CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG
BELLA
I couldn’t believe I’d just told Matthew the one thing that I’d sworn to myself I never would. And now, I couldn’t take my comment back or tell him that I was just joking. He’d know I was lying. I hadn’t been trying to deceive Matthew when it came to my lack of sexual experience. I just didn’t want the topic to matter the way it always seemed to.
I was far more than the status of my virginity, but there were moments, like right now, when I definitely didn’t feel like it. I felt defined by it, like I had a neon sign over my head, declaring Bella Sanchez is a Virgin with a capital V.
Had I just ruined everything by blabbing my biggest secret to my lifelong crush?
There was no way Matthew would be able to look at me the same way he had mere minutes before. Once guys found out about this, their perspective tended to shift. I couldn’t stand the thought of Matthew pitying me or viewing me like I was some kind of conquest.
Walking back into work, I saw Anna’s face light up as soon as she caught sight of me.
“Matthew was here,” she said as she carefully cleaned off a glass, holding on to it with both hands.
“I’m aware.” I swallowed hard, my face flushed with frustration.
“Did he find you?” Addi was behind me, her hand on my shoulder. I spun around to face her. She looked apologetic. “I’m sorry. I told him you were on a date. Did he ruin it?”
“Of course he ruined it,” I answered with a laugh because I wasn’t mad.
“I didn’t tell him where you were, but he figured it out,” Addi added.
I gave her a small smile. “It’s fine. It’s not your fault. Plus, it’s not like I was going to seriously date someone who lives over two hours away. No matter how nice and hot he is.”
The bells jangled, and we all looked over to see Matthew saunter inside, his face unreadable as he searched for me. Addi gave me a quick smile before she headed back toward the food, giving us some semblance of privacy. Anna, on the other hand, stayed put behind the bar, but I didn’t miss the way her body leaned in our direction so that she could hear what was about to go down. As if I wouldn’t tell her everything later anyway.
“I need to talk to you,” he said as soon as he reached me, his hands grasping for mine as I glanced around.
There wasn’t much of a crowd at the moment, which I was grateful for, but the few people waiting on their to-go orders were definitely watching us with interest. Matthew created a scene everywhere he went, and the restaurant was no exception.
“No thanks,” I responded, feeling a little embarrassed at the intimate knowledge he now held.
It was going to be this big deal between us—it always turned into a big deal.
“We need to finish our conversation.” His thumb started making small circles on top of my hand.
“We don’t really need to have a conversation about it at all,” I said, shaking my head. “Especially not here.”
Matthew continued holding my hands. His were so big and all-encompassing, the same way that he was. “You’re right,” he agreed a little too easily. “Let me take you out tonight. A real date. I’m ready to move past the friend zone.”
He still wants to date me?
“You’ve been in the friend zone for five seconds.”
My anxiety actually started to ease. Instead of making me uncomfortable, like he tended to do, he was having the opposite effect.
“Five seconds too long if you ask me.” He grinned. “Come on, Bells. Let’s stop playing this game.”
“What game?”
“The one where you pretend you don’t want me just as much as I want you.”
“I never said I didn’t want you. I just said we don’t know each other anymore,” I clarified because wanting the man was not the issue.
“You were willing to get to know that stupid fireman on a date. Why can’t you do the same for me?”
Dammit.
That was actually a fair point.
He released one of my hands and poked the side of my head with his finger. “I can see your wheels spinning. Give me one date. If it’s awful and there’s nothing between us, I’ll leave you alone.”
I had to stop myself from laughing hysterically. As if there’d ever be nothing between us. At least not on my end. I wasn’t sure how to not have feelings for him.
“Two first dates in one day? That’s gotta be some kind of record.” I laughed, but Matthew was not amused. His jaw flexed before he leaned closer to me, his lips at my ear.
“I’ll make you forget all about that other guy. Say yes, Bells.”
I sucked in a breath before finally caving. Denying him was exhausting. And to be honest, I wanted to go.
“Yes,” I said.
Matthew’s smile took up his entire face as he dropped my other hand and pumped a fist in the air. “I’ll pick you up at seven. You’re not working, right?” He glanced toward the bar, where Anna was still trying to eavesdrop.
“I have the day off.”
“We’ll mourn the loss of the glasses later,” he teased.
I instantly wondered how many Anna had broken today. “She broke another one?”
“One that I know of,” he said before giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Dress for the resort. That’s where I’m taking you,” he instructed before disappearing out the door as quickly as he’d come through it.
That man was something else, making demands and then disappearing before I could even agree or argue.
“Bella,” Anna shrieked as soon as Matthew was gone, but I put up a finger, indicating that I’d be right back, before racing to the outdoor area, where Addi was manning the smoker.
Thankfully, she was alone.
“The resort. He said that’s where we’re going.” My voice came out a little shaky.
Sugar Mountain Resort’s restaurant was as high-end as they came in our town. It was fancy. Had an exquisite menu with foods I’d never even heard of before, and it changed with the seasons. And it was expensive—not that it really mattered, considering Matthew’s family owned the place and he probably had more money than God.
“He’s trying to impress you,” Addi said as she flipped over some massive slabs of meat and slathered them in a coat of wet sauce. The smoke billowed, and the smell of the wood mixed with spices filled my senses. “I don’t think Matthew’s ever taken anyone there before. Not even in high school.”
“I wondered about that,” I said, but knew that if Matthew had done something like that back then, I definitely would have heard about it. The whole town would have.
“Are you nervous?” She closed the lid to the smoker and wiped her hands on her apron.
I shook my head. “A little, yeah. I wasn’t expecting something so fancy.”
“It sounds like he wants to do something nice for you. I think it’s sweet.”
I sucked in a steadying breath before agreeing, “It is sweet. I just don’t want to feel out of place or awkward. I’m already nervous enough.”
She shook her head quickly. “You won’t be. It’s not like that there. It’s really great food, but it’s still Sugar Mountain. I promise. Plus, you know the family who owns the place.” A little giggle came out as she threw her arm around me and gave me a squeeze.
It all made me feel marginally better.
“But, hey, before you go out with him, I want to tell you something.” She pinned me with a serious look as a large plume of smoke danced out from the smoker, distracting her attention.
Addi glanced at Butch before she closed her eyes and inhaled long and deep through her nose.
“Addison?” My heart was racing, and all the nerves she had just calmed came roaring back to life.
“Sorry. Had to make sure it wasn’t burning.” She waved her hand.
Who the heck could tell that everything was fine just by inhaling?
“You really are a meat whisperer,” I teased.
“There are worse things.” She grinned before glancing around to make sure no one was within listening distance. “Okay, so you know how Matthew was always at the saloon on the nights you worked?” She asked it like a question, even though we both knew the answer. Hell, everyone in town knew the answer to that.
“Yeah.”
“And he’d call Patrick to come pick him up toward the end of the night?”
“Mmhmm,” I mumbled as my anxiety multiplied. I wasn’t sure what she was getting at or exactly where this conversation was headed.
“Did you know that Matthew would make Patrick wait in the parking lot until you got to your car and drove off?”
My head reared back like it had been pushed. “Wait. Really?”
How had I never seen that? I considered myself a safety-conscious person, and the fact that I’d never even noticed Patrick’s truck in the lot actually scared me a little.
“Yeah. I just found out about that the other day,” she said. “Matthew would refuse to leave before you did. He was worried about you. And when you got hired here, he grilled me.”
“He grilled you about what?” I shook my head, all of the information she’d just given me still rolling around in my mind, not processing fully.
“He wanted to know how it all worked. What my plan was. Would you be closing up alone or working late at night by yourself? What my safety protocols were.” I could hear the shock in her voice, the same way I was currently feeling it in my body.
“Safety protocols?” I repeated. I’d never even heard of such a thing. “What did you tell him?”
Addi grinned. “I told him that it wasn’t like the saloon. You’d never be here alone, and the bar wouldn’t be open unless the restaurant was. No one would ever close up by themselves.”
“What did he say to all that?”
“He was so relieved,” she said, her eyes widening for only a moment. “And then it hit me. He hasn’t been in here drinking. But he drank every single night when you were at the saloon.”
“He did.” I said the words slowly as I tried to put together whatever she was trying to say without coming right out and saying it.
She blew out a quick breath. “I’m not sure Matthew has a drinking problem, Bella. I think he was just doing it because it’s where you were, and he didn’t know how to be around you without pretending like he was there to drink.”
“He drinks around the family though, doesn’t he?” I had no idea why I even asked that question.
She nodded. “Yeah, he does, but I’m not even sure he finishes a whole beer before he grabs another one just because it’s cold.”
That actually made me laugh. Mostly because warm beer was foul and no one should drink it.
“Anyway, I just thought you should know all that because I’m not sure he’d tell you.”
“Thank you. I really do appreciate it.”
“Good. So, what are you going to wear?” she asked before making a face that let me know she was genuinely excited for me.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted, even though I had a few dresses in mind.
“Whatever you wear will be a hit. Have a great time. And by the way, I’m really happy it’s you. I always thought Matthew liked you. Even when we were kids,” she said before pulling open the heavy screen door and leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Why had everyone been doing that to me lately?
I stood there for a few seconds before I headed back in to chat with Anna. The sound of glass breaking diverted my attention, and I wondered for a split second if I should cancel and make sure the rest of the glasses stayed safe.
“Sorry,” Anna apologized as I walked quickly toward her and two older men. “That one actually wasn’t my fault,” she explained as soon as I reached her.
“We collided, and I knocked it out of her hand,” one of the men said.
“It’s okay. Happens all the time.” I smiled even though it had been happening way more than it should whenever Anna was behind the bar.
Anna poured another beer and yelled, “Incoming!” before sliding the glass toward the man, who laughed in response to her over-the-top declaration.
“You sure you’re okay to work the whole shift alone?” I wasn’t sure if I was asking to genuinely help or if I was subconsciously looking for any excuse to get out of this date.
“I’ll be fine. Zero chance I’m letting you cancel tonight. Not when we’ve been waiting our whole lives for this!” she exclaimed loudly, and I tried to shush her.
I couldn’t help but giggle at the whole we part. But she wasn’t wrong. We had been dreaming about this forever. Well, I had. But she’d always been by my side.
Anna put up a hand. “Before you even ask, black dress. The fitted one with the open back and the thigh-high slit. Heels as tall as you can walk in. That man towers over you. Every inch counts.”
I pressed my lips together in a tight line and gave her a single nod. That dress hadn’t been one of the three I was considering, but she was right. It was perfect. Sexy as hell. First date–worthy. Droolworthy. Make Matthew forget I told him I was a virgin worthy.
“Don’t wait up,” I said, but Anna threw her head back and laughed.
“Ha! I will absolutely be waiting up. Are you kidding me?”
I knew she meant it too. There was zero chance that Anna would go to bed before I got home. She’d be waiting on the couch for me to come walking through our front door, regardless of the time. That was what best friends did. And like she’d just said, we’d been waiting for this date our whole lives.