“I take it you’re not disappointed then,” he said, smiling.
“What?”
“Come on. I know you’re hungry.” He took her hand, leading her to the table and pulling out a folding chair for her.
“What is all this?” she asked, still in shock.
“It’s dinner. I thought you were hungry.”
“Dinner?”
“Yeah. Food. Well, actually, I think this might be considered breakfast.” Mason took off the aluminum foil from the plate the waffle truck had left for him and slid it to her. It was a plate of cinnamon waffles, bacon, and strawberries. They also left tiny containers of Nutella and maple syrup. He passed her a napkin and fork before unveiling his own plate with a similar spread. “Oh, and I also have…” He leaned down to retrieve the bottle from beneath the table. “Wine or, if you prefer, I also have water.”
She raised an eyebrow, removing her coat and beanie, her hair coming loose from the sloppy bun. Mason had plugged in a few heaters, so this area wasn’t frigid.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever had wine with breakfast before.” She slid the wine glass across the table, encouraging him to pour. She took a bite of her food. The relief hitting her taste buds must have been heaven because she closed her eyes, looking in absolute bliss.
“Good? Has to be way better than gnawing on my arm,” he replied, removing his own coat.
“Yes. Thank you. I’m sorry I almost mauled you.” She took a generous bite from a strawberry, those gorgeous full lips wrapping around the red fruit. It was mesmerizing.
He focused on his food. “If I had to get mauled by anyone, I’d hope it’s by you.”
She slid an amused glance at him, wiping Nutella from the corner of her lip.
“What?” He took a casual sip of wine.
“Why are you so nice to me?”
He almost choked on his drink. As much as he liked Natalie, the truth was he didn’t know much about her. She had a strong personality, but there had to be a reason for it. He didn’t like the idea that she had to be guarded against niceness and wondered if it was connected to why she sometimes felt unworthy of any attention. Mason set his glass on the table. “How do you expect me to treat you?”
She thought about it for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. “Your mom stopped by the truck today. She’s also nice. Probably where you get it from.”
Natalie was avoiding his original question, and he decided to ignore it for now. “And what do you get from your parents?”
“My love of eating. Do you ever plan on feeding me something besides waffles? Not that I don’t love this.”
“So you’ve already accepted that there’s going to be other meals? Good. And I thought you said there wasn’t anything better than waffle wraps. Unfortunately, my options here have been limited. It’s difficult to leave the farm for a food run when it’s busy, especially when I’m the one running things around here. So that leaves the waffle truck or the funnel cake truck. Or I can get something from your truck, but I didn’t know if serving you your own product would be considered tacky.”
She laughed. “Also, my truck has limited options and none of them are food.”
He studied her for a moment. “How do you feel about things like Shoestring hot dogs or picnics?” Shoestring was a hole-in-the-wall food shack that had been a Placerville staple. It would definitely qualify as a cheap date. It’s not that he was looking to test her, but his talk with his mother was a good reminder that he deserved someone who liked him for more than what he could offer financially. And maybe he wasn’t sure if his only appeal to her was being a provider of waffle wraps on days she was stuck on the farm.
She took another strawberry from her plate and ate it. “I like Shoestring. And this kind of feels like a picnic already so I guess that’s your answer right there.”
He couldn’t keep the smile from his lips. “Maybe we can go sometime after the season, eat something other than waffles for a change of pace. Although, I’m not opposed to feeding you waffles again, but at a more appropriate time…like breakfast.”
Her dark eyes glinted. “I’m certainly not showing up anywhere on my day off at the butt crack of dawn for breakfast, which means I’d have to already be with you. You really think you could keep me all night?”
“I wouldn’t mind trying.”
“Don’t think I’m going to spend the whole night snow tubing with you.”
“I’m sure we could come up with something more fun and a lot warmer.”
“More fun than snow tubing? Now you’re setting expectations.”
He pointed to her plate with his fork. “You doubted I could satisfy you earlier and now you’re eating your words. Out of the two of us, who’s earned the right to be cocky?”
