33. Violet
Chapter 33
Violet
“You look—breathtakingly beautiful.” Dustin surveys my outfit up and down in appreciation. I blush hardcore, my whole face is warm. I’m not used to compliments and it makes my heart skip a beat.
I will admit I spent an hour getting ready for our date. That is unusual for me. I added some mascara for a touch of a done up look. I curled my hair and fluffed up my bangs the best I could. I decided on a pair of blue jeans and a brown flare sleeved, scalloped trimmed shirt. I even broke out a pair of western platform boots I had sitting in the back of my closet. It’s a little out of my comfort zone, but I thought I would try something different.
“Thank you. You clean up nice too.” I smile shyly, taking in his blue flannel shirt and jeans. He paired his outfit with a clean pair of leather boots.
Dustin and I are going on our first actual date to Annie’s. It’s nothing outrageously fancy, but it's perfect for the both of us. I’ve been looking forward to this all week.
“Ladies first,” Dustin drawls, holding the door open for me and letting me go in the restaurant first like the true gentleman he is. We take our seats and he pulls out a chair for me. We order our drinks. A sprite for me and a root beer for him. He insisted on driving, so he didn’t want to order alcohol.
“So what’s good here?”
“Everything. But if you want the secret menu, I’ll share it with you.”
“What’s on the secret menu?”
“I don’t know about you, but I love a good thanksgiving plate in the spring. You can order turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and the works. All you have to tell the waitress is, ‘the fixin’s meal.’ She’ll know what that means.”
“I’m getting that.”
“Me too.” I pause to give the waitress our order and she spins away to the back.
“Do you ever want to travel anywhere? If you had the chance to go anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?
“I always wanted to go to Alaska. I love the snow and the cold. You can always bundle up more layers, but you can’t take them off. Well, you can if you’re into indecent exposure in public,” I joke. “Seriously though, looking at pictures of the northern lights, mountains, stretches of nothing but wildlife. I think it would be a dream to go there one day. What about you?”
“I never had a desire to travel anywhere, but after hearing you talk about Alaska like that, seeing the light in your eyes when you think of going there…I know that's where I would want to go. With you of course.”
I grab his hand across the table, intertwining my fingers with his. The heat in his stare has me feeling something more than like. But is it love?
“That would be nice.”
“So you never really came to town when you visited as a child?”
“No, only on occasions. My grandparents would take me to Jacks Bar, before it was renamed to Roosters. Every establishment in town is renamed multiple times. I think the new names give them all character.” He runs his thumb across my hand. “They would sneak me in to watch The Heartbreakers play. It was the highlight of my stay.”
“No way! I used to go with Darcy. I bet we even crossed paths at some time. I’m sure of it.”
“We had to have. I used to hang out with Mason all the time, since his parents owned the bar.”
“I used to sit with Mason and Olive and watch them play. We may have even sat at the same table.”
“It’s a small world.”
“More like a small town. You’re bound to cross paths.”
“You’re right about that. I think I know everyone now.”
We clean our plates, devouring all of the food, laughing and conversing over the next hour. We learn so much more about each other. I don’t know what it is about a restaurant environment, but it makes me feel like I can share anything in the world with him. We both end up refusing dessert after being too full to even fit another bite.
“That was really nice.” He takes my hand in his as we walk down the sidewalk towards my shop.
“We should do it again sometime.”
“I think I can arrange that.” His smirk is so devastatingly handsome.
By the time we reach the front door of my shop he sweeps me off my feet with a heart-melting kiss. As our lips brush, my insides melt into a puddle. Every time we are together my walls come down a bit more and I just want to tell him everything. I want this to last, but I don’t want to ruin the moment.