“Sounds delicious. What time is it?” she asks, stretching her arms.
I run my eyes over her body, admiring my view. Tanya’s wearing an old band t-shirt that shows a bit of her toned stomach and pyjama shorts that cover only what they’re meant to. The combination is too damn tempting, but still cute. I don’t know how that’s even possible, but apparently, Tanya makes the impossible possible.
Clearing my throat, I answer, “Almost 1 p.m.”
“One?!”
I nod, lowering the heat so that I can focus on her. “I thought you needed extra rest, so I let you sleep.”
“I guess you’re right. Thanks. Is that freshly brewed coffee?”
“Yeah, let me get you a cup.”
Walking to the cabinets, I open the one with cups and plates—I choose a beige ceramic mug with seashell designs carved on its surface. “A drop of milk and two sugars, right?”
“What?”
My question must have caught her off guard. “I noticed you took your coffee with milk and sugar yesterday at the diner. Just wondering how many.”
She yawns adorably. “Ah, yes, two is good, thanks.”
I hand Tanya her coffee and get back to preparing the food. We both stay quiet until I start filling our plates.
“So—”
“I was thinking—”
We laugh as we started talking at the same time. I motion to her, telling her to go first.
“So, what do you want to do today? I haven’t had a chance to google what there is to do around here.”
I smile, because I already know what we’re doing today. “I was thinking we could try to see the wild horses and then visit one of the lighthouses before our dinner reservation at seven.”
“You made us dinner reservations?” Tanya asks and plays with the hem of her shirt.
“Yeah, I thought I would take you to one of the local favorite dinner spots if that sounds like something you would enjoy.”
“So it’s a date?”
I huff playfully. “Do you even have to ask?”
“Not really,” she says, taking a large sip of her coffee. Her entire body seems to relax, and she lets out a sound between a sigh and a moan. “So, so good.”
“Stop teasing me, or I will—” I groan, pinching my nose.
She runs her tongue along her lower lip. “You’ll what?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“You can show me later.”
“Later.”
* * *
After an afternoon of exploring and driving back and forth—first to see the wild horses in Corolla and then the Bodie Island Lighthouse south of Nags Head—I drive us to the house to get changed before dinner.
I’m ready before Tanya, so I sit on the couch and start scrolling social media to kill time. It takes another ten minutes before I notice her standing on the stairs leading upstairs. And the view is breathtaking—she’s wearing a fitted navy floral dress, and her long brown hair is in loose curls. There isn’t much makeup on her face, but she has added some around her eyes to make them pop.
