Secrets Among the Cedars (Intertwined Book 2) by Sherri Wilson Johnson Page B

and put her paw on his leg. He rubbed her ears, so Kathryn didn't scold her for being a pest. “Do you make ice cream often?”
    "I know my way around an ice cream maker.” She curtsied. “It's my mother's famous chocolate fudge recipe. You'll love it. We can sit out here on the patio, if you'd like." Kathryn led the way through the living area, and Phil and his shadow, Sadie, followed.
    "I'm glad you're staying in Cedar Key this week."
    Kathryn sat in one of the lounge chairs and motioned to the one beside her. "Did I have a choice?"
    Phil lowered himself into the chair and kicked off his flip-flops. "You could've gone home. Or somewhere else."
    "True, but I needed a place like Cedar Key. Lazy and low key. And…I wanted to get to know you a little better."
    "You just want to know what I know about my family."
    "Not true." Kathryn giggled then got up to check on the groaning ice cream freezer. Disappointment would pour down on top of her if this freezer quit working. She'd been craving ice cream since she'd gotten here Friday and thus far, it had played hide-and-seek with her. She could hardly count the melting concoction she'd had on the pier. When she returned to the patio, she handed Phil a bottled water and returned to her chaise.
    He nodded and took the bottle from her, their fingers touching in passing. "So you don't dislike me?"
    Kathryn paused with her water bottle halfway to her lips and peered at him out of the corner of her eyes. "I don't dislike you."
    His foot shook like a nervous squirrel. "Would—would you consider going on a date with me?"
    "I thought the boat ride and picnic was kind of a date."
    "You did?" He grinned. Then he sat up and turned to her, finding her eyes with his. "Well, I'd like to take you on a real date once this case is over."
    There went her heart again. Fluttering like a butterfly. Sweat trickled down between her shoulder blades and across her forehead, and it wasn't from the heat. A real date? She'd almost forgotten what a real date was like. Since her break-up with Zeke over a year ago, she'd turned down every request for a date, not that there'd been that many. She'd be crazy to turn down a date with Phil. "You wouldn't have a problem with the fact that I'm Maria's friend?"
    He shook his head and shaded his eyes with his hand. "You aren't really her friend anymore, are you?"
    "Good point." Sadie left Phil's side and returned to the cool of the condo. "Let me go check on the freezer again. It's making a weird noise." Kathryn followed Sadie indoors and added a bit more ice and rock salt to the machine. The churning was slowing so the ice cream would be ready soon. When she rejoined Phil, he sat on the edge of the pool with his feet swirling in the water. Kathryn sat beside him and slipped her feet into the coolness.
    Phil nudged her with his elbow. "Besides, you should feel more hesitant about going out with me because I'm the ex-fiancé. You were just an innocent friend."
    She touched him on the forearm. "You're an innocent ex-fiancé."
    "Ha, I've never been accused of being innocent. But I was innocent—or naïve—about her whereabouts most of the time. Of course, I spent a lot of time focusing on my career and didn't put enough time into pursuing her. So you can't really blame her for finding someone else."
    "I don't believe that one bit. You're a kind man. Maria is a fool for messing that up."
    "Thanks." He took a swig from his water bottle and wiped his mouth with his hand. "So would you go on a real date with me?”
    She splashed the water with her feet. “Of course.”
    “Awesome.” He pumped his fists in the air. “How did things go at the store?"
    "As I expected. That guy wasn’t there, so I didn’t get any new information. I’m still not sure your uncle did it, but there’s no doubt he was present, and he probably gave the command.”
    “It’s definitely looking that way. I’m surprised that he went all the way to Georgia for something like this instead of just