My heart swells, pressing against my rib cage. A whirling sensation of lightness fills my tummy, causing me to be concerned that I might float away.
Did Reed wake up today with the explicit purpose of shocking me stupid? He’s succeeded.
Considering how yesterday’s date ended, I was sure he knew I was guilty and was cutting ties. When he texted to ask me out, I was flabbergasted.
But now this?
Reed has officially blown the lid off theSurprise-Lila-O-Meter.
The bag contains a treasure trove of supplies for a birdwatching adventure.
I have no idea what my body reveals on the outside about my reaction, but on the inside, I’ve already bought my wedding dress and am waiting at the altar.
Kidding. Sort of.
“Reed,” I whisper, awe coating his name. “Are you serious?”
He shrugs nonchalantly. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
“If you’re teasing me with birding, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Well, you did earn some first-class disappointment after swiping my keys.”
I wave him off. “Psh. You aren’t over that yet? It was practically forever ago.”
He lifts one shoulder. “My ego is far too fragile. Revenge must precede forgiveness.” He takes his eyes off the road long enough to waggle his brows at me. “Welcome to payback, Lila. Population you.”
Time to call his bluff. “Fine. Where are we going for this alleged payback?”
“The landfill.”
“Kind of a lame place to dump my body. I’d have thought you could do better, given your line of work.”
He hums a one-note laugh. “I’m trying to date you, Lila. Not murder you. Besides, there’s more to do at the landfill than disposing of bodies.”
“Such as?”
“Lots of birds there, cookie.”
I beam at him, not letting him get a rise out of me. “As long as there are birds where we’re going, I’ll love it.”
He fights a smile, the effort causing his dimple to pucker. “You say that now, but I only brought one pair of nose plugs, and they’re for me.”
I study the items on my lap, contemplating what to grab first. Giddiness makes my knees bounce. “This thing has the phone adapter so we can take picturesthroughthe binoculars.Eeek!”
“Yes, photographs of the dump trucks.”
He wouldn’t dare. Even Reed has his limits when it comes to cruelty.
“It’s open already,” I mumble as I dive into the box like a maniac on a mission.
“I opened it to charge it for you.”
My heart thumps three times at that.
Danger. Danger.
Only my lady parts are supposed to be fond of Reed. What’s my heart doing here?Heck, he only picked me up for this date ten minutes ago, and I’m already feeling affection for him in several other parts of my anatomy. At this rate, I’ll be on my back or on my knees by sunset.
