“Hello, gorgeous,” Hunter said when he put me down.
“Hi!”
He lowered his lips to mine again. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“I had top-secret instructions. Don’t worry, Agent Cade: I wasn’t tailed.”
He kissed me again.
“You’re awfully affectionate today,” I said.
“It’s the first time I’ve felt like I can actuallyshowyou affection without worrying who will see us!” He kissed me on both cheeks, then my forehead for good measure. Then he lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Even though youthinkyou weren’t tailed, Agent Porter, we should probably get underground as quickly as possible.”
I scrunched my face up with mock seriousness. “Whatever you think is best, Agent Cade.”
We held hands and walked through the park, which led into Dayton’s city center. Hunter led me to an old fashioned movie theater and then flourished two tickets from his pocket.
“You’ll need this to get in. It’s how they know you’re undercover. Quick, act natural.”
The two of us put on our best poker faces while the usher tore our tickets. We made it halfway to the concession stand before devolving into a fit of giggles.
The movie was an action film that was thin on story, but I didn’t care. I pulled up the armrest between us so we could cuddle while sharing popcorn and Twizzlers.
The movie ended at six-thirty, and Hunter took me by the hand and led me to theCat City Grillacross the street. “Reservations for two. Cade,” he told the hostess.
“Right this way,” she said, leading us to a table on the back patio. The sun had set beneath the trees and it was a cool evening, with the patio lit by strands of lights that criss-crossed the space above us.
“Is this all right?” he asked when we sat down.
“Are you kidding? It’s perfect!” I cleared my throat. “What I mean to say is, your accommodations are acceptable, Agent Cade.”
He reached across the table and took my hand. “I don’t want to be secret agents anymore. I want to beHunter, and I want you to beErica, and I want us to have dinner together. On an actual date.”
I beamed at him and squeezed his hand. “That sounds delightful.”
“Told you I had a plan,” he said.
Hunter ordered a bottle of white wine for us to share. Both of us were indecisive about what to get for dinner, so I ordered the steak and he ordered the salmon, and then we shared from each other’s plate. We talked about his YouTube channel, and about my gemstone business, and about all the things we had done in the last five years.
It was so nice to actuallybewith Hunter without the fear of getting caught hanging over us. We could relax and be completely natural together. I hadn’t realized until that moment just how tense I had been at home, stealing kisses and constantly worrying about my brother. It was like a weight had been removed from my shoulders. Hunter’s, too—he was charming and relaxed, and couldn’t stop smiling at me.
I’ve needed this, I thought while smiling back at him.
After dinner, we got ice cream at a little shop down the street and then slowly walked back to the park, holding hands while licking our respective cones.
“Thanks for fixing my car,” I said. “Both because it made this night possible, and because I needed it fixed.”
He smiled slyly at me. “I have a confession to make. The other day, your car wouldn’t start because I kind of broke it.”
“Youkind ofbroke it?”
“Only temporarily!” Hunter said. “I wanted an excuse to drive you to work, so I removed your spark plugs.”
I gasped. “That’s diabolical!”
“Are you mad?”
“Absolutelynot,” I said with a grin. “I’m glad you found a way for us to be together more. My carhasbeen acting up lately, though.”