"Do you think they'll be gay friendly?" Mitch wondered. It was probably a new thing for him to have to worry about that.
"The place is full of tourists most of the time, so they should be. If they aren't, they better keep a lid on that crap," Rico said.
"OK. I'll make reservations," Mitch said and got his phone out.
"Are you sure we need them?"
"I don't want to take any chances," Mitch said. He really was serious and that made Rico's heart feel full, almost painful. He wasn't sure he deserved to be taken seriously, but damn if it didn't feel scary good.
Chapter 32
With Sammy dropped off for a sleepover at Lara's, Mitch and Enrico were officially on their way to their first date. It was a strange feeling, new to Mitch. He had never dated seriously, only gone on lukewarm dates that might lead to a woman's bed but nowhere beyond that.
This was very different and not only because he was dating a man. This was Enrico, the one who made Mitch crazy, made him feel like he had never been alive before.
Even as they were driving on the familiar road that curved along the river's edge, this was unknown territory. Mitch had never cared this much. He never had to figure out what to do when he found someone he really wanted, how to keep him.
If only Mitch could have come to terms with how he really felt sooner, he would have been dating him already. Enrico didn't seem like the type to want to be wined and dined, but he deserved better than being his secret. It was a miracle Enrico didn't decide a conflicted handyman just wasn't worth the trouble.
When Mitch started to see pine trees growing along the riverbank, he knew they were close. The road pulled away from the river then veered back along a rise. The restaurant came into view and he was reminded of the night they went skinny dipping.
That night was so Enrico—beautiful, spur of the moment, fun. He made it look so easy, like there was nothing simpler than reaching in and grabbing hold of a man's heart, making it so he couldn't take one breath without thinking of him.
"OK. I admit it. I'm kind of nervous," Enrico said as Mitch pulled into the restaurant parking lot. "Reassure me. Tell me this is no big deal."
Mitch couldn't do that though. "Actually, this is a very big deal."
Enrico turned to give him a determined stare. "So we're having a deadly serious date. OK," he said and took a deep breath as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "I will bring my A game. I will slay you!" He got out of the car and shook himself out to get rid of some tension.
Maybe Mitch should have talked him down instead of getting him all pumped up, but he didn't want to be the only one who was nervous about tonight. It wasn't Enrico who needed to prove anything, it was him. For one, if he was Enrico's boyfriend, then he wanted to prove he could be a good one.
Going inside, they found dim lighting and thick wood beams on a high ceiling. The restaurant had a laid back, unpretentious vibe. Tables and chairs were heavy, wood pieces. The walls were decorated with interesting photos of the river seen through the pines, probably taken around there somewhere.
Right away Mitch felt at ease there and he looked over at Enrico to see if he liked it. He was smiling so he didn't disapprove.
He leaned over to tell Mitch, "This place is so you." Enrico then gave him a meaningful look and a smile. "That means I like it."
Mitch chuckled to himself and thought how much he liked Enrico, his energy, his smile, everything about him. As Mitch wondered how he could let him know that, the hostess greeted them, and he decided to figure it out later.
The place was busy so the hostess asked them to wait and pointed them toward the bar. Things were lively over by the bar but more subdued on the other side where people were doing more eating than drinking.
Mitch wasn't interested in staying inside. From the road, he had seen the deck in the back and he knew that was where he wanted to be with Enrico.
"We can wait out there," he said to Enrico.
He had arranged for a table on the deck, but for now he just wanted to have a look at the view. Outside the breeze was cool and smelled of pines. The sunset was giving everything a pink blush as birds sang in the treetops.
Standing at the railing to take in the view, Mitch noticed something he hadn't seen when he checked out this place from the road. The deck had two more levels lower down. Each one was smaller, and no one was seated at the two tables on the bottom level. He pointed it out to Enrico and he nodded.
"Can we have a table down there?" Mitch asked when their server arrived.
The waitress made a face, and Mitch realized she would have to carry their order down all those stairs.
"We can take our own orders down there," Enrico suggested.
"No. I'll do it," she said, ready to lead them to their table.
"You'll be earning a major tip," Enrico told her with a grin.
