Her brows drew down. “Mine is, ‘Don’t be stupid, and live a long time.’”
“You might live longer, but why bother?”
He loved watching the color rise on her cheeks when she got riled up.
“To spend time with the people you care about,” she said, lifting her chin.
“You think it’s better to sit inside in a safe, padded room and never have any fun?”
“What about reading?” she countered. “It’s fun, but not dangerous.”
“There’s no adrenaline rush,” he said.
The plane gave a lurch, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “That gave me adrenaline, and I hate it! I get endorphins from reading. Nice, feel-good endorphins. So much better.”
Up close, he was fascinated by the rings in her eyes, which seemed to take on a green hue as her passion grew.
“But adrenaline can give you even more endorphins. Once you feel it, you’ll be hooked.”
“No way.”
“By the end of the week, I can change your mind.”
His challenge had the desired effect, taking her thoughts off the continued turbulence. Her outraged expression didn’t falter as the plane bumped over the rocky air.
“Not in a million years,” she declared.
“Have you ever been sailing?”
Katie gave him an are-you-out-of-your-mind look. “Of course not.”
“I bet I can take you out on a catamaran, and you’ll admit you had fun.”
“Ha! I don’t know how you think you’re going to get me on a sailboat.”
“Just promise to keep an open mind. Maybe we can work up to it.”
“Sure. And maybe I’ll climb Mt. Everest with you.”
Though her reply was heaped with sarcasm, he pretended not to notice.
“That would be incredible! I can help you train. We’ll have to start with some less challenging peaks—”
“Wait!” She grabbed his arm. “I wasn’t serious.”
“You were teasing?” he exclaimed, letting his mouth fall open. “I thought you said you never teased.”
Her plump lips formed an endearing O, as thick lashes blinked over her rounded eyes. “Oh my gosh! I didn’t mean to. I don’t… That was…”
“Fun?” Gary finished for her.
“It was an accident.” Her tone was as insistent as her expression.
“An accident?” he goaded. “A slip of the tongue, huh? You see, you’re more carefree already.”
She sputtered into speechlessness, and he grinned.
This is going to be an awesome week!