be important to him, she didn’t fight him on it.
“Pool is out. So, are you going to give me a private concert while I eat grapes and cheese on the roof?”
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea. I’ll keep it in mind for another night. Do you prefer green grapes or red ones?”
Taking her by the hand, he led her past the other vehicles in the garage and into the house.
“Red, but I’ll eat either. Just make sure they’re seedless.”
“Noted.”
Matt grabbed the basket on the counter as he made his way to the refrigerator. “I just need to pack up a few things, and then we’ll be ready to go.”
She watched as he added what were clearly take-out containers to the basket before selecting two bottles from the wine fridge and adding them as well.
“Are we going on a picnic?” The last time she remembered doing that, she’d been in middle school.
“Not exactly.” With the basket in one hand, he reached for her left hand. “Follow me.”
After crossing the kitchen, they exited the door that led out onto the back deck. Matt didn’t stop there, though. Instead, he led her down the stairs and across the lawn to the dock.
She noticed the yacht moored there. She couldn’t think of the vehicle at Matt’s house as merely a boat. Despite growing up near the ocean, she didn’t know a lot about boats. She’d never been interested enough to spend any time learning about them. However, even she recognized that the only thing the boat Matt owned and the one her aunt and uncle had at their lake house in New Hampshire had in common was that they could both be used on water.
He escorted her up to the upper deck and gestured toward the sofa that looked nicer than the one in her living room. “Make yourself comfortable.”
It didn’t take long before they were pulling away from the dock, and Liv watched as Matt’s house grew smaller and smaller in the distance.
“I never would’ve guessed this was what you planned for tonight.” Although he’d told her to make herself comfortable, she’d opted for the seat next to his rather than the sofa behind him.
Reaching over her, he kissed her cheek. “There’s more, just wait. Once we get far enough out, I’ll drop anchor, and we can enjoy the rest.”
It had been a long time since she’d been out on the open water, and while Matt concentrated on operating the yacht, she soaked up the ocean air. Eventually, though, they reached the spot Matt had intended, and he took care of whatever he needed to ensure the boat stayed relatively in one place.
“Follow me.” After grabbing the basket he’d left on the table, he reached for her hand.
