Page 90 of Two-Step
Her eyes widen as she bites into a cucumber topped with hummus. “I never said that,” she hedges.
My chuckle is low and wicked. “You don’t have to,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s okay. It’s not for everyone.”
She blows out a relieved breath. “Good. Some people get so protective about their music.”
I shrug. “You could say I’m protective about anything that keeps the Cajun culture and Cajun French alive,” I say because this is who I am. And as much as I want to know her, I also would like her to know me. “But that’s about preservation. Not preference. What kind of music do you prefer?”
“Something with a soul.” She munches a celery stick. “I think I wore out my air pods on Billie Eilish’sWhen We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? But it also depends on what I’m doing,” she says, looking thoughtful. “If I’m in the gym, Ramon usually loads our playlist with Lizzo and Cardi B. Anything to make the time go by faster.”
“You work out a lot?” It’s a stupid question, considering the kind of shape she’s in.
“Yeah,” and then she gives me a slow, obvious once-over, “so do you.”
I try to arm-wrestle my smile, but it’s winning. And, damn. I’m blushing too. I can’t remember the last time a woman made me blush. “I lift at the gym at school sometimes, but I mostly keep busy on my landlady’s property.”
“Doing what?” She’s seen the blush. That’s obvious by her smile. She’s eating it up.
Oh man, I love having her eyes on me. My skin becomes volcanic.
“Mowing. Clearing fallen branches. Splitting wood. Patching leaks in the roofs of her barns and sheds. That sort of thing.”
“And then there’s dancing,” she says with a grin.
“Then there’s dancing.”
“So, basically, you’re always exercising.”
I chuckle. “Hardly. I think the thing I do most often is grade.”
I’ve killed the sandwich. I deliberate for about two seconds and then stretch out on the blanket and tuck my hands behind my head. We have time before we need to head back. I want to linger.
“Want some dessert?” Iris asks, reaching for her pack.
I pinch my brows together. “You brought dessert?”
Her smile is playful. “It’s really fancy. I worked hard on it.” I know she’s teasing even before she pulls two peaches from inside the pack. She leans forward to hand me one. “They’re from somewhere around here called Ruston.”
“Ruston peaches are the best.” I take it from her and test the fruit with a gentle squeeze. It gives just enough so I know it’s ripe, and then I take a bite. Juice runs down my lips, and I have to prop myself up before it makes a sticky mess of my beard. “Mmm. Perfect.”
Iris sets aside her near-finished lunch and bites into the other peach, her eyes going wide at the tart juice. She reaches into her pack again and produces two paper napkins.
I take the one she offers, grinning. “What else you got in there?”
She shrugs. “Just a few essentials. Not too much.”
“Like what?”
Iris grabs her pack and peeks inside. “Let’s see… aside from the stuff I already took out like the blanket, our lunches, Mica’s water and treats, I have a first-aid kit, bug spray, sun block, and a protein bar.” She rootles around in the pack. “Oh, and a deck of cards.”
I blink. “Why the cards?”
She grins. “It’s kind of a hiking joke between Sally and me.”
I wait. Then finally. “Are you gonna share?”
A laugh bubbles from her. “The cards are for emergencies only.”
I choke on a laugh. “What kind of emergencies would require cards?”
