Free Laurie's Time (The Fairfield Series) by Maryann Jordan

in across her chest to buckled her in.
    “I’m completely able to buckle myself in,” she protested.
    Chuckling as he closed her door, he rounded the front of the truck to hop in the driver’s side. Starting the truck and backing out of the parking lot, he looked over at her face. “Darlin’, I know you can buckle yourself in, but as long as you’re in my truck, I’ll take care of you.” Knowing she was about to protest further, he quickly added, “That’s what friends are for.”
    Driving down the road, she wondered where they were going for dinner. They drove out of town to a nice restaurant by a lake. “Oh how beautiful!” she exclaimed. The sun was just starting to set over the lake and the water glistened with the sparkling colors of the sunset.
    He circled around the truck and lifted her out. He lowered her slowly to the ground, keeping his eyes on hers as her feet touched the ground. Continuing to keep his hands firmly planted on her tiny waist, he was unwilling to let go.
    She looked up at him. “Are we going in?” she asked with a smile.
    Startled out of his musings, he just grinned and offered his arm again. She placed her hand on his arm as they entered the restaurant. They were seated in the back facing the lake, and she was thrilled with the view. The pretty hostess attempted to catch Rob’s eye, but Laurie noticed that he did not pay attention to anyone other than her. In fact, it seemed as though he only had eyes for her. We’re just friends. We’re just friends, she kept telling herself.
    “So how did you end up in Fairfield?” he asked after they ordered, smiling the dimpled smile that made her heart feel as though everyone in the restaurant could hear it pounding.
    Peering into his face, seeing only sincerity in his blue eyes, she couldn’t remember the last time a man seemed genuinely interested in her. She had always considered herself to be very open and friendly, but dating was never something she was comfortable with. High school boys just wanted to see how far they could get, and now that she thought about it, the college boys weren’t much different. Determined to never be anyone’s fling, she realized that she had held herself away from trying to find an actual relationship. And of course, the first man to make my pulse race happens to be a notorious player. Just my luck.
    Returning his smile she noticed how his eyes twinkled as they looked at her face.
    “Do you really want to know, or are you just making idle conversation?” she asked, watching his expression. He looked hurt, and she immediately felt contrite. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I guess I’m not very good at this sort of thing.”
    A confused look crossed his face. “Not good at what thing?”
    “This,” she replied, motioning her hand back and forth between them. “Having dinner conversation with a friend that I don’t really know very well.” She could feel the blush creep from her neck to her hairline, feeling the heat searing her face.
    Rob, understanding her discomfort, reached across the table and took her hand in his much larger one, giving it a squeeze. “Hey, this is just you and me, having dinner, getting to know each other. No pressure.” He hesitated until she raised her eyes to look into his once again. “Laurie, I just want to get to know you. I’ve never met anyone that I wanted to talk to, enjoy being around, you know? You’re….different. You make me want to be a better person. And I just…well…I just want to know you. Is that okay?”
    She looked up in surprise as this normally self-confident, handsome man sitting in front of her seemed to be humbled. She couldn’t help but smile, thinking how much he looked like a little boy at that moment, unsure, wanting to please. “Yeah,” she said softly. “That’s okay.”
    He smiled as though the weight of the world was lifted off of him. “Well, all right. So, how did you end up here?”
    She began to tell him about her