“Probably a safe bet,” he said.
“Where’s Deacon?”
“He decided it’s up to him to help Aiden at the grill,” Everett laughed. “The last I saw him, he was poking the coals to make sure there were different temperatures on the cooking surface.”
I nodded and took a swig of my beer. “That sounds about right.”
Walking over to the railing of the deck, I looked over at the grill beneath and saw the two men huddled over it. They were talking in serious tones about the temperature and what was best for each of the different types of meat, then contemplating how to handle the vegetables they were going to attempt to cook as well.
I laughed at the depth of their conversation, then turned around at the sound of the sliding door opening. Desiree and Harleigh walked out, carrying bowls of food, and right after them, Lauren stepped out onto the deck. She glanced over at me as she crossed the deck over to the picnic tables set up to the side. I smiled but kept my distance.
“Do anything fun yesterday?”
I heard the question, but I was too busy watching Lauren, I didn’t even fully process what it was. It took a second for me to realize it was Everett still standing beside me. He tipped the bottle of beer up to his lips for a sip and raised his eyebrows at me when I didn’t answer.
“What?” I asked.
“Did you do anything fun yesterday?” he asked again. “It was Saturday.”
“Oh,” I said, then shook my head. “No. I just kind of stayed around the house and cleaned. Nothing exciting.”
“What about Friday night?”
I looked at him questioningly, wondering if the question meant more than it seemed on the surface. Maybe he had seen Lauren and me out and was prodding at me, just waiting to see how long it would take for me to tell him.
“I grabbed something to eat after work,” I said.
He nodded. “Yeah, me too. That seems like pretty much everything that I do recently. I’m still trying to get my feel for the area and wondering if there’s really anything else fun to do around here.”
I realized he wasn’t trying to get me to talk about Lauren, so we chatted for a little bit about the area and some activities he might want to try.
“Hey, guys,” Lauren said, coming up to us a few minutes later. “What are you talking about?”
Her eyes flickered over to me, then back to Everett.
“Just telling him about some of the things around here people like to do for fun,” I said.
“Oh, really?” Lauren asked. “What do you like to do for fun, Carter?”
There was a suggestion in the lilt in her voice, and I couldn’t help but smile. We had this little secret between us that was just ours, and I loved it. People around us might have been able to see the attraction and even notice us flirting, but they didn’t know the whole story. That was still just for Lauren and me.
I couldn’t get enough of watching her for the rest of the evening. She looked incredible in that little sundress, her hair loose around her shoulders. Every now and then, she would look my way and our eyes met. And those seconds, we communicated more than words could even say. As fun as it was to just have those flirting moments and meaningful stares, the longer the cookout went on, the harder it was to be there with her and not touch her. I wanted to reach out and feel my fingertips on her skin again. I wanted to kiss her perfect lips and sample the taste of her I had already become so addicted to.
After everyone finished eating, we decided it would be fun to play lawn games. I went to my truck to grab some equipment I’d brought with me, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Lauren come out from behind the house. She walked up to the truck and leaned her hip against it.
“Anything I can help you with?” she asked.
“I can think of a couple of things,” I replied. “But none appropriate for a friendly gathering.”
I leaned forward, almost ready to kiss her, but stepped away at the last second. We both drew in breaths, trying to settle ourselves, and looked around to make sure no one else had made their way up to the front of the house and seen us. As far as we could tell, no one had.
She nodded and slipped away, hurrying toward the sound of Harleigh calling her name from behind the house. The rest of the cookout was fun, even though it felt like it was dragging on. And when it finally came to an end, I said my goodbyes to everyone. I made it a point to say goodbye to Lauren in front of everyone, telling her I’d see her the next day at work. That wasn’t a lie. I would see her at work. I was just planning on seeing a lot more of her before then.