Climbing out of his car, he checked out the damage. Sure enough, a nice, large dent now caved in his quarter panel.
“Really? Dude, you suck.”
The moose always had lived up to his namesake.
He took out his phone, snapped a quick picture, and added it to the town’s message board. Keeping track of the local naughty moose sightings was one of their pastimes, and it helped the next person know which areas to avoid.
Only as he started back up the road did it occur to Rick that he’d announced to everyone that he was going to the resort in the evening. For once, Rick didn’t care about being the center of the town’s gossip. He was proud that he had a date with Lana Mont—just Lana tonight. If anyone had a problem with it, they could mind their own business, because he was freaking ecstatic.
It would have been nice not to show up in a dinged car, but Rick was grateful a colossal piano hadn’t fallen out of the sky to land on his head. As he pulled up to the front of the resort, Rick saw a figure waiting for him on the bench beside the tall wooden entry doors.
“Hey there, Rickie boy.” A friendly shoulder pat was not nearly good enough to compensate for Graham’s unexpected and unwelcome presence.
Rick frowned. “Please tell me you didn’t scare off my date.”
“Naw, L has nerves of steel. I showed her every baby picture of you that I could find, and she still insisted on going through with tonight. I think the lady has designs on you.” When Rick looked at him, Graham sighed. “Why is everyone so serious tonight?”
Rick reached up to adjust the tie he wasn’t wearing, then groaned. “Don’t know, and I don’t care. If you don’t mind, I have to be in there.”
“It’s weird, right? Picking someone up from a hotel? It’s like the biggest front porch in Alaska.”
“Graham…”
“Do you think Hannah will flick the lights on and off on you two if she catches you kissing later?”
“This is me leaving,” Rick said, taking a step.
The valets were ready to open the doors, which always made Rick uncomfortable. They swung open with a creak.
“Reminds me of Jurassic Park,” Graham said. “You don’t know what bloodthirsty creatures are in there, waiting to be unleashed on us.”
“I’m assuming you’re not including my date in that description.” Rick was about to tell Graham that he wouldn’t mind a velociraptor taking his friend down, then he stopped dead in his tracks.
Rick nearly swallowed his tongue when he lifted his head and saw his date.
Conceding to the temperatures by wearing a cowl neck, long-sleeved sweater dress and thigh-high leather boots, Lana must have failed to consider what that absolutely devastating inch of bared skin between the tops of her boots and the hem of that curve-hugging dress would do to him. The jacket over her shoulders did nothing but accentuate what was beneath, and Rick couldn’t breathe, let alone move toward her or say hello.
A heavy hand smacked him on the back hard enough to force the air out of his lungs.
“Now, since Lana has no one else to watch out for her—” Graham started to say, but Lana breezed right past him. She linked her arm in Rick’s.
“I’m perfectly capable of doing so myself. Now please, scurry off.”
“I really think you two should talk about what a big step this is. Has either one of you signed an abstinence pledge?”
Rick was going to kill him. Slowly but surely, he would strangle every last breath from his friend.
Ignoring their third wheel, Lana turned to Rick, her liquid dark eyes raising to his. It felt like getting punched in the stomach but in the best of ways. He didn’t know what she’d done with her eye makeup, but he couldn’t stop staring at her.
“Are you ready to leave? I’m famished.”
Hungry. She was hungry. Rick could fix hungry.
“You might want to say something to her at some point tonight, buddy,” Graham supplied helpfully. “Zoey and I have the night free. We can double-date this thing if you need some wingpersons.”
Lana leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. “If we get in the car, Graham stops being a part of our evening. But it’s your choice, Rick. I’m flexible.”
Did she have to use that word? What was left of his brain officially gave up, lying down in the gutter and rolling around like a happy dog scratching its back.
Rick swallowed again, trying to make his mouth work properly. “Let’s