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“Yep. That’s why, selfishly, I always schedule myself to work those weekends,” she states with a chuckle.
“That’s not selfish. You could use the tips, and I’m willing to bet some of the staff would rather have it off to enjoy the holiday weekend anyway, right?”
She nods. “Actually, yes. Some of the younger evening servers request it off for whatever reason, so there are plenty of hours left for those who want to work it.”
We chat about her work, mine, and Brody, and before I know it, our plates are clean and we’re both stuffed. “I’m going to have to give Kam one hell of a tip. That was delicious,” I state, tossing my napkin on the table.
“It really was. I can’t believe I’ve never had that before,” she says, scooting back from the table and starting to collect dishes.
“Leave them,” I insist, standing up and moving toward her. “They’ll wait until tomorrow. Grab your glass.”
She picks up her stemmed glass. “It wouldn’t take that long to wash them now,” she informs me. “Fifteen minutes, and everything would be done and clean.”
Reaching for her hand, I slide my fingers around hers, reveling in the feel of her soft skin against my rougher hand. “Yes, but this is a date, and there will be no dishwashing this evening. I will happily take care of them in the morning, El. Now, come on. We have the next phase of our date night to get to.”
“You’re smiling,” she says, keeping her hand tucked inside mine and walking with me toward the fridge.
“Do you mind if I switch to beer?” I ask, pausing at the fridge.
“Of course I don’t mind. I’m surprised you drank that wine, honestly. You’re not much of a wine drinker.”
I shrug and pull a bottle of my favorite beer from the refrigerator. I’ll have just one tonight, making sure I’m good to drive her home at the end of our evening. “I thought I’d try it. Kameron said it would go well with the meal, so I gave it a shot.”
“And did it?” she asks, stepping through the back entrance when I open the door.
“It wasn’t bad at all. He didn’t turn me into a wine enthusiast, but I did enjoy it with dinner,” I say.
When we’re filing onto my back porch, I find myself holding my breath in anticipation of her reaction to the change. Logan and I put a lot of late-night work into finishing this space, something I’ve wanted to do for a while but needed the right push.
“Oh my goodness, what did you do?” she asks, still holding my hand as she slowly turns to take it all in.
“I just finished it, El. You know I’ve thought about doing this for a while now. I guess I just needed the right inspiration,” I tell her, bringing her hand to my mouth and kissing her on the knuckles.
A light blush stains her perfect skin as she smiles up at me. “It’s amazing. I really like it.”
Getting less sleep a few nights this week was worth seeing this look on her face, watching the delight reflect in her green eyes. I realize I’d do it all again with no sleep at all if it makes her smile like that all over again.
What does that mean?
I’m pretty sure I already know, but now isn’t the time to get into the nitty gritty of my feelings. Now, I get to execute the rest of our evening together, and a wave of exhilaration courses through my veins.
“Good. Now, let’s get to the second half of our date.”
Chapter Fifteen
Ellie
I cannot believe he did this.
His back porch is completely transformed into a cute little space, great for entertaining. But not just hosting a group, it’s cozy and intimate, and so very perfect for date night. There are twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling like a million bright stars in the sky. The double lounger I talked him into purchasing is sitting prominently in the space, facing a big television on the wall, which I’m pretty sure is the one from his living room, now that I think about it. There are flowers and battery-operated candles positioned on the tables and on the floor. But the element that’s the biggest surprise is the fact the porch is now enclosed, screened in to keep the bugs out.
He couldn’t have done that just for me, right?
Tears fill my eyes as I take in the space he’s transformed into an outside oasis. “This is so beautiful. How did you do all of this in a few days?” It wasn’t like this Sunday when Brody and I were here for dinner.
TD sets his beer down on the table. “Logan and I’ve been talking for a while now, and I told him Sunday night I wanted to make it happen. We had it enclosed by Thursday, and Hallie came over and helped me with a few of the other details, like the shades and those plants in the corners. Apparently, they don’t take much water, which is good because, I’m sure I’ll forget to water them,” he says, running his left hand through his hair and down the back of his neck, like he does from time to time when he’s nervous.
“They’re called succulents, and they don’t take very much water,” I tell him. “I’ll help you water them.”
