The temperature was pleasant tonight, around seventy, and a light breeze blew in off the lake. All in all, a perfect night for patio dining.
“I have a confession to make,” Grace said after the server took their drink order and left. “I don’t usually like surprises.”
“People who say that usually mean they fear the surprise will be a bad one.”
“Hmm. That might be true. So you went out of your way to make sure this was a good surprise.”
“It wasn’t that much trouble.” His eyes glinted with amusement. “You deserve better than putt-putt.”
Though he said it lightly, she could tell he meant it. For someone who’d initially been so mysterious he was certainly up front with her. She’d expect a man like him, so good-looking and confident, to be a bit of a player. He was anything but.
“You’re certainly full of surprises.”
The server set their waters down. “I’ll be right back to take your orders.”
After she left Wyatt leaned his elbows on the white tablecloth. “How so?”
“Shall we start with the Secret Service job or go straight to our soul-baring camp conversations? Please. You’ve done nothing but surprise me since we met. It even surprised me that you asked me out.”
“After that kiss?”
She cleared her throat and twisted her hands in her lap. “Yeah, well, that was a surprise too.”
His eyes pierced hers, and the cord of tension pulled tight between them. “I think we can agree on that.”
The server stopped to take their order, but they hadn’t even opened their menus. They took a moment to peruse the options. Gracesettled quickly on the pecan-crusted walleye, mainly because she wanted to get back to their conversation.
Moments later the server returned. Wyatt ordered a pulled pork dish she’d heard good things about. She might have to sample.
When the server left the table, Grace leaned forward. “So why did you finally ask me out?”
His brow cocked. “Finally, huh?”
Okay, maybe that had been telling. “You had your reasons for holding me at arm’s length, I’m sure.”
“I did that?”
“Admit it, you thought I was a mere child.”
“Wouldn’t put it quite that way.”
“Then how would you put it?”
“Maybe I did recognize the gap between our ages and levels of life experience.”
She took that in. Let it settle a bit and found herself unable to argue the point. “Fair enough. But I’m still twenty-one, you’re still twenty-six, and my life experience has remained fairly stable since meeting you.”
“That’s true.”
“So what else? We live in different cities...”
“An obvious obstacle.”
“And still unchanged. Am I missing anything?”
“That about covers it.”
“So before... when you alluded to the kiss as having been a factor in asking me out, what did it change exactly?”
