Tabitha threw back her head and laughed. “I’m glad you threw in that last one, or I’d think you weren’t really a guy.”
He made a moue of consternation. “True. I’m being a little touchy-feely here, aren’t I. Just don’t tell my brothers or they’ll give me endless shit.”
“Speaking of brothers,” Tabitha reminded him, albeit cautiously. “When are you going to reach out to them?”
“Thanks for the reminder,” he said, but with humor, lending efficacy to his words that he liked it when she spoke her mind. “I need to call my parents, first. They’ll be so excited that maybe by the time Mason and Kyle start giving me shit, I’ll have the force of my folks behind me.”
Tabitha straightened up. “I’ll be there, too. By your side, fighting if need be. But I’m not actually too worried. If they’reanything like you, I have a feeling they won’t want to look like jerks in front of your new girlfriend.”
A smile lit Spencer’s face. Clearly, he liked that she was repeating his “G” word.
Sure, they’d danced around the term before, but then he’d out-and-out used it in front of his police officer buddies. Tabitha knew at that point, that she was free to label their relationship as such. At least until something changed.
“You may be onto something,” Spencer chuckled. He unbuckled his seatbelt, and so did she. “To be continued…”
By the time Tabitha gathered the pack that doubled as her purse, Spencer was already around to her side of the truck, opening the door for her.
“Seriously?” she asked, letting her feet slide to the pavement. “Opening my door? I’ve only read about this kind of chivalry in books.”
“Don’t worry. It won’t last,” he told her with a grin. “But I’m trying to make a good impression until you decide whether or not you can put up with me.”
“I’ll immediately place one tick in the positive box, then,” she said, making an air-chit with her finger. “Now, let’s see what you like to eat. A woman can tell a lot about a man by what he buys at the market.”
Spencer groaned, picking up her hand to hold it while closing and locking the truck behind them with the other. “Don’t tell me. I have to buy Brussels sprouts, lean chicken breasts, and plain brown rice. That’s just cruel. My mouth has been dying for some cheesy, MSG-laden chips for weeks.”
Tabitha loved teasing.
“I tell you what, then,” she returned with a straight face. “I’ll let you pick outonebag of your favorite chipsifyou buy a bottle of Flintstones vitamins to counteract them.”
“Flintst—?” His face lit up. “Are you kidding me? I loved those things as a kid. My mother was so cruel, not letting us have more than one every morning before school.” He became speculative. “How many,” he asked with a far-off look in his eyes, “do you think one can safely eat as an adult?”
Frickity, frick, Spencer kept her laughing.
“You’ll have to Google that,” she snickered. “But you know I was only kidding, right? I’m not an ogre. I actually love me some unhealthy snacks, too.”
“Uh, uh,” he rebutted seriously. “Nope. No takesies-backsies on the vitamins. I haven’t thought about them in years, but now I’m all in.”
“Fine,” she said, still giggling. “I’ll add them to the list.”
Spencer did a fist pump, and they entered the coolness of the cavernous store.
Not quite an hour later,they carried four full bags of groceries—including the kids’ vitamins—up the three steps onto the porch of a damned cute little cabin. Spencer fumbled in his pocket for the key, while Tabitha filled her lungs with fresh, pine-laden air, gazing appreciatively at their home for the next week or so.
Was the place impressive in size?No.Was it painted pretty colors?No.Was it close to town or were there any neighbors?Again, no. But it was in good repair, and the setting couldn’t have been better. Just twenty feet away was a pond, which must be why Smitty had called this his fishing cabin. There was a small dock with a row boat just waiting there, too.
Obviously, the best part of this place was the location. Across the lake—where she imagined drifting, her hand trailing in the cool water—there was a grand view of a far-off mountain rangethat looked like a painting. Having grown up in Florida where the land was pretty much flat, the sight took Tabitha’s breath away.
“Can we go out in the boat after supper tonight and watch the sunset?” she asked excitedly.
Spencer’s stomach chose that moment to growl and he laughed. “How about we makelunchfirst, then we’ll start making plans for the rest of the day. Remember, I have to call my parents before anything else.”
Tabitha couldn’t wait to explore, so she offered a deal that would move things along. “How about I put the groceries away and make lunch while you do your phone stuff, then we’ll have the whole rest of the day to ourselves.”
Spencer pushed the door open and let them both into the shadowed interior. “Done,” he said.
They entered one, big room, with two doors leading off it.
Tabitha perused the initial space, first.
