“He needs to go out,” Jason said. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Mind if I take a shower?”
“No. Go ahead. I’ll make coffee while you do that.”
They both got out of bed and Erin went into the hall bathroom and took a quick shower, wishing she had a change of clothes with her. But she didn’t, so she had to put on last night’s clothes. Then she found her purse and grabbed her hairbrush to comb out the tangles in her hair.
Now she needed some damn coffee. She made her way into the kitchen to find Jason sitting at the island with his cup. He was scrolling through his phone while Puddy had his face in his food bowl.
“Hey,” she said, leaning over to press a kiss to the side of his neck.
“Hey. You smell good.”
“In yesterday’s clothes, unfortunately.” She walked over to the coffeemaker to pour herself a cup.
“You could leave a change of clothes here.”
Her hand stilled. She turned around. “Are you comfortable with that?”
“Well, yeah. Are you?”
“I guess. I don’t know. I mean, we’re just fooling around, right?”
His lips curved. “Definitely fooling around.”
“Doesn’t me leaving clothes here imply something else?”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about, Erin. I just figured if you ended up spending the night sometimes, you might want fresh clothes for the next day. It’s not a big deal unless you make it one.”
He was right. She was reading way too much into it. It wasn’t like he’d asked her to move in or anything. She needed to relax and roll with it. This thing with Jason was all about having fun and reclaiming her joy.
“So what’s on tap for today?” he asked. “A wedding, I presume?”
Oh, right. It was Saturday. And, fortunately, it was early in the day and the wedding wasn’t until tonight. “Yes. An evening event.”
“Do you have time for me to make breakfast?”
Her lips curved. “I have time.”
“Good.”
They ended up making breakfast together, because Erin wasn’t the type to sit and watch. They had pancakes and eggs and sausages, which were all delicious. Then they cleaned up and Jason drove her back to the restaurant so she could pick up her car. He opened the truck door for her and helped her out.
“What are your plans for today?” she asked.
“Working on the master bathroom.”
“Fun.”
He laughed. “Yeah.”
He pulled her against him. “Any wedding stuff tomorrow?”
She shook her head. “No. We have a free Sunday.”
“Good. How about I take you fishing with me tomorrow?”
Her brows shot up. “Fishing? Do I look like the kind of girl who likes to go fishing?”
“Yes, you do. You’d love to get up before dawn and go fishing with me.”
At the moment, his hands roamed up and down her back, and she’d love to do just about anything with him.
“Okay. Let’s go fishing before dawn tomorrow. And then after that we’ll go shopping. I need some new shoes.”
She wished she had her phone out so she could capture the look of horror on his face.
“Shopping. You mean like at the mall?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”
He grimaced. “Okay. Fishing, then shopping. But I’ve seen your shoe collection, Miss Bellini. And you do not need new shoes.”
“I beg to differ. And you agreed to go.”
“I did, didn’t I?” He bent and brushed his lips across hers, and every time he did that it ignited something warm and sensual throughout her body.
He was a constant surprise to her, and if there was one thing Erin loved, it was surprises.
“I’ll text you later,” he said.
“Okay.”
He released her and took a step back. “Have a good day, Erin.”
Oh, she would, because she’d think about that kiss. “You, too, Jason.”
She got in her car and watched him in her rearview mirror as she drove off.
CHAPTER
twenty
JASON COULD TELL from the moment he picked up Erin that she was not at all thrilled about having to get up before dawn. But he also knew she’d never back down from a challenge. Maybe fishing wasn’t really a challenge. He knew from her dad that he’d taken all the girls fishing when they were little, and had taught them how to bait a line. Jason had been fishing with Johnny Bellini, and he’d told him hilarious stories of the girls squealing about worms and lures and wriggling fish. He’d said that’s how they’d learned patience. Jason could only imagine how much patience Johnny’d had to have to teach three little girls how to fish.
Maybe someday Jason would have daughters of his own, and he could teach them how to fish. Everyone should learn. It was a great way to capture your own food, something everyone should know how to do.
Erin had fallen back to sleep in the truck on the way to the lake. He’d left her alone, figuring she’d likely been up late last night dealing with the wedding. Plus, she looked pretty with her head propped against her sweat-shirt as she leaned against the window, her long dark lashes resting against her cheeks. If he wasn’t driving he’d curl up next to her and grab a little sleep himself.
He’d spent a lot longer working in the bathroom yesterday than he’d planned, but now the tile floor was finished and he could set the vanity. It wouldn’t be long now and he’d have an actual working bathroom.
One step at a time. He was looking forward to the day he could stop sleeping in the guest room.
Then he’d invite Erin over to check it out and see if she approved.
She yawned and stretched as she woke, blinking her eyes open to survey the road ahead of them. “How close are we?”
“Nearly there.”
“Great. I need to pee.”
“There’s a place just up ahead. We can get some coffee and breakfast sandwiches, and you can use the restroom there.”
He pulled into the shop and parked. They went inside and used the restrooms, then made a beeline for the coffee, grabbed a couple of sandwiches, and Jason bought some bait and a fishing license for Erin since he already had his. They loaded back up in the truck and Jason headed down the road for about a mile, then took a right turn.
“Have you got a favorite fishing spot?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’ve used it several times. It’s remote and quiet, so I don’t think anyone else will be there. Plus, the fishing is good in that location.”
“So, like a secret spot.”
He glanced over at her and smiled. “Kind of, yeah.”
He parked at a small spot near the edge of the lake. It was still dark, and he knew his way around this area and didn’t really want to set up lights. But Erin wasn’t familiar with the area, so he stuck close to her as he unpacked the fishing gear, coolers and chairs. He got Erin positioned at the water’s edge and then handed everything off to her, and she set it all up. She did a great job organizing it all, which came as no surprise to him. By the time he grabbed the poles and climbed off the back of the truck, she had the chairs set up, their coffee cups and sandwiches were sitting on top of one of the coolers, and she was already spraying herself down with mosquito repellant.