AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Easier said than done.
* * *
Half an hour later, I’ve taken a second shower to scrub off the hike, thrown my hair into a loose ponytail, and changed into some jean shorts and a loose cotton tank.
“You look beautiful.”
I roll my eyes but have to fight to hide my smile as I climb into the cab of Boyd’s truck.
“I’m serious,” he insists, passing over the phone he ran home to grab for me, then pulling away once I’ve buckled my seatbelt. “When I saw you in the terminal at the airport, you looked like this—fresh, clean, sweet.”
Snorting, I glance over at where he sits, wearing a pair of cargo shorts and a black polo, looking like a delicious mix of city boy and mountain man.
“I’m not sweet.”
“That is such a lie.”
I cross my arms. “Okay, I’m sweet, but you don’t have to build up my ego. I don’t need lots of compliments.”
“Maybe you don’t”—Boyd looks over at me—“but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop giving them to you. And I’m not lying when I say you look beautiful.”
I’ve never been the person who fishes for compliments from a man, but damn if Boyd doesn’t make me want to keep poking around so he can say more in that sexy voice about how he sees me.
A few minutes later, we walk in the door to Dock 7, and I can immediately see the marked differences between this place and The Mitch.
While both are on the water and have outdoor spaces overlooking the lake, The Mitch has a decidedly rustic feel and looks like a dive that hasn’t been updated in a decade or two. Dock 7, on the other hand, is clean and contemporary with brick walls and massive windows, giving off a feel that’s much more in line with some of the hipster restaurants back in Boston.
“I thought this place was a tourist bar,” I say to Boyd as we’re seated at a table on the patio and handed menus.
He lifts a shoulder. “It is, but they also have food, including the best burgers in Cedar Point, and I am really in the mood for a blue cheese burger tonight.”
I grin, thinking that might sound pretty delicious to me as well.
The server brings out some waters and shares the specials, telling us to take our time.
“It’s weird. I always feel like I know everyone in this town, and then I come home and see how much things have changed,” Boyd says, his eyes looking around. “Last time I was here, I knew all the servers because they were all Busy’s friends from school. Now, I only recognize a few faces.”
“You ever think you’ll come back?” I ask. “Because you look like you really love it here.”
Boyd smiles at me. “I do love it, really, but Cedar Point isn’t for me anymore.” He pauses. “At least not right now. Maybe someday when I’m older and want to retire or something, but living the same Mitchell life as all my family isn’t for me.”
I tilt my head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“It’s hard growing up in a town where the road is named after your ancestors, you know?”
My eyebrows nearly fly off my face. “What?”
Boyd gets an amused expression. “The main road around the lake—it’s Mitchell Road.”
“Get out of town,” I say, my mouth open as I slap the table. “And take your damn self-named street to get there. Oh my gosh, that’s so cool!” Then something else clicks in my mind. “The Mitch? Is that named after you guys too?”
He smiles at how much fun I’m having with this then launches into a brief overview of how his great-great-grandparents were the original settlers in Cedar Point, and how the Mitchell family has been a big part of changes and expansions over the years.
“So you’re like, Cedar Point royalty. Tell me, did anyone ever call you King Boyd when you were in school?”
Boyd just chuckles. “No, but there is a week during tenth grade on local history, and when the entirety of that history is about your own family…well, it’s just as humiliating as it sounds.”
I burst into laughter, and Boyd shoots me a stare that’s supposed to convey exasperation but really just makes him look even cuter.
