Chapter Seventeen – Emeline #2
At six o’clock on the dot, I walked into El Rey Mexican Restaurant.
It was the first of its kind in River Falls, and judging by the crowd, it was already a hit.
We didn’t have many places to eat because our town was so small.
We had River Falls Café, which was more a coffee shop that also sold bakery-type items, Anna’s Table formally Anna’s Café, which was the town’s main café located on Main Street.
A sandwich place, a pizza place, and the small café that was located inside River Falls Sporting Goods.
It wasn’t really a café, since there were no tables, but you could grab sandwiches and salads to-go.
It didn’t take me long to find Levi and Rhett. Levi stood as I made my way toward them. He wore black jeans, black cowboy boots, a black T-shirt, and, as always, his black cowboy hat. He looked dashing, dressed in all black. And Rhett was a replica of his father.
As I walked deeper into the dining room, I began to notice people from town.
When I caught sight of Janet Miller sitting at a table with her granddaughter, Logan, it felt as though someone had dropped a lead weight into my stomach.
I nearly turned and walked out. Instead, I focused on Levi.
He smiled, and the urge to flee faded away.
I reached the table and was stunned when he leaned down and kissed me—not on the cheek, but on the lips.
My eyes instantly went to Rhett who was beaming.
“You look beautiful,” he said softly, before pulling my chair out for me.
My hands smoothed down the floral-print sundress I’d picked out to wear. I’d paired it with comfortable, short heels. “Thank you.” Looking down at Rhett, I grinned. “If I’m not the luckiest girl in River Falls, getting to eat dinner with the two most handsome men in town.”
Rhett giggled.
“I hope you don’t mind, I ordered some chips and queso. I’m curious about this place,” Levi said.
“I hope it’s like Flores! That was me and Brooke’s favorite,” Rhett said before taking a drink of what looked like Sprite.
“I don’t mind at all.”
The waitress approached and placed chips, salsa, and queso on the table. She took my drink order and slipped away. I glanced around the room and saw nothing but locals. Janet, Logan, Dr. Johnson, and even Billy Marshall—who owned the honky-tonk in town.
My mouth fell open when I saw my parents, sitting with some of their friends.
“My parents are here!” I said with a laugh.
“They walked in with us. We got here a few minutes early.”
At that moment, Mom saw me, and her brows rose in surprise before she smiled. I gave her a little wave.
“I took a nap, Ms. Emeline.”
Turning my focus to Rhett, I let go of all the anxiety about being in such a public space with Levi. “I bet you needed it.”
He nodded before dipping a chip into the cheese and popping it into his mouth. He looked at his dad and gave a thumbs-up.
“Good, huh?”
“So good!” Rhett replied.
“Do you guys know what you want to eat?” I asked, picking up the menu.
“We’re getting tacos.”
“Crunchy tacos,” Rhett added.
“That sounds yummy. I think I’ll get fajitas. I haven’t had any since the last time I was in Estes Park.”
After we placed our orders, Rhett launched into a story about his new best friend from camp, Jimmy.
I glanced at Levi, and the sharp focus he gave his son while he spoke was so sweet.
I couldn’t help but wonder how he was as a girl dad…
and I had to push the thought away when I felt tears sting the back of my eyes.
I couldn’t even imagine what it must be like for him to not have his daughter here.
Rhett often mentioned Brooke in his stories, and I loved that they were keeping her memory alive.
Our food came, and it was beyond delicious. Rhett also gave his tacos a thumbs-up and declared El Rey’s were better than those at Flores. I found myself laughing a lot throughout dinner, thanks to the stories Rhett and Levi shared.
“Isn’t this cozy?”
I looked up to see Logan standing beside our table.
Setting my fork down, I grabbed a napkin and wiped the corners of my mouth before speaking. “Logan, it’s good to see you.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Moving her attention from me, she smiled wider at Levi. “Is this your son, Jett?”
“Rhett is his name. And yes, he is.”
Logan’s face turned red. “Right. Rhett.”
She reached across the table and held out her hand. “Hello, little guy. I’m Logan Miller, and I work for your father—well, technically, your grandfather too.”
Rhett held out his little hand. “Hi, Logan. Do you work with the animals too?”
She smiled. “I do. I love animals.”
“Me too, and I’m going to be a vet someday like my daddy and grandpa.”
“I bet you’ll make the best vet someday.”
I was pleasantly surprised that Logan was being so sweet to Rhett. Then again, I was pretty sure it was mostly to impress his father.
She looked at Levi. “Fancy seeing you here, and with,” her hand flicked toward me, “Emeline.”
The way she said my name in disgust wasn’t lost on me or Levi. Even Rhett frowned.
“Emeline joined me and Rhett for dinner.”
“It’s a dinner date,” Rhett added. “Daddy and Emeline are dating!”
I looked at Levi, who simply grinned.
Logan attempted to smile at Rhett. “Oh, I’m sure it’s just a thank-you dinner, since your daddy helped out at the camp all week.” She glanced between me and Levi. “I mean…right?”
Before I had a chance to respond, Levi did. “No, Logan. This is a date, and we decided to bring Rhett along.”
Okay, I wasn’t expecting that.
“A date? Like, as in…a date date?” Logan asked, clearly flustered.
“Is there any other kind of date?” he asked.
I glanced down at my hands and tried not to laugh.
“Logan, are you bothering Levi and Emeline?” asked Janet, coming to stand next to her granddaughter.
Great. This would no doubt be in The Daily Dirt. “No, not at all,” I replied.
Logan forced another smile. “Enjoy your dinner.”
“Thank you,” Levi and I replied at the same time.
Janet added, “Yes, it was delicious, and so nice to have a new place to eat in town. Well, you enjoy your dinner.”
Once Janet and Logan walked away, Levi and I exchanged a look.
“Are we getting dessert?” Rhett asked.
“Do you want dessert here or we could go somewhere else?”
Rhett looked at me. “I wish we could have your famous sundaes!”
“What’s this about a famous sundae?” Levi asked.
I laughed. “I go to each cabin with all the goodies to make sundaes. It’s a fun tradition my mother started.”
“If it’s a sundae you want, we could make them at home, with Grammy and Grandad.”
“Could Emeline come with us?”
I quickly replied, “Oh, no. Not this time.”
Levi smiled at me, and my stomach dipped and swayed. “Are you sure you don’t want to come over and make sundaes?”
My head was swimming. Was Levi trying to show everyone in town that we were a couple?
Leaning forward, I asked, “What happened to slow?”
He winked. “That went out the door last night. Now that,” his eyes went to Rhett, then back to me, “that happened, I don’t want to waste another minute, Em. I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”
“Me too!” Rhett declared.
A wild fluttering started in my chest, and a part of me wanted to pinch myself.
Is this really happening?
Rhett put his hands together and gave me his best pleading face. “Pleeeease, Ms. Emeline.”
Laughing, I replied, “Well, how could anyone say no to that face?”