somewhere we can go besides your brother’s house? I know they aren’t comfortable with me. I don’t blame them. I just want to be, well, a little quiet for a while.”
“Sure. I have an idea. It’s nice out. Let’s take a walk.”
“To where?”
“A surprise.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “I’ve had enough surprises for one day, too.”
Riley smiled. “Fair enough. It’s called Sunrise Meadow. A short walk from here. We tend to go there for peace and quiet, and sometimes to celebrate things. Why don’t I grab a few beers to bring?”
“Perfect.”
They soon made it to the kitchen, where Riley took two six packs of Guinness, chips, hummus, a cheese dip and guacamole, peanuts, and pistachios. Giving her a pat on the ass, he went to the hall and returned with a blanket he threw over one shoulder and a cooler bag he put the rest into before grabbing napkins, a bottle opener, and a flashlight. Jordan popped two of the beers open and took a swig before handing him one. Then they went back out through the garage and began walking toward the target range. To one side, a path opened up and they went that way across the grassy fields, dim moonlight streaming over them.
Between swigs of beer, Jordan said, “I can honestly say I had no idea this was how the day was going to end.”
He winked at her. “Not over yet.”
She leaned against him and he slung one arm around her shoulders. “It feels almost like a date. I hardly remember what those are like.”
He stopped and turned her to face him. “Let me give you a reminder.”
As Riley leaned forward to kiss her, Jordan’s heart raced with excitement that belied the angst she’d just been feeling about the horribleness men had to offer. Maybe she wasn’t as bitter or far gone as she sometimes felt. Hope lived. And it soared when Riley’s lips met hers with more gentleness than she was expecting. It was Jordan who pushed back hard, getting more enthusiasm for her efforts. Riley’s lips crushed hers and she had no doubt those powerful arms she’d wanted to hold her earlier today would’ve done so now had they not been otherwise occupied. But that could be fixed.
“Take me to this meadow,” she whispered, “and show me a good time, Mr. Kendall.”
“My pleasure.”
Before long, they approached a flowering hedge and trellis that marked the square clearing’s opening. On passing through, they saw flower beds lining the meadow’s edge, and though it was too dark to appreciate the colors, solar-powered lights in the ground made up for it by adding a romantic ambience. A large rose bush stood in each corner, and a two-person swing swaying beneath a giant oak tree faced the mountain looming overhead. Two picnic tables and a large boulder jutted out from the cropped grass, and a gazebo stood beside a stream-fed pool that seemed inviting in the humid, summer night air. Several boxes presumably held the cushions for the wooden lounge chairs, but Riley took her to the swing, which had a convenient attachment on each side for placing not only their drinks, but the snacks, allowing them to sit close, dine, and swing gently.
After a few minutes, Jordan felt the need to clear the air a little due to ambivalence about the discrepancy between having tried to kill him earlier and their seeming date now. She turned to him on the swing.
“I know you seem like you’re past it,” she began, “and with amazing speed, but I really wanted to say how sorry I am that I tried to kill you today.”
The long time he gazed at her didn’t offer clues to how he felt about it. “Apology accepted. I know you were just doing your job.”
“Is that really enough?”
“Not really, but it goes a long way. I can’t think you’re awful for that and still think I’m a decent guy when I had the same job for so long. I think someone else wouldn’t move on so quickly. I’m also a guy, so that helps.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. We’re funny that way. I mean I’ve gotten into
“Sure. I have an idea. It’s nice out. Let’s take a walk.”
“To where?”
“A surprise.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “I’ve had enough surprises for one day, too.”
Riley smiled. “Fair enough. It’s called Sunrise Meadow. A short walk from here. We tend to go there for peace and quiet, and sometimes to celebrate things. Why don’t I grab a few beers to bring?”
“Perfect.”
They soon made it to the kitchen, where Riley took two six packs of Guinness, chips, hummus, a cheese dip and guacamole, peanuts, and pistachios. Giving her a pat on the ass, he went to the hall and returned with a blanket he threw over one shoulder and a cooler bag he put the rest into before grabbing napkins, a bottle opener, and a flashlight. Jordan popped two of the beers open and took a swig before handing him one. Then they went back out through the garage and began walking toward the target range. To one side, a path opened up and they went that way across the grassy fields, dim moonlight streaming over them.
Between swigs of beer, Jordan said, “I can honestly say I had no idea this was how the day was going to end.”
He winked at her. “Not over yet.”
She leaned against him and he slung one arm around her shoulders. “It feels almost like a date. I hardly remember what those are like.”
He stopped and turned her to face him. “Let me give you a reminder.”
As Riley leaned forward to kiss her, Jordan’s heart raced with excitement that belied the angst she’d just been feeling about the horribleness men had to offer. Maybe she wasn’t as bitter or far gone as she sometimes felt. Hope lived. And it soared when Riley’s lips met hers with more gentleness than she was expecting. It was Jordan who pushed back hard, getting more enthusiasm for her efforts. Riley’s lips crushed hers and she had no doubt those powerful arms she’d wanted to hold her earlier today would’ve done so now had they not been otherwise occupied. But that could be fixed.
“Take me to this meadow,” she whispered, “and show me a good time, Mr. Kendall.”
“My pleasure.”
Before long, they approached a flowering hedge and trellis that marked the square clearing’s opening. On passing through, they saw flower beds lining the meadow’s edge, and though it was too dark to appreciate the colors, solar-powered lights in the ground made up for it by adding a romantic ambience. A large rose bush stood in each corner, and a two-person swing swaying beneath a giant oak tree faced the mountain looming overhead. Two picnic tables and a large boulder jutted out from the cropped grass, and a gazebo stood beside a stream-fed pool that seemed inviting in the humid, summer night air. Several boxes presumably held the cushions for the wooden lounge chairs, but Riley took her to the swing, which had a convenient attachment on each side for placing not only their drinks, but the snacks, allowing them to sit close, dine, and swing gently.
After a few minutes, Jordan felt the need to clear the air a little due to ambivalence about the discrepancy between having tried to kill him earlier and their seeming date now. She turned to him on the swing.
“I know you seem like you’re past it,” she began, “and with amazing speed, but I really wanted to say how sorry I am that I tried to kill you today.”
The long time he gazed at her didn’t offer clues to how he felt about it. “Apology accepted. I know you were just doing your job.”
“Is that really enough?”
“Not really, but it goes a long way. I can’t think you’re awful for that and still think I’m a decent guy when I had the same job for so long. I think someone else wouldn’t move on so quickly. I’m also a guy, so that helps.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. We’re funny that way. I mean I’ve gotten into
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