Bennett smiles deeply when he sees me. “Hey!”
As soon as our eyes meet, I feel instantly at ease. I force myself to avoid looking at the area of his face beneath his nose. If he so much as licks his lips, I’m a goner. After Friday night, my unsteady knees wouldn’t be able to handle it. It’s just my luck when Bennett crosses into my space to give me a kiss on the cheek. He lingers, the sides of our faces pressed together. When I blink, my eyelashes graze his upper cheek, sending a jolt of heat through me.
“So, who am I meeting today?” I ask dizzily, looking around for someone who looks like they might be going on a first date. “And shouldn’t you be hiding behind a buoy or something? Is this weird?” An awkward stream of laughter comes out.
Bennett laughs. “Probably. But we’re here, so I’ll go get him. Are you good? I think you’re really going to like him.”
“Yeah. Let’s see who you found this time,” I mumble.
Bennett rounds the corner of the pay station. A few seconds later, he jumps out from behind it.
“Ta-da!” he shouts.
I snap my head back toward him. “Ta-da what?”
“Your date’s with me! I matched you with someone compatible last time, yet that wasn’t good enough. Now it’s time to try it my way,” Bennett says confidently.
“This is a total violation of the rules,” I say, holding back a grin.
“We agreed to go on dates with people we match with, and we both found each other compatible people. Wedidmatch on ZodiaCupid, after all, did we not?”
“That was a different profile!” I protest playfully. “And that was with someone named B.O.B.! You and I have been on a date, Mr. Mooncake-Filling-On-Your-T-Shirt. We both know how that turned out.”
“Because you were grilling me the entire time.” Bennett smiles. “We still matched. I’m your date. No more stalling.” He lifts a bag of unbleached flour from his bag. “This is for you. I couldn’t find peonies and figured this was the next best thing.”
I’m amused by his sweet gesture. “Fine. You’re my date.” My heart swells traitorously.
Before I can grab his offering, he pulls the bag back. “Actually, no. I’ll hang onto this for now so you don’t have to lug it around. Follow me.” He leads me around the kiosk and down a dock.
“Should we be over here?” I ask, looking at the signs condemning trespassing.
Bennett slows his steps and gestures toward a small powerboat rocking back and forth in the waves. “I know Horses are adventurous so I wanted to plan something fun for you,” he says, beaming. “We’re having a picnic on the boat! Oh, good, you brought a sweater. I may have underestimated the temperature today, but it should be cooler on the water.”
I grip my sweater tighter. “We’re eating on a boat. Like, docked, right?”
Bennett jumps into the boat first, placing the flour on the seat. “More like on the water. I opted for the seventeen-footer so that we’ll be more comfortable for our lunch. The water shouldn’t be too choppy right now.”
I feel the blood rush out of my face. I place my hand in his, grasping it a little too tightly as I step one foot onto what’s pretty much just a floating tub. When our fingers touch, the same thrill runs through me that I felt at the Getty. The boat wobbles, and I let out a loud shriek.
“Are you okay?” Bennett asks, alarmed. I back up from the boat, keeping my feet firmly planted on the dock. His smile drops. “Did I mess up?”
I straighten my shoulders. “I’m…fine.”
“I don’t want to be presumptuous, but…are you scared of the ocean?” Bennett looks nervous that I actually might be.
“Were those the actions of a scared person?” I ask overconfidently. “Okay, I might be a little bit scared of it.”
I see Bennett’s eyes pop behind his sunglasses. “Say no more, we’ll do something else,” he says, starting to climb out of the boat.
“No, no! I’ll be okay. You planned a picnic and rented a boat. I’ll feel bad if I ruinyour plans,” I say, holding my hands up to stop him. “Honestly.”
Bennett looks unsure. “Okay. You’ll let me know if you feel like it’s too much? Say the word and I’ll turn this ship right back around.”
I laugh. “Sure.”
Bennett whips out his phone and starts tapping on the screen. “Horses tend to be adventurous, but I may have interpreted the termadventuroustoo loosely. Let me see here,” he says, staring at his device.
“What are you doing?” I ask, looking around at the other tourists on the dock. “Are you reading an article right now?”
