“She what now?” I side-eye her, careful not to take my eyes off the bumpy gravel road we’re traversing.
“When I met her at the festival, she literally told me to call her if you or Max gave me a hard time. I couldn’t believe it, but then she conned me into coming over to look at that book that never existed, so now it kind of makes sense.” Olive leans forward trying to get a better look out the windshield at where we are going.
“She means well. She just meddles a little when she thinks she knows what’s best for us.” I pull the truck into the clearing that overlooks the stone beach, parking in our own personal little cove, the forest all around us.
“What is this place? It’s stunning. We aren’t going to be arrested for trespassing, right?” Olive unbuckles her seat belt and slides toward the passenger door. I hop out and sprint around to open the door for her.
“Does it make you nervous to be here?” I grin at her, raising an eyebrow, wondering how much of a risk-taker she is.
“I’m not scared, but please don’t call my parents to bail me out if we do.” She hops out of the truck, not taking my hand, and walks toward the edge of the ten-foot cliff to look down at the water.
I laugh following closely behind, wrapping my arms around her waist as we stand together to look out. “I own this land. There’s a small cabin tucked into the trees over there.” I point to the right, and the structure comes into her view as she spins to face me.
“Why? I mean, do you live here?” Olive peers up into my eyes, confusion etched in her brow. I run my thumb along the crease, smoothing it out.
“Nope. I just loved this place as a kid. My dad would rent it once or twice a year from the old man who lived here, and we would come out to camp. My parents always stayed in the cabinbut us kids would put up tents and have bonfires out here. When the owner was selling, I had just had a good year at the shop, so I bought it thinking one day I would build a house on the land. I haven’t yet.”
“Sam, that’s amazing. It’s so gorgeous, I can see why you would want to live here.” She presses up onto the balls of her feet, placing a soft, chaste kiss to my lips. I feel like my heart could explode from her proximity, the feel of her in my arms, and her love of my favorite place in the whole world.
“Are you ready to see what else I have in store for our date?” I ask, knowing I need a few minutes to set everything up.
“Let’s do it.” She tugs my hand, and we walk back to the truck.
I grab the essentials needed to set up the projector screen and head toward the trees after giving Olive instructions to pull the truck to the center of the clearing and spread out the blankets and pillows in the back. Rigging this screen up is something I’m nearly a professional at, seeing that I’ve been doing it for years for our family outings out here. I have it up and ready to go in a matter of minutes. Olive works hard to create a cozy setup, complete with flannel sheets and a huge fluffy comforter that I threw in so she wouldn’t be cold.
From inside the truck, I pull out the basket of snacks and the actual projector to sit on the roof of the truck and play the movie.
“Did you look in my cupboards when I wasn’t home?” she asks as she rifles through the snack bag.
“Huh?” I turn around, seeing her sitting with her legs tucked up underneath her and snacks strewn all around.
“How did you know these were my favorite chips?” Olive holds up a bag of the same wavy salty crisps she had in her hair the other day. They are hard to find here. I had to drive three towns over to get a bag.
“I remembered from the taste of them.” I wink at her before a laugh breaks free.
“Oh my gosh, stop. I can’t believe I did that. Clearly there is something wrong with me.” She covers her face with her hands, hiding her embarrassment. I climb into the truck bed and crawl over to her pulling them away.
“I’m teasing you, babe. I asked Ariella,” I say, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. Her breath hitches slightly.
“Okay, but seriously, I promise I’m not usually so . . .” She waves her hand around in the air. “Nuts, disheveled, unhinged?”
“I liked it. It led to the best kiss I’ve ever had. I will always buy these chips from now on.” Olive’s cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink as she scoots back into the pillows and tears open the chips.
“Well, now that I know, I will just eat these instead of popping a breath mint.” She winks before popping a chip in and crunching it down. The sight of her so relaxed and casual stirs something in me, and I have to adjust myself before I let my guy downstairs get away from me.
“What are we watching?”
I grab the two discs from my bag and hold them behind my back. “Left or right?” I ask.
“Mmmm . . .” She licks the salt off her thumb and index finger, sucking tenderly while she eyes me.Fuck, I wish I was one of those fingers. Stop it! You need to woo her, not jump her.
“Left.”
“Good choice.” I pull the movies from behind me, revealing that she selectedPractical Magic. It’s a classic and one that I’ve watched numerous times with my sisters and mom. I insert the disc in the player, hit start, and settle in next to her, stealing a chip as I wrap my arm around her, pulling her close.
“You really are a nice guy, aren’t you?” The question makes me laugh before I can respond.
“What? I think so?”
