Not that he didnt date when he had the chance, but he wasnt in any rush to get involved in a long-term relationship. He certainly wasnt rushing to the altar like Bryan.
He still couldnt believe his best friendhis last single buddywas tying the knot. What was the rush to get married all of a sudden? Bryan was the same age he was, twenty-eight. They had plenty of time.
The way Craig figured it, hed get himself established in his career before he took on the added responsibility of marriage and raising a family. Say, around age thirty-five sounded right. Then hed find a woman who was successful in her own right, someone capable and dependable like himself.
Eyes still closed, as if struggling to hold on to sleep a little longer, Marlee unfolded her legs and stretched her arms overhead. Her slow, sensuous movements made him think of lazy mornings spent in bed and languid lovemaking in tangled sheets,
things he seldom indulged in. She arched her back against the seat and her breasts jutted against the thin fabric of her dress, and he felt an immediate physical response.
He forced his eyes away. He wasnt going to get involved with this chick. She was sweet, but she definitely wasnt his typeand the last thing he needed in his life right now was any more complications. He had too much else to think about. Hed get his career on the right track, and then he could work on the relationship side of things.
Where are we? she asked, her voice soft with sleep.
Somewhere outside of Roanoke, Virginia. Im hoping to make Kingsport, Tennessee by dark, but the traffic around Fairfax put us behind. Too far behind for his liking. Theyd have to make up some time to get back on schedule.
What time is it? She leaned toward the dashboard clock, squinting in the glare.
Lunch time. Ive been looking for a place to stop, but there isnt any. And they werent anywhere near his planned stop. The last town theyd passed had been little more than a post office and a service station. Since then, the view had been mostly trees and fields.
Thats okay. We can have a picnic. She reached back into her bag and began taking out items and piling them in her lap. Ive got some cheese. Crackers. Summer sausage. Grapes. A chocolate bar.
He suppressed a laugh. Any minute now he expected her to pull out half a roast chicken and a bottle of wine. She turned to him once more. Its enough to tide us over until we can have a real meal.
Sounds great. Ill look for a place to pull over.
A few miles farther on, they spotted a sign for a roadside park. Pull in there, she directed.
He parked under a shady oak and they carried the food and two bottles of water to a picnic table. The air smelled of freshly mown grass and the wild irises that bloomed on the bank of a stream running through the little park.
While she arranged the meal on the table, he walked over to the stream and stooped to rinse his face and hands. He spotted bunches of watercress growing at the waters edge and picked some.
Whats this? she asked when he offered her the greens.
Watercress. He tore off some of the crisp herb and popped it in his mouth. The same stuff they use to make fancy tea sandwiches.
She grinned and helped herself to the greens. I guess if we run out of food, youll be able to forage for us. Do they teach that kind of thing in chefs school?
The Culinary Institute didnt take field trips to pick wild greens, no. He took a seat on top of the picnic table, his feet on the bench below. I learned about this stuff on my grandparents farm.
And where was that? She sliced off a thick round of summer sausage and offered it to him.
Arkansas. I spent every summer there. He grinned. I couldnt wait for school to be out so I could go.
Where was home the rest of the time? She topped a cracker with cheese and popped the whole thing into her mouth.
New Mexico. A little town not too far from Farmington.
Is your family still there?
He nodded. My mom and dad and two sisters. He grinned. Im the black sheep, moved all the way out to D.C. His tone was light, but the words werent too far from truth. Hed always been the different one in his family, the one who was never satisfied.
Thats practically on the way to San Diego, isnt it? she asked. We should stop and say hello.
He shook his head. The last thing he wanted right now was to see his dad and have to listen to another lecture on getting his act together. If he told his father he was thinking of opening his own restaurant, the old man would have a stroke. No matter that Craig knew exactly what he had to do to make this work. We dont have time for that.
Sure we do. The weddings almost ten days away.
He helped himself to more sausage. Where is your family from? he asked, anxious to change the subject.
Dimmitt, Texas. Can you believe it? Theyre all horrified that Ive gone off to the big city to consort with politicians and lobbyists and other evil-doers. Her eyes widened in mock horror and he laughed again. In fact, hed laughed more in the past three hours than he had in the past three months.