Twenty-Six
Tuck growled at the button that refused to go through the button hole. Didn’t it know getting dressed at the pace of an octogenarian wasn’t going to make him any more patient? All he knew was a gorgeous woman expected him to knock on her hotel room door and take her to a fancy dinner. Thanks to Lamont’s generosity—he’d paid for Tuck’s hospitable bill, and no amount of texting, video chatting, or cajoling would make him accept a reimbursement—Tuck could afford the fanciest restaurant in Lexington without feeling like a penny pincher.
He’d already made sure Piper’s favorite flowers would be waiting at the table, that her most-requested candies would accompany said daffodils, and that the restaurant had some of her favorite foods for her to choose from. While Tuck would most likely be ordering a steak, they had plenty of seafood options for Piper. Though the dessert menu was the real catch of the day.
Finally, the button slipped through the hole, and Tuck smoothed out the front of his button-down shirt. No way he was going to attempt to stuff the hem into his waistband. That seemed like too much effort. Putting on a blazer would have to be the work-around for going without a belt and a tucked-in look.
He grabbed his going-out Stetson as the final accessory and opened his door to get to Piper’s room across the hall. Only, his feet came to a halt as he stared at the door. Could he really sit her down on their first date and tell her his father got hers arrested?
Tuck squeezed his eyes shut. Lord God, why is this so difficult? I’ve never kept a secret from Piper, minus the whole feelings thing, which made sense to keep quiet about. But this ... this is huge.
He didn’t want to do any mental gymnastics for what constituted a lie and what was okay under omission. He also didn’t want to ruin their first date by springing this on her. They weren’t in Eastbrook. It’s not like anyone would tell her before he could. It’d make more sense to come clean when they were on their home turf, right? Give her a chance to talk to his dad?
And the mental gymnastics have begun anyway.
“Tucker Hale, are you going to stand there all day or knock on my door,” a muffled voice said, reaching his ears.
Just like that, the burden lifted, and he was looking forward to seeing his best friend. His lips quirked in a half smile, and he rapped his knuckles on the door.
The chain lock rattled, and then the door swung open and his breath whooshed out.
He was half-cognizant of blinking way too many times as his brain temporarily shut down. Then the rebooting slowly took effect as Tuck’s gaze roamed Piper’s figure. She wore some floral-type dress that stopped at the knees and showed shapely legs that went into a heel that had his mouth watering. Piper had terrific calf muscles, though that seemed like a weird body part to get hung up on.
“Don’t drool.”
His brain righted. “You look amazing.”
“You think?” She twirled in a circle, a sassy expression covering her cute face.
“I know.”
“Then mission accomplished.” She swung her purse over a shoulder and shut the door. “Where are we going?”
“To that one place.”
“Oh, I see. We’re being all secretive.”
He leaned over to whisper in her ear. “The better to woo you with, darlin’.”
She shivered, and goosebumps appeared on her arms. Tuck ran a finger down one of them, then placed his palm against hers. He brought the back of her hand up to his lips and left a soft kiss there.
“Tucker Hale, you’re not playing fair.”
“I hear all’s fair in love and war.”
“I have no comeback.”
He chuckled. “That’s okay. I already know I’m winning.”
“What are you winning?” Piper’s ebony gaze studied him.
“You, of course.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Now stop distracting me. We’ve got a reservation to make.”
“What will we talk about on our date?” Piper asked after he opened the truck door for her.
“What do you mean?”
She bit her lip. “We already know everything about each other. Will we just stare at each other awkwardly trying to find something to say that hasn’t been said?”
“Or will we be flirting and sharing our dreams together?” Tuck kissed her forehead. “I thought I was the overthinker.”
“You are. I’m just helping out.” She smirked.
“You can’t steal my play.”
“Again. We know everything about each other. There can’t possibly be anything that’ll surprise us or make dating ... exciting. Right?” Her voice came out whisper soft.
Tuck took a step forward and another until Piper had backed up against his truck. Thank goodness he’d run it through a car wash before dressing for their date. Using his good arm, he rested his palm against the truck, crowding her further. Her mouth parted, her gaze focusing on his lips.
“Do you know I love the way you look in cowboy boots?” He placed a kiss on her cheek. “Do you know how hard my heart thumps when you nibble your bottom lip while you’re thinking?” He brushed her mouth with his. “Or can you even fathom how often I dreamed of kissing you before I knew you liked me almost as much as I liked you?”
“Tuck...”
He pulled back and stared into her eyes. “You don’t know everything, Ms. McKinney.”
Her breath shuddered, and she gave a slight nod. “Consider me properly schooled.”
“Then in the truck you go.” He held out a hand to assist her. She never did well climbing into his vehicle when she wore heels.
“Wait,” Piper called out.
He halted.
“You can’t drive, remember?”
Tuck looked at his slinged arm and began mumbling under his breath as Piper climbed down from the truck. This time, he helped her into the driver’s seat. Then he put the restaurant address into the GPS himself so it would hold some semblance of surprise.
Piper was strangely quiet as she drove to the restaurant, which had Tuck’s mind overacting. Her insinuation that she knew everything about him had the guilt rising again—and the resolve to wait as well. He needed to prove that dating wouldn’t make them go backward. It would only enhance their relationship. Telling her about his dad would muddy the waters, as his grandpa used to say.
The moment the hostess seated them at the table for two tucked into the corner of the room, Piper spoke, pulling Tuck into the present.
“Daffodils,” she said with a sigh.
“I know yellow can sometimes mean friendship, but they are your favorite.”
She grinned, a sheen in her eyes. “They’re perfect.”
“Good.” He swallowed. Then suddenly he wanted to reach for her hand like it was a lifeline. Maybe she was right. Maybe there would be nothing more to say, and they’d find themselves wishing they hadn’t crossed the line.
But watching Piper cradle the flowers, the look of pure joy rosying her cheeks, Tuck realized that as long as he was with her, everything was right. He didn’t want to miss a single moment with her. He wanted to be there for them all, from the mundane everyday living moments to the victorious moments of accomplishment. Being with Piper settled something deep in his soul, and he wasn’t going to let doubt disrupt him.
“Did you know daffodils mean new beginnings?” he said.
Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“Yep. I needed to make sure I wouldn’t friend zone myself if I bought them.”
She chuckled. “You did good.”
“Open that and tell me I exceeded your expectations.” Tuck nodded to the brown box to her right.
“Okay.” Confusion marred her forehead. She pulled off the label, then lifted the box lid. Inside lay sixteen Kentucky bourbon balls made with a sugary bourbon-pecan mixture covered in dark chocolate and topped with a pecan half.
They were too sweet for Tuck, but Piper enjoyed the chocolates.
“Thank you so much.”
“Of course.” He leaned forward. “Now let’s stare at each other with panicked expressions until we figure out what to talk about.”
She laughed. “How about you tell me how long it took you to dress yourself?”
He threw a fake glare her way. “We don’t talk about my invalid status.”
“We don’t? Then how about training?”
“No horse talk.”
She pouted. “But I love horses.”
“Love me”—Tuck cleared his throat—“love them tomorrow.” He almost said love me more. Thank goodness he’d changed his words, but judging from the light in Piper’s eyes, she was already speculating on his true intention.
“Fine. Then if I can’t talk about those things, what should I talk about?”
“Your favorite subject—me.” He winked. “Now that we’re not hiding our feelings, you can tell me all the ways you admire me and have come to realize I’m the best.”
“I so hate that I really can’t argue with you. Only, how did I not know you’re so egotistical?”
“It’s confidence, darlin’.”
Her lips twitched. “You’ve been talking to Lamont too much.”
“I’m not saying I’m the sexiest man in Kentucky, but we all know men naturally gravitate to other males of the same caliber.”
Piper spit out her water. Her gaze darted around the room, trying to ensure no one was paying attention to her faux pas. Tuck did his very best to keep from letting his laughter loose.
“You are so easy to tease,” he quipped.
“You’d think I’d learn by now.”
“Until you do, I’ll keep coming up with jokes.”
“I need to have a talk with your mama. Make sure she keeps you in line.”
“Kiss me every day, and I’ll behave.”
“Likely story.”
Miraculously, conversation continued to flow, and Tuck was no longer worried that he’d run out of clever things to say. Instead, he had to battle guilt while smiling and turning on the charm. He didn’t want to hurt Piper more, and he feared his silence would do exactly that. But he also didn’t want to distract her from the Mountain Laurel Stakes. Everything else could wait. He just hated that plan.
Regardless, by the time he walked her back to her room, Tuck felt assured that their date had gone off without a hitch, and that they were closer than ever before. He could only pray that would work in his favor when he revealed all.