A little flustered, she all but shoved the plastic container into his hands. “I made some cookies. If you’ve prepared another dessert, you can save these for later.”
“Actually, I don’t really make desserts. I just bought some lemon bars. We’ll have both.” He set the container on the table. “Have a seat. I’ll bring out the food.”
They couldn’t see Cabin Seven from this side of Aaron’s cabin, and trees blocked sight of the first RV pad on the other side, so they were able to enjoy the meal in a semblance of outdoor privacy. They were visible from the road and the lake, of course, but Shelby had lived so much of her life surrounded by resort guests that she hardly noted passersby while she and Aaron ate and chatted.
“This is really good,” she complimented him halfway through the meal. He had fried the fish fillets in a crisp breading and had made his own tartar sauce and crunchy, tart coleslaw. Rather than fries, he served oven-roasted potato wedges and yellow pepper slices tossed with olive oil
and rosemary. “I’m impressed.”
Though he looked pleased, he shrugged lightly. “I’m sure you get tired of fried fish, living in a resort all your life.”
“You changed it up. The spices on the fish are delicious.”
“I added a few Cajun seasonings. Not too spicy, I hope.”
“No, I love everything spicy.”
He winked at her. “So do I.”
Shelby cleared her throat. “Um, the coleslaw is really different, too.”
“Jicama, green apples, red onion and carrots tossed with a little low-fat mayo, lemon juice and rice wine vinegar. A little salt and pepper. Easy.”
“And healthy. Actually, the whole meal is pretty healthy, considering the main course is fried.”
“I fried the fillets in canola oil and drained them as well as I could, but some foods just cry out to be deep-fried. Like fresh-caught fish,” he added with a chuckle. “My mom’s a health-food nut. Andrew and I were raised on fresh fruits and veggies and lean, broiled or grilled meats. Our favorite after-school snack was a ball of equal parts peanut butter and oatmeal, kept firm in the fridge. Sometimes she’d stir in some raisins or carob chips.”
At least she knew now that he wasn’t allergic to peanuts. “My mom tried to raise us on healthy food, but it wasn’t easy living here at the resort,” she confessed. “With her running the grill every day and so much fried food and convenience-store snacks all around us, it was hard not to fall into bad food habits.”
“You all look healthy enough.”
She laughed ruefully. “It’s not that difficult to stay in pretty good shape with the amount of physical activity that goes into running a resort this size. Even keeping the books, I’m always walking or biking or skiing or swimming. I’m too restless to sit still for very long.”
Maybe it was just an automatic response that his gaze swept her body from head to toe. He looked back at his plate quickly, but still her skin tingled as though there had been actual physical contact between them. Stop this right now, Shelby.
“I met your brother today,” he said.
Grateful for the change of subject, she nodded. “I heard. He said you helped him cut down a dead limb.”
“Yeah. I just happened to be walking past at the time. Nice guy.”
“He likes you, too. He said you’re going out on the water tomorrow.”
“Yes. Want to join us?”
“Maybe I will,” she said, pleased that he’d asked, even if it was simply to further their cover story.
Speaking of which... “Steven told me your neighbor had another visitor today,” she said in a stage whisper.
“He did. But I’m afraid I didn’t notice any contraband changing hands between them.”
He’d spoken teasingly, but he wasn’t mocking her. She knew the difference all too well. “You know, there probably is nothing illegal going on over there,” she admitted. “The guy’s odd, but that’s hardly against the law.”
Aaron laughed. “If it was, half my family would be locked up. Myself included, I guess.”
Grinning, she shook her head. “You’ve met the Bells, right? I think we could give the Walkers a run for your money.”
He took a sip of the light beer he’d been nursing during his meal. “You might be surprised.”