Chapter 4
4
DELTA
N ormally, I’d be in my happy place. An apple pastry and ice cream were just about my favorite things on earth. Plus, I was eating them while seated on a sofa with a gorgeous man who had made it clear he was into me.
“It kind of sucks living here,” I said after we discussed the town for a while. “I mean, I know I’m lucky. It’s the most beautiful place on earth, but even in Adairsville, it feels like everybody moves away as soon as they have their high school diploma. I went to UNC and when I dropped out, all my friends were still in college. Some returned for summers, but over time, even that faded. Now they all have jobs elsewhere.”
“Not too many job opportunities in Adairsville, North Carolina,” Kingston said.
“And Boone’s too far to commute. It just sucks when it comes to having a social life.”
“There are plenty of people around your age up here these days,” he said. “Some of them are married to guys on my logging crew.”
Yeah, I’d noticed that. I saw them walking down the street and rushing to their jobs in the shopping center. I just couldn’t find an opening to get to know anyone—not in a “Hey, let’s go out for drinks” sort of way.
“I assume dating someone your own age is tough,” he said.
I nodded. “All the men moved away too, but I don’t know. I’m starting to think maybe that’s the problem.”
He’d polished off his pastry and the two scoops of ice cream I’d put with it and set the dish on the coffee table. Now, he shifted to face me slightly, his hulking form suddenly taking up part of the cushion between us.
“What do you mean?”
His question had me reviewing my words. What had I meant by that? I wasn’t exactly sure.
“The last time a guy asked me out, he kept trying to convince me to come over and hang out. He was going to order food delivery.” I laughed. “And not even from one of the nicer places in town. Fast food. Burgers.”
That was when I was in college, before I’d started food delivery. Although the story would have been even funnier if it had been after. Maybe he would have thought he was treating me by letting someone else deliver food for a change.
“Tacos on TV trays aren’t much fancier,” he said.
Oh crap. Had I just put my foot in my mouth? I scooped another bite of ice cream, combined it with about half of the small amount that remained of my pastry, and prepared to take a bite.
“Is this a date?” I asked.
I shoveled food into my mouth after asking that question, mostly to keep myself from adding to it. I watched him as I savored the taste of sweet mixed with a slight dash of spice. Nutmeg, I was assuming.
He was staring off to the side slightly, but when he spoke, he shifted his gaze back to me. “I think it is. But I’d love to take you out for a nice steak in one of those restaurants where you need to use your phone’s flashlight to see the menu.”
“Or pick up the candle on the table and hold it near your menu and hope it’s fake so you don’t catch anything on fire.”
He smiled. “Considering we just had dinner on TV trays while watching a show that attracts a slightly older demographic, I’m going to call us both old souls.”
“Hey, everybody struggles to read a menu in bad lighting,” I said. “That’s why restaurants put candles on tables in the first place, right?”
“Right.”
He had a slight smile now—something I noticed was not all that common for him. Even when he laughed, his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. It made me wonder what the military put him through. Or maybe it was before that—growing up in a family that was struggling for money.
Whatever the case, I was glad to be bringing out the lighter side in him. If there was one thing my quirky personality could do, it was make someone smile. Even the grumbliest of guys struggled to frown when I was around.
“So, it’s a date,” he said.
Oh, he was talking about taking me on a date. I liked the thought of that. Anything that would let me spend more time around him had my vote.
“You name the date and time, and I’ll be ready.”
“Friday night?” he asked.
I nodded. Someone wanted to romance me. Correction, a drop-dead gorgeous mountain man wanted to romance me. He was going to take me to a fancy restaurant to impress me. The thing was, he’d already impressed me more than anyone ever had.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been on a real date,” I said. “I can’t remember the last time I even wanted to go on one with someone.”
“And you want to go on one with me?” he asked. “I must have done something right.”
“It’s just who you are.” I shrugged. “Same reason you want to go out with me. Why do you want to go out with me?”
I was fishing for compliments, and I knew it. But if a guy found me more than quirky and cute for the first time in my life, I wanted some details.
“You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met,” he said. “At first it was your looks, but as I said, you’re beautiful inside too. Who else would invite a man over to eat tacos on TV trays?”
I smiled. “Yeah, quirky is how people refer to me. I’ve kind of embraced it. That’s what everyone’s always called me.”
“I wouldn’t put it that way,” he said. “You’re unique, and you’re not afraid to show it. You don’t change who you are to impress other people. Am I right?”
He made me sound a lot more secure than I actually was. I often found myself worrying what people thought of me. I just couldn’t change my personality to fit what others wanted me to be.
“Men aren’t sure what to make of me,” I blurted.
Suddenly, I was spilling everything, and I wasn’t sure why. I trusted this guy more than I’d trusted anyone in a long time.
“They think I’m cute,” I said. “The little sister they never had, even if they’re my age. It kind of gets in the way of ever having a real relationship.”
“Dumbasses.”
The word took me by surprise. Not because it was a profanity, but because of the way he said it. He was even shaking his head, like he couldn’t believe the foolishness of the people I interacted with.
“You’re just about the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. “Anyone who doesn’t see that is an idiot.”
His words were making my spirits soar. I didn’t give a damn what anyone else thought. If this guy found me beautiful…
“I want you to stay,” I said. “I want you to spend the night.”