“You’ve got options,” he told her.
“I like options.”
“I’m sure you do,” Braydon said throatily. The fact that he was still affected by her comment made Jessie’s body hum louder.
“Okay, so whatcha got for me?”
Another throat clearing from Braydon had Jessie laughing uncontrollably.
“Simmer down, woman. We’ve got a date to plan,” Braydon finally said, pulling her back from the brink of hysteria.
“Okay,” she said on a choked laugh. “I’m listening. Wait, should I Google it, too?”
“No, just listen,” he answered abruptly, making her chuckle again.
Jessie quieted so she could hear what he had to say. Although he didn’t sound serious, she was really interested in what his date suggestions were. She’d never done this before, never had the opportunity to map out a first date, so to speak. It seemed to be a day full of firsts, because she’d never gone on a first date with a man she’d slept with, either.
She wasn’t sure she really wanted to think about what that said about her—the fact that she had slept with him without going on a real date, that is.
“Okay, so it looks like we’ve got some choices. I’ll call them out, you say yea or nay. In the end, we’ll figure out which sounds best.”
“Got it,” she confirmed.
“Bowling.”
“Ummm . . .” Jessie wasn’t much of a bowler. “Nay?”
“Is that a question or a statement, Jess?”
“No. No to bowling,” she said affirmatively, laughing while she did.
“Okay, no bowling. Rock climbing?”
“Wow. Seriously? That’s a first date option? That seems a little high risk, don’t you think?”
“Okay, no to rock climbing. How about paintball?”
“Is this a date? Or an afternoon with the guys?”
“No paintball, huh? Okay, fine. What about go-karts?”
Jessie considered that for a minute. “I like go-karts.”
“My kinda woman right there,” Braydon replied. “Okay, that’s a possibility. What about arcades?”
“If you want me to put you to shame . . . then okay.”
Braydon laughed, the sound of his voice sending a jolt of heat through Jessie. It didn’t help that she was sitting on her bed, her eyes closed as she listened to his voice.
“Horse races are obviously out, since we don’t have any around here. Stargazing? Seriously?” Clearly he wasn’t talking to her, so Jessie just smiled contentedly as he worked it out. “No stars, so what about live music? Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World, so I’m sure we could find something.”
“Too loud,” she told him.
“Okay, then. Shoot that one right down, why don’t ya?” He laughed. “Fishing?”
“Nope.”
“Museum?”
“Nope.”
“What about . . . Wait, nope. That one’s out.”
“What was it?”
“You don’t wanna know.”
“Yes I do,” Jessie told him, trying to sound serious but failing.
“Skinny dipping,” he said seriously.
“No way. On a first date? Does it really say that?”
“No,” he answered easily.
Jessie laughed again, feeling so much lighter than she had in days. She had missed this. The banter back and forth with Braydon. They’d always laughed and joked, but she had never even noticed that it was blatant flirting until now.
“See, I told you that one was out. Okay, so I think we’ve narrowed it down. Arcades or go-karts?”
“What about miniature golf?” she asked sweetly.
“Is this your competitive side coming out?” he asked.
“Maybe.”
“Hey, wait a minute. There’s a huge place off 35 just north of Austin. They’ve got miniature golf and go-karts, I know. I think they’ve got arcades inside. They’ve even got rock climbing if you’re feelin’ adventurous. What do you say?”
“I say what time will you be here to pick me up?” Jessie answered, anxiously looking forward to seeing him.
“Twenty minutes?”
“Hold up, cowboy. You’ve got to give me time to get ready.”
“Fine. Thirty minutes.”
“Okay, then. I’ll see you in thirty minutes. Should I eat something first?” she asked.
“Nope. I’ve got that covered, too.”
They were both quiet for a moment. Jessie listened to the sound of his breathing, her eyes still closed. This was the day she’d hoped for for so long. An actual date with Braydon Walker. Sure, they might’ve started from the wrong direction, but did it really matter? To her it didn’t.