Free Love or Luxury by Heather Thurmeier Page B

she should stick to being the passenger. Then at least she wouldn't be to blame if anything went haywire.
    "Okay," she said instead of all that other stuff. "I'm sure you're a great teacher."
    She forced herself to smile and think positively. If he taught her, maybe she would learn to love golf. And spending time together on the course as a family didn't sounds so terrible. It was better than the men she'd watched growing up here who worked late all week then took off to golf with their buddies on the weekends. At least Reid wanted to include his family. Not to mention the meals at the club were pretty fantastic. Maybe she could suffer through a round of golf if she knew it would end with champagne cocktails and the best crab stuffed lobster tail she'd ever had.
    At least his vision of the future included marriage and a family. Exactly what she wanted, too. And she could have it all with Reid.
    Rebecca twisted her watch to peek at the time. Yikes. Dinner felt like it had been hours long already when it really hadn't been long at all. She rolled the watch face over and ran her thumb along the inscription on the back: It's about time.
    According to her father, her mother lived by that motto. She could remember her saying, "Rebecca, it's about time. Take the time to enjoy what you're doing." But Rebecca had been so young. Enjoying her time while cleaning her room wasn't something she strove for. Now she tried to live by the motto as her mother had.
    She glanced up at Reid. He wasn't sweeping her off her feet yet, but maybe he needed more time. She'd given enough of her time waiting for him to come back. The least she could do was give it more time for the spark between them to catch again.
    "I should get you a new watch," Reid said as he took another sip of his sangria. "That one looks a mess."
    Or maybe it's about time Reid shut the hell up about my favorite watch.
    "I like this watch. It was my mother's."
    "I'm sure it's a lovely keepsake for you, sweetheart. But keepsakes are better kept tucked out of harm's way. How about I take you for a new timepiece next week?"
    "I don't want a new… timepiece," she said through a clenched jaw. I'm not eighty. I don't wear a timepiece. "Thank you for the offer, but I've worn my mother's watch for years, and I'm not going to stop wearing it until it breaks."
    He eyed the watch, then the rest of her, before shrugging. "Your choice, but it seems a shame to wear such an inadequate accessory with an otherwise lovely outfit."
    Rebecca took a couple gulps of sangria and forced Reid's comment out of her mind. How he could be so callous about something she found so meaningful was beyond her.
    After that their conversation stuck to easier topics—high school, old friends, memories. It was fun to sit around and rehash old times, but she hadn't actually learned anything new about adult Reid. Well, unless you counted his hatred for dancing and his love for golf and jogging. Not exactly much to tell the girls about.
    Reid paid the bill shortly before ten and took her hand as they walked out to the parking lot. When the valet brought her car around, Reid walked her to the door. He was so gentlemanly, she was sure he would have opened her door for her if the valet hadn't opened it already. The old-fashioned thing was nice.
    "I had a really great time tonight," he said, resting his arm across the top edge of the open door. "It was a lot of fun catching up with you."
    Fun? That was a bit of a stretch, but it had been a nice evening.
    "I had a good time, too."
    He cupped her jaw in his hand and brought his lips to hers. A soft kiss, just long enough to feel the flutter of a butterfly come to life in her belly then he pulled away.
    She waited for him to come in for another—one with a little more heat, more passion. But he took a step back instead as if he were ready to close the door. Apparently, the date was officially over.
    "I'd love to see you again. Is it okay if I call you?" His inquiry felt so