“I have an idea,” I reply.
“What?” He grins at me, making my stomach instantly lurch into a full-blown assault of a million butterflies.
“You’ll see. Come on.”
We walk side by side with Molly trailing behind, tethered to her long leash, toward the parking area in an adjacent meadow. On the way, we stop by my abandoned table where I collect my pitiful brochures still neatly stacked in the box.
“I hope I didn’t keep you from important business,” Adam says.
“Nah.” I wave him off. “I left these brochures out for the taking. I had a much better time hanging out with you.”
There’s a definite pep in his step as we continue toward our vehicles. “You want to ride with me? Or should I follow you?”
“You and Molly follow me.”
“Okay.”
Once I’m in my car, I quickly pull down the vanity mirror and check my reflection. My blonde hair is a mess, but my blue eyes are bright, and my cheeks are sun-kissed. I guess spending the afternoon with a handsome man has its benefits.
I wait for Adam to pull out of the parking spot. He waves. I smile and wave back, ushering him to follow. We quickly traverse the country roads to my grandmother’s abandoned house on the outskirts of town. Outside my car, I wait for him to park.
Molly jumps out of the van, tail wagging as she sniffs the familiar terrain. Adam slams the door, boots crunching the gravel. “Should I get my hammer again?” He points at the metal sign lying flat in the weed-infested yard. I hadn’t even noticed until he pointed it out.
“Don’t worry about that. Come with me.” I reach for his hand and pull him down the driveway toward the house, my flat boots much easier to navigate over the uneven terrain. I lead him around back, the dried meadow grasses fluttering in the breeze.
“Where are you taking me?” He chuckles, squeezing my hand.
“You’ll see.” I grin.
We continue to the back edge of the property, toward the tree line running parallel to a babbling creek. Molly happily splashes in the slow current, pausing to lap up several mouthfuls of freezing cold water. I laugh out loud at the unexpected moment of pure bliss.
“This is awesome. You grew up here, right?”
I nod with enthusiasm. “I did. I lived right here my entire life until I went off to college. This is Elkins Creek. It runs straight into the Flint River. I used to wade in these waters every summer. My dad even taught me to fish.”
“You? Fishing?” He laughs.
I give his solid bicep a playful punch. “Yes, of course. If you walk a quarter mile that way, there’s a deeper spot filled with bluegill and catfish.” I gesture toward the half-bloomed dogwood trees leaning over the water. “Believe it or not, I camped here a few times with my dad as a kid. We’d build fires, roast hot dogs on wire hangers, and make s’mores.”
“No way. I can’t picture you doing any of that.”
“Why not?” I laugh, crossing my arms against my chest.
“You’re too… put-together. You know, professional? I can’t imagine you out here in the dirt and dusty elements putting worms on a fishing hook or sleeping under the stars.”
I know he’s half-kidding, his first impression of me in my pencil skirt and designer heels throwing him off kilter. “Oh yes. Camping was definitely something I used to do as a kid. Not so much as a teenager. Those days were spent in the back ends of pickup trucks with my friends. My dad and grandmother loved having all of us around. I think they secretly wanted to keep an eye on me. We were pretty good, for the most part. Of course, we’d have an occasional keg party around a bonfire.”
“Ah! A kegger. Those were the days.”
“I know, right?” I laugh. “But we were harmless. We mostly blasted the radio or a Bluetooth speaker and danced for hours, stopping only when my grandmother rang the old farm bell to signal she’d had enough.” I giggle, reminiscing. Odd, I hadn’t recalled those memories in years.
Adam has his hands on his hips, and I watch a slow smile work its way across his mouth the longer I look, his eyes crinkling in amusement. “Very few people surprise me, Keri.”
“Oh yeah? Well, you’re lucky. I surprise myself all the time.”
We pause and watch Molly happily pick up a stick near the water’s edge. She brings it to Adam and drops it at his feet. He picks it up and flings it into the field.
“Go get it, girl!”
