Shaken Not Stirred (Mixology #1)(5)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

Who was I kidding? Of course it did. The only guys I’d dated before had been friends first. I had no idea how to handle the “getting to know you” part of dating.

We didn’t talk much on the drive. He kept glancing over at me with this grin on his face. I enjoyed the wind in my hair. If I did buy a car, I wanted a convertible. Of course that was what I wanted, but with my finances, I’d end up with a secondhand compact.

“You okay?” He pulled into a spot.

“Yeah. Definitely.”

“Okay. Just checking.” He pulled a woven picnic basket out of the backseat.

“Wow, you went all out.”

“I’ll be honest. I picked it up. But it’s better this way. Trust me.”

“Then I’m sure it’s going to be good.”

We walked down the beach until we found the spot he’d been alluding to. He unfolded a large blue and red blanket, and we spread it out on the sand.

I sat down with my legs stretched out, waiting for Colin to join me. He placed the basket on his far side, kneeled, and pulled out a bottle of pinot grigio and two glasses.

“Wine?” He’d never struck me as the wine type.

He smiled. “Despite the time, this is a date.”

“Oh really?” I smoothed out my skirt, wishing I’d worn shorts instead. I hadn’t thought about the awkwardness of sitting on a blanket in a skirt. I’d been thinking more about being cute. That was pretty surprising for me. Usually, I put practicality first.

“Yes. I’ve waited quite a while for this date.” He moved to sitting.

“Have you?” I wondered where he planned to go with the conversation. We both knew how many times he’d asked.

“Yeah, since the first night I saw you at the Grille.” He opened the wine and poured us each a glass.

“Wow, I guess I made a good first impression.”

“I liked how much time you spent measuring out everything. You were very meticulous. It’s like you view bartending as a science.”

I shrugged, ignoring the fact that he must have been watching me that night. He’d only ordered a beer. “It kind of is.”

He handed me my glass. “I guess you’re right, but most people don’t see it that way.”

“I guess not.”

He lightly clinked his glass against mine. “To you finally giving this a shot.”

I smiled, willing the awkwardness away.

He leaned back on one hand, looking so comfortable with the situation. I wondered how I appeared. “Have you decided whether you’re staying around after Labor Day?”

“Yes.” I sipped the cool white wine.

“And?”

“I’m staying.” I set aside the wine and leaned back on my elbows. The sun beat down on my face, and I loved it.

“Really? For good?” He watched me eagerly.

“Well, for the winter at least.”

He leaned over slightly. “That’s fantastic.”

“Yeah, it’s the best thing for me right now.”

“I have to agree.” He grinned. “But I guess I don’t need to use my speech anymore.”

“Your speech?”

“Yeah.” He sipped his wine. “My ‘you should stay’ speech.”

“Oh, this I have to hear.” I couldn’t help but feel flattered, even though I knew it was all him pretending to care more than he actually did.

“You still want to hear it?”

“Yes.”

“All right, here goes.” He shifted toward me slightly. “I know you only came here for the summer, but Corolla in the off-season is a totally different place. I think you’ll enjoy the quiet, peaceful lifestyle. If Max can’t give you enough shifts, I know we’re always looking for temps in the office. I’d really like the chance to get to know you better, I already can tell we have a connection, and I want to explore it.”

“I like that last point.” Something about those words sent shivers down my body. I liked the thought of exploring anything with him. Maybe it was the way he looked at me with such adoration, or the way he leaned over on his elbow, but he looked irresistible.

“Yeah? I hoped you would.”

“So how do you plan on further exploring our connection?”

“Hmm, I don’t know if I should let you in on all my secrets yet.”

Things suddenly felt too hot and heavy. “But offering me a job might be a little over the top.”

“Yeah? I was afraid I’d overdo it. Believe it or not, this was my first ‘please stay’ speech.”

“Really? I’d have thought you’d have to use them on girls all the time.”

He laughed. “No, they usually run away before I have time to come up with one.”

“I guess I wasn’t fast enough.”

“Or maybe I was.”

“Are you trying to sound creepy?”

“No. I was going for seductive. It didn’t come across that way?”

“Nope.”

“Okay. Note to self: Next time leave off the ‘I was fast enough’ part.”

I laughed. “So, what all did you get?”

He set aside his wine and started pulling out containers. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a variety.”

“A variety? It looks like enough food to feed four.”

“Better to be prepared.” He opened a round container. “This is some sort of pasta salad.”

“Looks good. And is that fruit?” Fruit sounded better than anything in this heat.

“Yes, there are some chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert too.”

“You’re perfect, you know that?” I reached over him and found the strawberries. “But I’m not saving them for dessert.” I wanted them, and I knew he wouldn’t care.

He laughed. “I don’t know about perfect, but I’m glad I’ve made you happy.”

I took a bite of one of the chocolate-covered strawberries. “Mmm. Very happy.” The milk chocolate melted in my mouth and mixed in with the juice from the strawberry, creating one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations.

He laughed again, and it was deeper this time. “You are even more entertaining than I expected.”

“Entertaining?”

“Yeah, you have this light about you. It pulls you in.”

“How old are you?” He didn’t look much older than my twenty-two, but he seemed it sometimes.

“Twenty-six.”