Only Her Best Friend - Cami Checketts Page 0,23

“I like running without a shirt on. Do you mind?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Why?” She was so into him. He knew it. He’d worked hard over the years to forget his mom’s constant verbal snips that had ruined his confidence as a child and teenager. Cruz knew he was successful, good-looking, and appealing to the opposite sex. He should be as confident as any man on the planet, but at the most inopportune times, those old insecurities surfaced. It was one of the reasons he didn’t come home as much as he should. Seeing how drawn Meredith was to him was definitely a boost to his confidence. Yet why couldn’t she date him like he was hoping for? He needed to start with a smaller goal than her dating him. Maybe he could get her to let her guard down for two minutes, flirt back, stop pushing him away so hard, or slamming the door in his face.

Meredith looked away from him and toward the thick trees. In a quiet voice she admitted, “I’ve worked hard to keep my faith strong in a world that sometimes mocks faith. I can’t expect the good Lord to help, inspire, and bless me when I’m having …” She glanced back at him. “Untoward thoughts about you.”

Cruz sucked in a breath, feeling like he’d been punched in the gut. On one hand, he was thrilled she was having “untoward thoughts,” but on the other hand, he also valued his faith, his testimony, and any guidance the Holy Spirit gave him. He wouldn’t want to be the reason Meredith felt she wasn’t as close to the Lord as she’d like to be.

“I’m sorry, Mer,” he said. “I’ll go find a shirt.”

She gave him a soft smile. “Thank you.”

He nodded, turned, and walked away. Rifling through his bag, he found a comfortable t-shirt and slid it on. When he turned back, Meredith had her socks and shoes on and was ready to go. He walked to her side, appreciating all over again how pure and sweet she was. The light that radiated from her dark eyes was unequaled in his experience. If keeping a shirt on would help her keep that light shining, he would keep a shirt on.

“Do you like to jog or walk?” he asked.

“I prefer walking.” She shot a look at him. “Unlike yesterday when I was trying to run away from you.”

He laughed. “Let’s not repeat that. You should never want to run away from me.”

She arched an eyebrow but didn’t comment.

Cruz drew a breath, ready to talk to her about some serious things, especially whatever rumors Josh may have shared about him.

“Tell me about your work,” Meredith requested before he could ask anything.

“What do you want to know?”

“Hmm. Favorite trick you pull on a wakeboard?”

“Double tantrum.”

“Tantrum?”

“It’s the sideways-looking flip. The double scares me every time, but I love the rush.”

She glanced at him as they walked briskly up a beautiful, wooded trail. “I can’t imagine anything scares you.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“What could possibly scare Cruz Chadwick?”

He looked into her gaze and said, “You scare me.” The thought of seeing his mom again scared him, but he’d never admit that to anyone.

“Uh.” Meredith grunted and focused on the trail. “I don’t scare you. You don’t think about me at all, I’m sure.”

“Yes, I do,” he protested.

“So, what’s your favorite trick on the surfboard?”

Cruz pushed out a frustrated breath, but he let her have the out this time. He was here for two weeks. Somehow, someway, they were going to have a serious conversation and he was going to reveal that he loved her. What then? She wasn’t going to leave her family, her valley, and her hard-earned, successful ice cream parlor to travel the world with him. His mouth pulled down at that thought.

“Surfboard?” she said again.

“Oh. Don’t tell anybody this because I hype up everything I do, but honestly, the surfing is not my favorite. You can do some okay tricks, but it’s a lot slower and the tricks are limited. I’d rather be on my wakeboard.”

“If I called the magazines and revealed the truth that Cruz Chadwick is too good for a surfboard, would I make millions?”

Cruz chuckled. “I’m not that interesting or that famous. You might make hundreds.”

“I’ll have to decide if I can keep that secret or if I’m going to sell out.” She grinned at him.

Cruz wanted to pull her to a stop, but he only gave her a sidelong glance and said, “I know you, Meredith Francis. I could