Kissing Cousins by Marcia Lynn McClure

Author:Marcia Lynn McClure [Marcia Lynn McClure]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, Adult
ISBN: 9781466083431
Publisher: Distractions Ink
Published: 2010-11-09T14:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Lunch was fabulous! Mark had stopped at the little bistro near Hollander Park and ordered them each the pita bread chicken salad. Poppy tried not to think of how much better Swaggart’s chicken salad was—just concentrated on the fact that the bistro’s was delicious—how delicious Mark was!

The day seemed to grow more beautiful with every passing moment. By the time Poppy and Mark had finished lunch at the bistro, the water of Hollander Park’s small lake was as smooth and as calm as any lazy summer day ever was.

Mark helped Poppy into the canoe, set a small picnic basket near her feet, and settled himself across from her. He pushed off, and Poppy’s heart fluttered when he smiled at her and said, “I love doing this.”

“Do you do this often?” she asked. She wondered how many other girls Mark had paddled around the lake.

“I bring my mom sometimes,” he said. “Or my little sisters—but you’re the first non-relative I’ve ever brought.”

Poppy giggled and said, “That was a good answer!”

“That was a true answer,” he said, flashing one of his stunning smiles.

“So, how has your week been?” she asked him.

He shrugged and answered, “Pretty good. I landed a couple of big accounts this week—sorta made up for my blowing Susan Reginald off.”

Poppy smiled.

“How about you?”

“It was pretty busy at the restaurant all week long,” she told him. “Summers are always the craziest time!”

“You know, my friend Braden…remember him?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said. How could she forget the night Mark had come to the restaurant—after having sent the beautiful roses?

“He loved your place,” Mark continued. “Told me over and over it was the best salmon he’d ever had, how fun the joint was—you know, everything.”

“It is a great place to work,” Poppy said. “You know Whitney, my roommate? She’s the granddaughter of the owner—it’s how I got my foot in the door. I bet we have at least ten to twenty people a week stopping in to ask if we’re hiring.”

“Seriously?” he asked.

“Yeah! It’s a great place to work, and I think people pick up on that and want to be a part of it,” she said. “Mr. Dexter’s looking to hire another waiter or waitress, and I don’t envy him—having to sift through everyone who is going to want the job.”

“No kidding,” Mark agreed.

He paddled for a moment in silence, and Poppy took the opportunity to let her eyes and mind linger on the beauty of the scenery. The cottonwood trees lining the banks of the lake hummed with the songs of cicadas, and Poppy had the notion she’d never seen so many different colors of wildflowers in the same place.

The water was still and very clear, and fish jumped here and there around her. There was just a hint of a breeze now and then, and the quiet, peaceful atmosphere was soothing to her senses.

“So,” Mark said. “Anything exciting happen in your life since I saw you last?”

Poppy nearly choked! Was he kidding? She’d kissed Swaggart Moretti, that’s what! But she certainly couldn’t explain that to him, so she simply answered, “Nope.

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