She was starting to sound more awake. An image of her stretching her body flashed into his head and he knew it’s what she was currently doing. Arching her back and stretching her arms high above her head.
“It’s after ten. I was going to invite you to lunch, but maybe I should call it brunch?”
“Brunch sounds good.”
He could hear movement in the background, so she must have gotten out of bed.
“Ouch!” She let loose with a string of expletives that were so mild Jack fought not to laugh.
“We are going to have to enroll you in Cursing for Beginners because that was weak, lady.”
“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t be a lady if it was too brash, now, would I?” she shot back, eliciting another laugh from him.
“What happened?”
“I stubbed my toe against the coffee-table leg.”
The coffee table?
“You were asleep on the sofa?”
“Mmm-hmm. I was too tired to make it to my bed.”
“Our hike exhausted you that much yesterday evening?”
“Our hike was wonderful.” She yawned again. “Let me shower, then I’ll meet you somewhere for that brunch you mentioned. I’m starved.”
“Okay if I just pick you up and we’ll go together?”
She hesitated a moment, then, “Sure. Give me thirty minutes.”
Thirty minutes. He could do that.
“Wear a bathing suit under your clothes.”
“Huh?”
He could picture her baffled look.
“No questions. Just go with it.”
“We going back to the creek?”
They’d had fun in the creek, but had never gotten into water any deeper than knee-high. He had something different in mind.
Smiling, he promised, “You’ll see.”
* * *
A knock at her apartment door.
She grabbed a big floppy bag into which she’d put her sunscreen, lip balm, cellphone, an extra set of clothes, and keys, and stepped out of the apartment.
Running his gaze over her, Jack whistled. “You must sleep a lot.”
Confused, she furrowed her forehead.
“You truly are beautiful and if it’s sleep...”