As soon as they were alone, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply, passionately.
If the townsfolk noticed or said anything, she had no idea. She was way too busy enjoying one of the best kisses of her life.
“So, I’ve been thinking,” he said when he broke the kiss. “We’re not going to have an official reason to meet up anymore. Not now that the planning is all done. That means I need to make sure your free time is all mine. Go out with me, Jade.”
“Bossy,” she pointed out.
“Well, I’ve been letting you lead for a bit there. You were the planning pro. Now? Well, now, we’re dating. Different rules. I can tell you that I wanna see you on Tuesday. Some alone time that has nothing to do with planning Beach Day. What do you say?”
“A real date?”
He nodded. “Yup. A real date without the whole town gawking at us. What do you say?”
“Sure, I’ll have dinner with you on Tuesday night. Sounds like it could be fun.”
We’re dating.
Holy shit. We. Are. Dating.
Jade didn’t really know how they had gotten from planning Beach Day to kissing to dating in so short a time, but she was giddy with it. Positively giddy with the excitement. Or maybe it was Parker’s kisses that made her head feel light and fluffy.
“Awesome. I couldn’t let this night end without making sure we would officially see each other again. Not after a day of the best kisses ever.”
“You just say whatever is on your mind, huh.” She giggled.
“Why wouldn’t I? Life is too short to play games. I like spending time with you, and I like kissing you. It’s not a big reveal, Rosebud. I’ll tell you everything like it is.”
Jade nodded, and she was stunned by his candidness. She could appreciate it, but she respected it even more. After hearing all about Pippa’s story … oh, and Alana! Poor Alana had one hell of a doozy, too … Jade was on her guard. With that stuff in the back of her head, it was no wonder she liked that Parker was honest. She was sure his intensity would’ve frightened some, but she appreciated it for what it was.
“You do know I like spending time with you, right?”
“It’s nice to hear, Rosebud.”
“Why do you keep calling me that?”
“Because that’s what you smell like to me. Like roses. Then you blush right here.” He brushed his fingers on her cheek. The touch was soft and featherlight, but it still had the impact of Parker’s fingers on her. “You get red like a rose right here. And your lips. They look soft like petals. And they are.” As if to prove his point, that’s exactly what he did. He kissed her.
A few of the locals passed them by on their way between two activities, and some made comments while others just giggled and scampered away.
“Do you think we should go down to the water?” he asked. “They should be just about to light the fire and fireworks.”
“That’s a good idea. After all, can they really start all that stuff without my permission? We planned this thing!”
He chuckled. “So we did.”
They made their way to the water. The stars above the quiet lake were sparkling by the thousands. Parker whistled low.
“I have never seen so many stars in my life.”
“Right?” she said. “There are so many out here. You can’t get that in the city.”
“You sure can’t. This is beautiful but not as beautiful as you.” He kissed the top of her head, and with the arm that wasn’t wrapped around her waist, he waved to the pyrotechnic team … a few of the more daring elders … to start the show.
At once, the fire was lit. The flames were high and close enough to the water that they gave brave swimmers some light in the water. Meanwhile, the folks on the beach could gather around the warm flames. Soon, snacks would be brought out, and all care of Beach Day’s sponsors. The fire was a bright orange ball of light casting all kinds of pretty shadows on the gathered people.
High over their heads, sparklers went off. The fireworks show had started.
“Remind me who is lighting these?”