Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Ryan drove his truck along the streets of Rosewood Beach, feeling as though his heart was bouncing around against the walls of his chest like a golden retriever puppy. He was on his way to pick up Faith at the bed and breakfast she’d been staying at.
He felt nervous about their date, but also more excited than he’d been in a long time. He desperately hoped that she would enjoy the museum exhibit he’d found in a nearby town. It was supposed to be a play off of the Boston Museum of Science, and the pictures he’d seen of it online all looked incredible. He’d remembered that Faith had told him she missed Boston museums, and he wanted to take her somewhere that felt familiar and engaging.
He arrived at the bed and breakfast a few minutes later. Faith was standing on the front porch waiting for him, wearing a little black dress paired with a white coat and heels. His jaw just about dropped when he saw her.
I’m floored, he thought. She looks so beautiful. What a stunning dress.
He swallowed, suddenly significantly more nervous than he had been. He parked in front of the bed and breakfast and got out of the truck. He walked around the front of it so he could open her door for her.
“Hi,” she said a bit breathlessly as she stepped up to the truck. She seemed a little nervous, which he found endearing. He also hoped that her nervousness meant that she was truly interested in him.
“Welcome to your carriage, princess,” he said, bowing as he opened the door. He was teasing her, but he thought to himself that she really did look like a princess in that outfit. Her hair was tumbling around her shoulders beautifully, and it gleamed in the waning afternoon sunlight.
“Why thank you.” She laughed and took his hand as he helped her climb up into the truck. She did it gracefully, although it was clear she wasn’t used to getting into vehicles that were so tall they required a side step.
He found himself wishing he had a fancier car. She looked so elegant, and it felt wrong to drive her around in a vehicle that he used for work. He had cleaned it out well, though, so at least it wasn’t dirty.
Once Faith was safely stowed inside the truck, he shut her door and went around to the driver’s side. He climbed in and started the engine, turning to her with a grin. “Are you excited?”
“Very. Where are you taking me?”
He shook his head. “That, I’m afraid, is a surprise. Do you trust me?”
She laughed. “Of course.”
“It’s out of town, though, so we have a bit of a drive. Is there any type of music you like to listen to?”
She made a face, and he was confused for a few seconds until she said, “Opera.”
He burst out laughing, especially when she continued to wince as if she’d just admitted some kind of terrible secret.
“I know most people hate it,” she said. “But it helps me concentrate. And I know a lot about the history, so that makes it all more interesting. My grandpa was really into it, and he taught me about it when I was a kid. But I’m not expecting us to listen to opera,” she added hurriedly.
Ryan grinned at her. “I don’t hate opera,” he said. “My mom used to listen to opera. I kind of grew up on it too. I can’t say I’ve sought it out over the years, but I wouldn’t mind listening to it.”
“Oh, goodness.” She laughed, appearing happy but flustered.
He often used a Bluetooth device synced to his truck’s speakers to play music through his phone, and he pulled up a playlist of famous opera arias.
“I can’t believe you’re actually doing this for me,” she said, as the first strains of classical music began to pour out of the truck’s speakers.
“Not a problem at all.” He glanced at her, thinking to himself that he would be happy to do so much more than that for her. “Tell me about this aria.”
“Well.” Her face lit up, and she leaned forward eagerly as she began to tell him some of the history of the music. She talked about the composer, and the plot of the opera that the aria was from. “And I think—yes, this is Maria Callas. She was an incredibly famous singer.” She pointed to his phone screen, which was displaying the song information.
He whistled. “You’re amazing, you know that? You knew all that just by listening for less than five minutes?”
She shrugged, blushing. “I mean, this is a really famous aria. They always start playlists with the more popular songs.”
They continued to talk as they drove. Sometimes she shared more information about the music, but for the most part they talked about experiences they’d had in the cities they’d been living in. It was clear to him that not only was she sweet and attractive, she was incredibly intelligent. He’d assumed as much, knowing she was a lawyer, but he was impressed by witnessing her mind in action.
As they pulled into the neighboring town, he turned to her with an impish grin. “I would like you to close your eyes, please,” he told her. “I don’t want you to see the surprise yet.”
She covered her eyes dutifully, smiling excitedly. He parked the truck on the street a few doors down from the museum and looked over at her to make sure she wasn’t peeking.
“Okay,” he told her. “I’m going to get out and open your door. Keep your eyes closed, please.”
She laughed, and he got out and hurried around to her side of the truck.
“Careful, careful,” he said as she turned toward him. “Take my hand, find the step with your foot—great! Now find the ground with your other foot?—”
“I hope you appreciate that I’m doing this in heels.”
“Oh, I’m incredibly impressed, don’t you worry.” He paused to lock his truck and then began to lead her along the sidewalk toward the museum.
“This is scary.” She didn’t look scared, however, she looked delighted.
“You can trust me, don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t run into anything.”
“Or step into anything?”
He laughed. “Yeah, that too. Almost there. Just a few more sidewalk squares… okay. Turn this way.” He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her in the direction of the museum. “Now open your eyes.”
Faith’s eyes opened and she gasped.
“I remember you telling me that you missed museums,” he said, feeling like that puppy was bouncing around in his chest again. He really, really wanted her to be happy with the surprise. “So I found this one and got us tickets to their special exhibit.”
She blinked at the building. She wasn’t smiling, just kind of staring, and he couldn’t read her expression. He wondered if she was simply surprised, or if perhaps she didn’t like it for some reason.
“Thank you,” she stammered. “It’s so thoughtful of you.”
“You’re so welcome,” he said, meaning it sincerely. “We should go on inside, since they close in a couple of hours. I want to make sure we have enough time to explore.”
She nodded, looking back at the building as if in a daze. He felt an impulse to take her hand, but he resisted it. After all, they still didn’t know each other that well, and he didn’t want to be too eager on the first date—especially since he wasn’t sure how she felt about the place where he’d taken them.