My neighbor’s daughter is still home from college, so I called her up to stay with Jay and Abby tonight since I don’t know how late we’ll be. Fortunately, she was available.
I explained to both kids that Tyler and I are going to dinner—just as friends. Jay didn’t ask questions but I didn’t miss the way Abby’s eyes narrowed. I sent them with my debit card to have dinner at Jackson’s diner. The less people here when Tyler arrives, perhaps the less rattled my nerves will be.
Tyler didn’t say where we’re going and when I texted him asking, all I got was a response saying,it’s a surprise. Without knowing how nice the restaurant is he’s taking me to, I’ve opted for a casual floral dress and my knee-high leather boots. I slideon an arm of gold bracelets and spritz my perfume. Done. With a final glance in the mirror, I make way for the living room to wait.
No sooner have I stepped into the hall, a knock sounds, and my heart trips over itself. All of a sudden, I don’t know what to do with my hands, and I’m certain my armpits are damp. Flapping them quickly to get some air flow going, I open the door to a sinfully good looking Tyler standing on my porch.
When he sees me, his face fractures into a smile, instantly putting me at ease. He’s wearing the same thing he wore his first day here when I gave him my five-star review, white button-down and navy slacks. I chuckle to myself at how much has changed since that day.
Stepping into my house, Tyler produces a bouquet of forget-me-nots from behind his back. My breath catches in my lungs at the sweetness of this man. Without pausing to talk myself out of it, I wrap Tyler in a hug. It takes him by surprise, his arms needing a second to catch up to what’s happening. But when his strong arms wrap around me, it feels right.
I break the hug and go to my kitchen to fill a mason jar with water for my new flowers, returning a few seconds later ready to go. Tyler still stands where I left him, and I grab my purse, allowing him to lead the way outside.
Throughout the drive, we chat about anything and everything. We take turns telling the other about our current read; mine is an angsty rock star romance with tons of spice, in which I go into embarrassingly graphic detail to see if Tyler’s cheeks will turn pink. But the man is completely unflappable. He just smiles, keeping his eyes on the road.
I find myself enjoying our endless stream of conversation so much that I don’t pay attention to where we are until the neon light of a bright red chili pepper comes into view and he’s turning into a familiar parking lot two towns over.
“You brought me to Chili’s?” I blink at him, incredulous.
Tyler’s eyes cut to mine and he flashes me a grin. “Penny said the way to your heart is through Chili’s.”
Reason number one million why Penny is my best friend. She knew exactly what I’d want from a date. I like nice things, but I’d rather have a regular meal at a mid-priced chain restaurant any day.
“Well, a triple dipper can cure a multitude of sorrows, Tyler. A bad day? Triple dipper. You made the decision to cut your own bangs? Triple dipper. Didn’t you know this?”
“Is that so? The triple dipper does all that?”
I nod sagely, putting on my most serious face, and Tyler rumbles out a low laugh.
“Hear me out… If that’s not enough, where else can you get a drink, an appetizer, and an entree for $10.99? A good bargain turns me on.”
Tyler shakes his head, a look of something akin to fascination on his handsome face. “You’re something else, Jo.”
Tyler and I cross the parking lot, and he opens the door for me on our way in. I can practically taste the chips and salsa and my stomach responds with a rude rumble. The waitress leads us to a corner booth and we take our seats across from each other, ordering some chips and salsa and our drinks. When Tyler orders a beer, I decide I may as well have alcohol, too, so I order a margarita on the rocks.
While we wait on our drinks, we pick up the previous thread of easy conversation. We discuss the upcoming New Year’s ball, Jay’s ball team, and I fill him in on local town gossip. Apparently, little fairy doors are popping up all over town, and nobody knows who’s doing it. Our drinks arrive minutes later, and the waitress takes our order.
When she’s gone, I take a healthy sip of my margarita. “Oh my gosh,” I sputter, blinking rapidly. “The bartender was heavy-handed with the tequila in this one.”
Tyler takes a sip and his eyes go wide. “Wow. If you finish that I might have to carry you out of here.”
“You say that like I’d mind.” Then I take a long deliberate sip right where his lips were, just to tease him.
“Is that so?” Tyler’s voice is low and amused, one brow cocked. He picks up his mug of beer, watching me over the rim like I’m the most interesting person in the room. With his gaze firmly affixed to mine, I’m fairly convinced that, to him, I actually am.
The tequila settles warm in my belly. It really is strong, and I haven’t eaten much today, so I follow it with a gulp of water. Thankfully, the waitress arrives with our chips and my greedy hands dive in.
Sifting through the basket, I find the chips with the perfect curl for scooping as much salsa as it’ll hold, but I freeze when Tyler grabs a chip, bypassing the bowl of salsa completely before shoving the chip in his mouth.
I blink up at him. “You just raw dogging that chip? No salsa?”
Tyler barks out a startled laugh. “You can’t say things like that when I’m mid-bite.”
I hand him a chip loaded with the perfect ratio of salsa to chip. “Here. Eat this, you psychopath.”
Tyler laughs at my demands but he takes the proffered chip from my hand, leaving me to resume my search for the perfect one for scooping. Apparently I need them to occupy my mouth because it has a mind of its own tonight. I keep on blurting out every thought that pops into my head. Tyler and I fall silent, devouring half the basket before we know it. A bubbly feeling is humming right under my skin, and I recognize it as lightness. A night of adult conversation in my favorite restaurant is exactly what I needed.
“What’s that smile for?” Tyler asks, and I realize my lips are tipped into a contented smile.
