“I like that place, but I’m in the mood for pizza.”
That wasn’t what he expected her to say, but if that was what she wanted, he would buy her pizza. “A pizza parlor or Italian restaurant?”
“There’s a place on Main Street called Luigi’s. It’s my favorite.”
“Are reservations required?”
Her grin brightened her face. “Only if you’re a baseball, softball, or soccer team. Luigi’s is your typical family pizza parlor with sticky tables you wipe yourself and pinball machines older than we are. But the food is to die for.”
“Got it. No reservations needed.”
She nodded. “If we hadn’t been outside all day, I’d suggest taking the food to the park for a picnic, but I’m ready for air-conditioning.”
“Me, too.” That gave Garrett an idea. “How about we save the picnic for another…time?” He’d almost said date but caught himself.
“Oh, yes. We should do that. I love picnics.”
“That’s how we’ll celebrate finishing the booth.”
“Perfect.” Her eyes twinkled. “I have a basket and a red-and-white-checked blanket.”
“I’m not surprised.”
Taryn held up her brush. “The setting is as important as the food.”
“I’ll have to remember that.”
She started to say something before studying the board. “I have a few touch-ups to go.”
He sliced the length of the green pool noodle so it would fit around the tent’s legs. “This is done, so I’ll head to Margot’s. Meet you at Luigi’s in a half hour.”
“Whoever gets there first can grab a table. And so we don’t get into an argument there, this is my treat.”
He stiffened. “Dinner was my idea.”
“You’re helping me with the booth, so that’s that.” She returned to painting.
His entire body seemed to smile. Taryn Lawson was one of a kind. He didn’t know why a woman like her didn’t have a boyfriend or a husband. Brandt hadn’t lived in Silver Lake when he met Callie, but Garrett remembered his sister saying she had dated little after moving to town. That begged the question…
What was wrong with the single men in town when there were such amazing women to date?
In Taryn’s case, their loss was Garrett’s gain.
Friends, yes.
But he would make the most of it while he was in Silver Falls.
*
At Luigi’s, Garrettenjoyed the supreme combo pizza almost as much as Taryn’s company. His stomach was full, and his mouth hurt from all the smiling. He’d laughed more tonight than he had in weeks. They never ran out of topics to discuss, though neither of them mentioned the booth or the bakery. It was as if the calendar had rewound to December. Only people wore fewer clothes, and nothing was decorated with red and green.
“Do you come here a lot?” he asked.
“Not as much as when I was younger. Now, I order takeout and watch TV at home.” She patted the cardboard box filled with the leftovers. “I love having an extra meal for later.”
The place was as she’d described—a casual, friendly restaurant where reservations weren’t required. Booths with red vinyl seats lined the far wall, and they’d snagged one. Long tables with benches filled the rest of the place. No one appeared to mind sharing.
The only thing he’d change?
