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“Honesty. That’s nice.” Yet another fascinating, refreshing trait of Riley’s.
“I have no reason to lie to you.”
“Other than not telling me why you’re here,” I tease, then realize he might not see what I said as funny.Crap.
He nods, his gaze unfocused, as if he’s thinking about it.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Bad joke.”
“No. It’s honest. I like that about you.”
“I like that about you, too.”
He draws in a deep breath. “How about we take a break from the kittens tonight and do something fun? If you want,” he adds. “And only for a little while.”
“Okay. What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. Something outside. Tennis maybe?”
“Hmm? I like the outdoor idea and I like tennis, but what if we did something else?”
“Like?”
I think of some options. “What about the beach? We could walk down there dressed in disguise. I doubt anyone would recognize us at night.”
“What kind of disguises?”
“Hoodies and sunglasses?”
“At night?”
“Wigs and hats?”
Riley laughs.
Itty-bitty jumps at the deep sound.
“Sorry, girl.” He pets her head. “They eat slowly.”
“Is that a no?” I ask.
He straightens and draws in a breath of contemplation. “It’s a yes. I’d love to get in disguise and walk to the beach with you.”
“As long as it’s not too risky,” I add. “We can always play tennis, even at night. The courts have lights.”
“I like the beach idea. I love the smell and sound of the ocean.” He gets a dreamy look in his eyes, and my heart sighs.
Not making a move on him tonight might be my biggest challenge yet. We need to keep things simple and not add desires into this adventure—his first outing with me. I can’t screw it up.