Thankfully, a vehicle pulled into the back of the lot and saved her from the chaos of her own thoughts. It was time to have some fun.
Mitch was dressed casually, in a T-shirt and cargo shorts, so she knew they weren’t going anywhere too fancy. She didn’t care. She felt pretty in the dress, and the heat in his eyes when he looked at her made every second she’d spent fussing over her appearance worth it.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her until she was afraid her hair would stand on end from the sexual energy they generated, and then slid his hand down her arm to lace his fingers with hers. “You ready to go?”
He’d brought the lodge’s truck, and when he opened the door for her, she wasn’t quite sure how she was going to climb up into it while preserving her modesty. When he turned her around and then lifted her by the waist to set her on the edge of the seat, she leaned forward to give him a quick kiss of thanks.
But, with his body wedged between her legs, Mitch wasn’t content with a fast peck on the lips. He slid his hands under the sundress and over her thighs as his mouth captured hers and refused to let it go. With her ankles locked around his waist, he was a little too low, but if he’d just stand on the running board, he could…
A car door slammed and jerked Paige back to reality. They were in the diner parking lot, though, thank goodness, he’d parked with the passenger door facing her trailer. She shoved him away with a laugh, and then swung her legs into the truck.
“Can’t blame a guy for trying,” he said before closing her door.
They chatted as he drove left-handed, his right hand busy holding hers in the middle of the seat. Ed Grandmaison had already sent an email through the lodge’s website telling them he’d been in touch with the ATV club and he’d probably be willing to consider letting them cut across his land.
Mitch paused in the telling to shake his head. “Made it very clear he was doing it for the benefit of both towns, not out of any love for the Kowalski family or the lodge.”
“As long as he’s willing to do it, it doesn’t matter why. And Carl and I were talking about what it could mean for our business in the summer. More weekend customers, probably.”
“At least you don’t have carpeting. Those extra weekend customers will be covered in dust if it’s dry or mud if it’s not.”
“We’re thinking about offering brown bag lunches. Premade sandwiches, a bag of chips and a drink to go. They can sit on their machines or walk down to the park or take the lunches with them if they want.”
He squeezed her hand. “I think that’s a great idea. I hope it all comes together, for everybody’s sake.”
Paige fought back the case of the warm fuzzies his words brought on, reminding herself the sense of togetherness was only temporary. It would be her and Josh and a few other people working with the ATV club and the Grandmaisons, and meeting with the town to get everything in place and organize work parties. Mitch would be gone before the fruits of his labor needed tending.
When he put on his blinker to turn into a fast-food joint, she arched an eyebrow and he laughed. “Trust me.”
It wasn’t exactly what she’d expected, but she played along. And when he drove to a public park and carried their paper bags of food in one hand as he led her out to a gazebo on the shore of a small lake, she was glad she did.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, watching a sailboat drift through the sun’s reflection on the water.
“I was going to take you to that spot by the river where I first kissed you, but I was afraid I wouldn’t stop with kissing this time, and I don’t want the food to go to waste after it took somebody thirty-eight seconds to cook it. Here there are enough people around so I have to behave myself.”
He managed to do just that, more or less. They polished off their meal almost as quickly as it had been made and then walked toward the shore, hand in hand. A father was teaching his son to use a radio-controlled boat and they watched for a few minutes. The family tossing a Frisbee around in what looked like a game of keep-away with the dog made them laugh. A couple stealing a romantic kiss behind a huge oak made Paige smile.
As dates went, it was almost perfect. Quiet and sweet, with an undertone of anticipation that sizzled every time he brushed her hair off her bare shoulders or rested his hand at the small of her back.
As the sun went down, he led her to a bench near the gazebo where they’d eaten and gestured for her to sit. “Just a little longer. I promise I’ll get you to bed early so you don’t throw your alarm across the room in the morning.”