Chapter 12 #2
“Right. Well, to explain that to you, I’m going to have to reveal my hopelessly nerdy side. You might want to move right back out after I tell you this.”
“I don’t think there’s anything you could tell me that would make me want to move back into that flea-infested nightmare. Unless you’ve got bodies hidden in your basement. Wait, do you have bodies hidden in your basement?” Maybe I listen to too many true crime podcasts.
He doesn’t even bat an eye. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
I laugh, wholly confident that he’s not secretly a murderer. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have that in him.
“Fine then, no dead bodies, what is it that you think will scare me away?”
“Well, I love the farm and I love what I do, but I’ve also always been interested in the world beyond Balsam Grove. Exploring new worlds, learning new things. Love that, but running a ranch you don’t get to travel much, so I found other ways to get lost. Fantasy books, games…and of course D&D.”
D&D. I repeat the acronym in my head, trying to parse the meaning.
“Oh, boy.” He reaches up to run his hand through his hair. “This might be worse than I thought. I don’t know what you’re going to think.”
Gemma appears next to us with a bottle of red wine and a delicious cloud of garlic floats over.
“Smells so good,” I say, taking another deep inhale.
“Oh, it’s the best. Enzo took over after his ma retired. He said she never told him the full secret to the recipe until she handed over the keys to him and his husband.”
“Wow. That’s dedication to a secret.”
“It’s as good as it smells.” Quint nods at the bottle when Gemma shows it to him. She pours him a taste, and he picks up the glass, swirling it like a pro sommelier. “Did you want to try it first, Aura? I’m sure you’ve had a chance to taste some fine wines over the years.”
I wave a hand, laughing. “You go ahead. I enjoy a glass now and again, but I’m no wine snob.”
He clears his throat, dips his nose into the glass, and inhales. Then he proceeds to swirl it in the glass and takes a sip swishing it around in his mouth. He nods to Gemma. “Good, thanks.”
After she pours us glasses and heads off, I pick mine up, eyeing it. Looks like wine to me. “You really do know what you’re doing there.”
“Yeah. I mean, I’m no expert but I kind of accidentally took a wine tasting course in my second year of uni and it sort of stuck. I really enjoy a good Pinot.”
I take a small sip, letting the wine sit on my tongue.
It’s nice, dry, leaves that warm feeling in my mouth.
But I couldn’t pick out any specific flavors if I tried.
“How does one accidentally take a wine course?” The steaming basket of garlic bread is beckoning me with its buttery goodness, so I snatch a piece up, moaning at the sharp bite of the garlic as I crunch down.
“Accidental might be the wrong word. See, someone I knew was taking it, and I sort of said I was taking it too even though I hadn’t signed up yet. So then I had to sign up.”
The laugh bubbles up and I can’t keep it in. “Let me guess. A woman?”
He ducks his head. “Yeah.”
“I’ve definitely heard this story before. In fact, I think I’ve acted it a time or two.”
“Right. Eric, on Paisley Creek. He was always up to some scheme to try to get a girl. Wait, are you calling me Eric? Am I the Eric?” He downs some more wine.
I shrug. “If the hat fits?” Eric was the nerdy one.
The one who fell for my character, and most of the other ones over the course of the series.
But he was an awkward goofball. “But maybe after Eric grew up. I’m sure he matured into an amazing adult.
Hopefully him and Lindy are off in their fictional universe living their best lives. ”
“Right, he ended up with Lindy. I always thought it should have been you. Or, Jessie. I can separate you from your character. I promise.”
The little place fills up as we’re mowing through the absolutely delicious garlic bread. After my last bite is gone, I lean back in my chair patting my stomach with a groan. “I haven’t eaten that much bread since college.”
And of course, that’s when Gemma places a white plate in front of me.
I ordered a lemon and caper chicken breast, hold the pasta.
Quint eyes my plate. “I can’t believe you skipped out on the pasta. It’s homemade. Best part of the meal.”
I slice a small piece off, spearing it with my fork. “I think I’ve eaten my carb allowance for the week after all that garlic bread. Going to have to figure out where I’m going to go jogging around here to work it off.”
“Jogging? Sounds terrible. There’s lots of work to be done around the ranch that’ll raise your heartbeat.”
“Really? Like what?”
He doesn’t seem to catch the innuendo. Probably for the best. I shouldn’t be teasing him.
“Well, you tried your hand at mucking stalls, but that needs to happen daily. There’s also throwing hay bales, repairing fences, taking the horses out to their fields in the morning. Of course, the riding part, but you won’t be exercising any barrel horses or anything anytime soon.”
My gaze drops to his biceps again. He threw on a crisp blue button-up before we headed out for dinner, but I still have the memory of them straining his t-shirt seared in my brain.
“We’ll see. It might be good to really get into my character. But we got interrupted. You were going to tell me all about your nerdy side. I’m intrigued. I thought cowboys were all rough-around-the-edges, macho-type bro dudes.”
“Hey, Dungeons and Dragons can get pretty badass.” He folds his arms over his chest.
The chicken is cooked perfectly. Juicy, tender. It’s so distracting it takes a minute to really process his words. D&D. Dungeons and Dragons. I’ve never played, but some of my theater friends in college used to have a group.
“You really are full of surprises. The sommelier, D&D-playing cowboy. But the important question is, what does that have to do with your dog?” We got way off track here. Even though we have about zero things in common, he’s so easy to talk to.
“A blink dog is a fey creature from D&D. They can teleport short distances.”
“Fay?”
“Fey, F-E-Y, kind of like a fairy. But Blink appeared at my front door one day. She was dirty and matted, but her tail was wagging. I went to find something for her to eat, but she had vanished, so I left some chicken out for her.
“When I checked later it was gone, but no sign of her. We played the game for another week before she let me lure her into the house. Caleb wasn’t thrilled about having a filthy dog in the house, but he couldn’t say no.
He made me promise I’d bathe her and feed her.
We took her to the vet to get checked. She was my responsibility. Of course, I said yes.”
“How old were you?”
“Sixteen. Five years ago.” His eyes take on a faraway look for a moment, but then his cheerfulness is back.
“Yeah, so I’ve had her ever since. I went all over town trying to figure out where she came from.
If anyone knew her owners, or if she’d gotten lost. But no luck, and in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s a pretty small town.
So, here we are. Best dog I could have ever asked for.
I hated leaving her while I was away at school, but Caleb looked after her, and I was going to leave her in the main house after I got home, but she wouldn’t have it.
Escaped the house every time the door opened to come over to my place. ”
“Loyal.”
“To a fault. But that’s my Blink. She’s the bestest of girls.”
Ribbons of warmth curl around my heart. He’s the sweetest.
Gemma clears the plates, asking us if we want some dessert. But I’m exhausted, and can’t keep a huge yawn in.
Quint takes one look at my drooping eyelids. “I think we’re good. Just the check.”
“Coming up,” she says, spinning on her heel.
“Was that okay? You didn’t want anything, did you?” There’s a hint of anxiety to his voice, as if he’s afraid of being presumptuous.
“Couldn’t possibly.”
“Good, good.”
He tries to pay when Gemma brings the card machine over, but I give my card to her before he can. “Don’t take his money.” She nods, waving him off when he offers his.
“Come on, Gemma, you’ve known me since before we could read. Why are you on her side?”
She raises a perfectly penciled black brow at him. “Us ladies have to stick together.”
Quint is still complaining as we make our way outside. “I wanted to pay.”
The drop in temperature sends a shiver down my spine. Quint pulls off the light jacket he wore, draping it around my shoulders as we walk down the unassuming little main street under the soft glow of the streetlamps.
“You paid for my coffee the other day, and I can afford it. Not to mention you’ve done so much to help me out, like letting me live rent-free at your place and cooking the world’s best breakfast sandwiches for me.
Oh…” I lean in closer. Even though there’s no one close enough to overhear, I can’t fight the need to whisper the words.
Just in case. “And you’re teaching me how to ride. ”
A flash of headlights illuminates him as he helps me up into the truck.
“That was a fantastic meal. Thank you so much.” I needed it. That chance to almost feel like a normal person again. It’s been a long time since I was able to go out and just eat at a restaurant. No planning, no disguises or decoys. It felt fucking amazing.