Wishing for the Girl Next Door (Piney Brook Wishes Book 3)

14. Evan

I’m on my way to work, thinking about Karlee and our date later, when my phone rings through the car speakers. I glance at the display. Mom. I laugh to myself and hit answer. I’m surprised she waited this long.

“Hey, Mom. Is something wrong?” I ask, knowing full well she just wants to be nosey. Some people might find that too much, but I know her heart is in the right place. Besides, she’s been like this my whole life.

“No, can’t I just want to call my son to tell him to have a nice day?” She feigns offense, but I can hear dad laughing in the background.

“Of course,” I say, about to call her bluff.

“I hope you have a nice day, son.”

“Well, if that’s all, I’ve got to run. Have a nice day, Ma.”

“Wait,” she calls, finally unable to contain herself. “Did you have a nice time at the wedding?”

I burst out laughing. “So that’s why you called at eight in the morning,” I say, still chuckling a bit.

“Well,” she says, finally giving up her pretense. “Did you? You never called me when you got back. How am I supposed to know? Besides, you said we could meet her after the wedding.”

“Leave the boy alone, Marge. He’s on his way to work for goodness’ sake,” Dad says from somewhere nearby.

“Yes. I did,” I say, cutting her some slack. “We had a great time together. In fact, you’ll be pleased to hear I’m taking her on a date tonight.”

She squeals so loudly I reach for the volume to turn it down.

“Evan, where are you taking her? What are you wearing?”

“I’ve got this, Mom. Thanks, though,” I say, glad the news of the date has distracted her from pushing to meet Karlee. I can’t wait to introduce her to my family, but I don’t want to overwhelm her either. And let’s face it, Mom can be a lot.

“Okay, fine,” Mom says. “Don’t forget to bring her flowers. She deserves flowers.”

I laugh again. “Mom, you don’t even know her. How do you know she deserves flowers?”

“She caught your eye, she deserves the flowers, Evan. And not roses, everyone does roses. Something unique.”

“All right, Mom, I won’t forget the flowers.”

“And you will wear something other than jeans?”

I sigh. “Yes, Ma. I’ll wear something other than jeans, and I’ll get her flowers.”

“But not roses,” she reminds me.

“Not roses,” I agree, shaking my head.

“Good boy,” she says, pleased with herself. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

I smile. I can’t wait for her to meet my family either.

I’m pulling into the parking lot at work when my phone rings again. I sigh. That was fast.

“Hello.”

“Hey, little brother,” Tracey says tauntingly. “What’s this I hear about a date tonight?”

I sigh. “I just got to work. I don’t have time to get into it.”

“Fine, meet me for lunch at the mall and I’ll help you pick out an outfit.”

“Tracey, I don’t have enough time to go to the mall on my lunch break. Good grief.”

She sighs. “Okay, we’ll go to the men’s clothing store down the road from Beats and Eats. You can buy me lunch, and I can pick out your clothes.”

I laugh. “Fine, I’ll meet you at Beats and Eats for lunch. I’ll even pay, but I’m picking out my own clothes.”

I hear her start to argue, and cut her off. “Got to go. See you later.”

I hang up and shake my head. What have I gotten myself into?

I almost drop the flowers when Karlee opens the door. She’s always beautiful, but this look takes my breath away. Her soft brown hair hangs in loose curls around her shoulders. I want to reach out and run my fingers through it to see if it’s as soft as it looks. The sundress she chose hits her just below the knee, and the muted yellow color looks good against her tanned skin. Little white daisies dot the dress, making me glad I chose a daisy arrangement.

“Have I mentioned how beautiful you are?” I ask, unable to keep quiet anymore.

She smiles, and my heart flutters.

“Thank you. You look nice as well.”

“Thanks,” I grin. There’s no way I’m telling her I went and bought this outfit on my lunch break. Tracey was right. When I walked into the store I realized I didn’t own anything nearly nice enough for tonight. I want to pull out all the stops. To really woo her. I may have given my mom a hard time on the phone, but this date with Karlee is important to me.

I help her into the truck and rush to my door. I have the radio set to her favorite country station. It’s a sacrifice, but if it brings a smile to her face, it’s worth it.

I tap my fingers on the steering wheel, keeping time with the beat of the music. She’s humming along softly, tapping her feet on the floorboard. I could see her like this, riding shotgun, next to me forever. It should scare me, but it doesn’t.

“So, any guesses about our date?” I was careful not to give any hints, but I’m curious what she likes.

“I’m guessing we aren’t skydiving,” she says, grinning.

I shake my head no.

“Rock climbing’s probably out.” She purses her lips and tilts her head. “Are we hiding a dead body?”

I burst out laughing. “What?”

She shrugs. “I noticed a bag in the back.”

I glance at her and smile. “No. No dead bodies will be hidden today.”

She wipes her hand across her forehead. “Phew, that would have been an awkward first date.”

“You really don’t have any reasonable guesses?” I ask. I love her sense of humor, but I’m surprised she didn’t have anything in mind. It would have driven me crazy not to know what the plan was.

“Well,” she hesitates. “I’m not really sure. You’ve already passed Beats and Eats, so I am guessing that’s not where we’re headed.”

“No, not for our first date.”

She glances around. “I don’t really know. Where do people go on dates in Piney Brook?”

I laugh. “Usually Beats and Eats or the Curly Pig.” Her eyebrows shoot up and I laugh harder. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to the Curly Pig either.”

She laughs. “Good. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a night out, but it’s just not my scene. I’d rather go see a movie or something.”

I glance at her. “Then why were you there that night?” I ask curiously.

“The girls from work invited me. I’m trying to make some new friends in town, so I agreed.” She smiles and tucks a strand of hair behind her ears. “Can’t say I regret going. I ended up having more fun than I expected.”

I grin, hoping she’s talking about running into me. “Me too.” I was annoyed at bumping into Louise, and Heath went a little more overboard than I’d like, but it was the first time I’d seen Karlee socially. It had been nice to see that side of her.

I pull onto the dirt road that leads up the mountain and slow down. No sense in bumping us all around. There’s a lookout near the top where you can park. It’s got a great view out over the valley. It’s not a fancy restaurant, but I’m hoping she likes it.

I got the idea from the internet, honestly. Along with what to bring for dinner. I was racking my brain to come up with something different to do for our first date. I didn’t want to take her to the usual places. That’s where you take your highschool crush, or your college girlfriend, not someone you’re trying to impress.

She looks around curiously as we climb higher up this deserted road, and I realize that she might be a little creeped out. “Don’t worry, we’re almost there. I promise I’m not taking you to the middle of nowhere and leaving you.” I grin as she lets out a deep breath. “There’s a spot up the mountain I want to show you. I promise it will be worth it.”

“I trust you,” she says after a moment.

My heart threatens to burst out of my chest. I know that took a lot for her to say. She doesn’t seem to trust easily after Patrick hurt her. I won’t take that lightly. “I trust you, too.”

I back the truck into the parking spot of the overlook and turn it off. “Here we are.”

She looks out the window, confusion causing her eyebrows to scrunch and giving me a glimpse of what a much younger Karlee must have looked like. It’s cute. I wonder if her kids will have that same expression. I shake that thought free. Too soon to be thinking along those lines.

“I packed us a picnic dinner, and I’ve got blankets in the back of the truck. I figured we could get comfortable, eat and talk, and watch the sunset.” I rub my hand across the base of my neck. Maybe this was a horrible idea. She’d probably like something more sophisticated, like dinner at the local lodge. “The view from up here is amazing. If you’d rather not, we can go back into town and have dinner at Beats and Eats,” I offer, suddenly self-conscious.

She grins. “This sounds wonderful. I haven’t explored the mountains around here yet.”

Relieved, I smile back. “Don’t open your door, I’ll come get it.” I wait for her to nod before hopping out of the truck.

I never really enjoyed doing these little things for Louise. She always made a big spectacle of the fact that I was a gentleman. I think she liked the attention from her friends. Karlee couldn’t be more different, preferring to stay out of the spotlight. I tuck that away to think about later. Now’s not the time to dwell on old memories.

Once I’ve helped Karlee out of the truck, I go around and lower the tailgate. Finding the bag that I stowed the blankets in, I unzip it and arrange them so we’ll be comfortable. I should have brought cushions or something to make it softer for her. Next time. If there is a next time. I already hope there is.

“Can I help?” Karlee asks, standing to the side.

“Nope, almost done.” I put the last blanket in place and grab the picnic basket from behind my seat in the truck. Once it’s in the truck bed, I help Karlee climb up, looking away when her dress inches up the backs of her thighs just a bit.

“Sorry,” she says, slapping a hand down to keep the dress from climbing any further.

I climb up into the truck bed and settle in beside her. “It’s okay,” I say, bumping her shoulder. “I looked away.” I wink when she blushes a soft pink.

“I appreciate that, but I have shorts on underneath, just in case.”

“I hope you’re hungry,” I say as she lifts the lid of the picnic basket to peek inside.

“What are we eating?”

Taking the lid all the way off, I reach inside and start setting containers out. “I wasn’t sure what you like, so I got a few options.” Passing her a plate, and a bundle of silverware wrapped in a napkin—thank you, internet—I start naming the dishes.

“I got chilled fried chicken strips, salad with a vinaigrette dressing,” I say, holding up the small bottle of salad dressing. “A fruit salad, some potato salad, turkey and cheese with crackers, and some sparkling grape juice since neither of us really drink. I also have water if you don’t like the juice.”

Her eyes are big as she takes in all the choices. “That’s a lot of food,” she says, eyeing me warily. “We won’t be able to eat all of this.”

I wave my hand over my stomach. “You’d be surprised,” I say. “Ask Liam. He was shocked by how much I can eat.”

She tilts her head to the side. “Who’s Liam?”

I stop adding food to my plate and grin. “I forget sometimes you’re new in town and don’t already know everyone. Liam is my buddy Brant’s stepson. He and Morgan got married this past spring. Then there’s Daniel. He has a daughter named Elli. She’s a hoot. A ball of energy that never stops. He finally got brave and convinced his girlfriend Reese to give them a chance. It was touch and go there for a week or so, but they patched it up on the Fourth of July, and have been inseparable since. And you’ve already met Heath.”

“Wow,” she says, tucking her hands under her legs. “You have a close group of friends.”

I nod. “We are a pretty tight-knit group.”

She picks up her fork and takes a bite of her salad. “I didn’t really make time for friendships back home. I had been working so hard to put away money for a wedding and a house that I didn’t see how I’d shut everyone out.”

I take her free hand in mine and give it a squeeze. “Sometimes we lose sight of what’s important. Close ourselves off. It happens. Don’t be hard on yourself.”

She closes her eyes and bows her head. “That’s good advice.”

We eat our food in comfortable silence. It’s nice. Just existing with her. No pressure to fill in the quiet. The sound of birds calling to each other across the valley provides the background music for our meal.

Once we’ve finished eating, I pack all the containers back into the picnic basket, making sure the ice packs are in place to keep the leftovers cool. I can eat those for lunch this week.

“That was delicious. Thank you.” Karlee leans back on her elbows. “It’s so pretty up here. Peaceful.”

The sun has started to set and the fiery orange and yellow swirl through the blue of the sky. “It is. It’s one of my favorite spots to come and just think.”

“I can see why.” She crosses her legs at the ankle and grins. “Mind if I steal it?”

“Be my guest.” I look out over the valley and watch quietly as the sun sinks a bit lower in the sky causing it to turn purple and pink. The lights from houses along the mountainside and in the valley are starting to flick on, lighting up the semi darkness.

The sun is just about gone when I pull out some camping lanterns I brought and turn them on. I set a few along the edge of the truck bed and a few more on the ground behind the truck. Leaning inside the truck, I turn the key halfway and turn up the volume on the radio. I leave the door open, allowing the music to filter into the night air.

I go back to the bed of the truck where Karlee is sitting with her legs crossed, her sundress tucked down around her knees. “Dance with me?” I ask, holding out my hand. “I’ve wanted to dance with you again ever since the wedding.”

Karlee grins and scoots down the bed of the truck.

“I thought you’d never ask,” she says as she takes my hand.

I help her down and pull her closer. There, under the starry night sky, we dance. My hands on her lower back, hers on my shoulders. Swaying to the soft music coming from the truck speakers. It’s perfect. She’s perfect.

She lays her head on my chest, and suddenly everything clicks into place. I want this. With her. Forever.