“Looks like we’ve got about another hour,” Harry said. “Unless that storm circles around us, but it sure looks like it’s making a beeline for us.”

Dixie groaned. “I wanted to stay here until night and catch fireflies up on the bank.”

“I even brought a quilt so y’all could sit on it while we caught them,” Tabby said. “We can’t even get back in the water to swim if it’s lightning, can we, Daddy?”

“Rules are rules. I’ll call up the weather on my phone.” He held up his hand and crossed his fingers before he started scrolling through the icons for the weather. “Sorry, girls. According to this, we should start carrying things back to the truck soon as we eat. It says that it’s going to hit in an hour. Strong winds, maybe even some hail. Y’all finish up your food, and I’ll get the boat headed back to the slip.”

The wind had picked up and thunder rolled by the time Alice and Graham got the boat tied off and things gathered up. A loud crack above their heads had him ducking as they all helped take coolers and food back to the truck. Dixie squealed and Tabby took off in a run with her load.

The temperature dropped at least fifteen degrees as Graham walked with Mitzi to her van. Everyone else was loaded up and ready to go when he bent slightly and asked, “Would you go out to dinner and a movie with me on Friday night?”

She shook her head. “No, I won’t.”

“Got other plans?” he asked.

Another shake of her head. “No, but we need to take a step back and figure out if we’re starting something for us or for the girls. What happens if it all goes south and we hang on because we wouldn’t want to disappoint them? Is this chemistry we feel between us real or is it a flash in the pan?”

“I like you a lot,” he said.

“And I like you, too, but before we start breaking hearts, let’s figure out why.”

“Couldn’t we just have a good time?” Crazy thing was that ever since he’d seen Rita in front of Walmart, he’d been wondering the same thing. It had nothing to do with what Rita said about Mitzi’s size, and he didn’t have any intentions of letting Rita back in his life. But he needed to be sure of his own heart before he offered it to Mitzi.

“I always have a good time when I’m with you,” she answered.