He smiled warmly at her. “I did.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s nothing,” he assured her. “We make a good team, you and I.”
Jade couldn’t argue. Theydidmake a good team.
It made her wonder what else they could do well together.
SEVEN
PARKER
Parker’s head was buzzing, but it had nothing to do with the beer he had with lunch. It had everything to do with the woman sitting across from him in the booth.
Jade was the kind of intoxicating that he had never encountered before. Every little thing she did seemed to be made to drive him wild.
The way she stirred her iced tea. How she took a sip from her straw. How she moaned whenever she brought a bite up to her mouth. The sound of her laugh, the softness of her voice. The green of her eyes had quickly turned into his favorite shade of green.
“What else is there on our list while we’re out of Half Moon Key?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Well, now that you’ve got a bouncy castle rented for the kids and the tents purchased, there is nothing left for us to do. The rest of the work can be done back home. In Half Moon Key, I mean.”
“Home,” he repeated, taking the binder and flipping it open. He rattled off the rest of the things they had to do, and he was a bit sad to see there wasn’t all that much left to do.
“I’ve gotta admit, Jade,” he started. “I really didn’t expect to have so much fun planning out this day.”
“It’s fun to plan.”
He shook his head. “You misunderstand me. I was trying to pay you a compliment.”
“Oh,” she gasped softly. “A compliment. Right.”
“I like spending time with you. Any chance you’re free next weekend?”
Her head snapped up in his direction, a frown on her lovely face. “Next weekend? But next weekend is …”
He laughed softly. “I know that next weekend is the famous Beach Day. I was trying to ask you out. You’re not making it easy on this man.”
She couldn’t breathe, judging by the high color of her cheeks. He wanted to change spots and sit beside her on her side of the booth, but that might be too much for her.
“I’m asking if you wanna be my date for Beach Day.”
“Right,” she said, her voice soft and rough as if she were overcome with emotion.
“You don’t have to say yes, you know. There is no pressure.”
“No!” She blushed and shook her head. “I didn’t meanno.I meant, of course, we can go as dates. But …” she took a deep breath. “You do know what that means in a small town like Half Moon Key, right?”
“It means we’re basically married?” he offered with a grin.
He watched as she blushed deeply. He was an asshole for loving the way she reacted so completely.
“Yeah, basically. Especially after what my mother has been spreading all across town.”
“Well, then I guess I better make it the best damn date you’ve ever been on.”
Jade looked down at her plate and toyed with her food. “Okay. It’s a date, then.”