“Jesus,” he said, taking a sip of wine. “I’d have to get in an hour early to light all the candles. Flipping a switch is a hell of a lot easier.”
“True.”
We ate. Drank. Talked quietly about our day since meeting up for ice cream.
“Why didn’t you tell me what was wrong?” I asked, the question having been on my mind all day. “I was worried.”
“Sorry about that. I just… didn’t want to burden you with the bar. Figured you’d come with me.”
“It’s never a burden. Being with you is… easy.”
“Easy?”
“Uh huh.”
“Is that it?”
“Fishing for compliments again?”
He winked. “Always.”
“Enjoyable.”
“That’s better.”
“There’s more, but I don’t think your head will fit through the door when we leave, so I’ll stop there.”
“Which head?” he teased, making me laugh.
“You’re not that big,” I managed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“How do you know?”
I didn’t. But I wanted to. My thoughts on Beck might have been a jumbled mess lately, but that much was clear.
“I’m pleading the fifth.”
His eyes widened. “Mae O’Malley. Did you cop a peek the night we went skinny dipping?”
How could I have forgotten that? A lakeside beer party took a turn the summer between junior and senior year in college.
“Absolutely not. Did you?”
“Hell yeah. Are you kidding me? One hundred percent.”
He really was nuts.
But he’s my nut.
The thought popped into my head before I could stop it.
“You said this was a perfect place to talk,” I ventured. “Was there something specifically you were hoping to talk about?”
Despite the fact that my heart began to race as I asked the question, it was a necessary one.
“Yes,” he said, matter-of-factly. “But first, in case things go sideways, there’s something I need to do.” Pulling out his phone, he changed the song as the first chords of “Tennessee Whiskey” began to play.
Without warning, he pushed back his seat and held his hand out to me. I took it, standing. Beck led me to the dance floor, a small area we cleared out on weekends, and pulled me into his arms.
