Page 22 of Unburied

Vivi stared at her reflection in the fogged-up mirror of the bathroom, wondering just what she was doing. Going out with Tyler had seemed like a good idea at the time. Now she wasn’t so sure.

In the two weeks since she’d met Mason, she hadn’t come any closer to understanding him. Her thoughts turned back to their conversation two days ago. Did he really feel that way? Was he truly so cold and unfeeling? All of the evidence she’d seen so far said yes. He refused to kiss her, a fact that still rankled.

What kind of rule was that anyway? Everyone kissed. Grandmothers, friends—kissing was the standard greeting in multiple countries. Yet Mason wanted none of it because it was too intimate. God, the man was so infuriating.

She let out a sigh and wiped the remaining condensation from the glass, then began to dry her hair. Half-heartedly, she applied her makeup and styled her hair, then dressed. She’d just slipped on a pair of wedge sandals when the bell rang. Her stomach flipped, and the knots in her belly felt tighter than ever as she strode through the living room toward the front door.

Peeking through the side window, she made sure that it was Tyler before unlocking the door and swinging it open. “Hey.”

He greeted her with a wide smile. “Hey. You look nice.”

“Thanks.” She smiled, and he glanced over her shoulder into the living room. Before he could try to invite himself in, she took a small step forward. “Are you ready to go?”

“Sure.”

She closed and locked the door behind her, then followed Tyler to his car. He moved to the passenger side and held the door for her, and she shot him a smile. “Thank you.”

She couldn't remember the last time a man had opened or held the door for her. It was little things like that that showed the measure of a man. It wasn't that she couldn't do it herself, but it said a lot about the fact that he was willing to put her first. It was a promising start to the date, at least.

After closing up, he rounded the car and climbed inside. “Seafood or steak?”

She lifted one shoulder. “Either is fine with me.”

They made small talk on the way downtown, the conversation stilted and awkward. She felt antsy, and the more nervous she became, the more she rambled. Tyler seemed a little overwhelmed, not entirely sure how to respond, so she forced herself to keep her mouth closed for the remainder of the drive.

Once they were seated and the waiter had brought them a basket of bread, she looked around the restaurant. “This is nice. Have you been here before?”

He threw a sheepish glance her way. “Actually, no. I just moved here.”

“Really?” She folded her arms on the table and leaned forward. “How long ago?”

“Ah...” He picked up his glass and took a sip before regarding her. “A little over two weeks now.”

“Did you come here for work?”

He shook his head. “I'm originally from Colorado. Back home, I worked as a dispatcher for 911.”

“That's awesome.” She’d never really thought of the people on the other end of the line who took those phone calls. “That must've been stressful.”

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “Occasionally, we got some really funny calls too.”

She grinned. “I can only imagine.”

For the next thirty minutes, he regaled her with stories.

“So what brought you to Florida?” she asked.

His gaze dropped to the table. “I needed a change. I reached a point in my life where I had more questions than answers, and I thought a change of environment would help me figure things out.”

She nodded a little. “I can understand that. I actually went to school up in Massachusetts. When I left, I had no intention of ever coming back. I always had these dreams of working for the FBI or creating a computer program that would make lives easier. But... here I am.”

He tipped his head in question. “Why did you come back?”

“Family,” she said simply. “They needed me, so I came. I haven't given up on my dreams, I just… put them on hold for a while.”

“When did you move back?”

“Actually,” she said, “I've only been back for a couple of weeks too. The spring semester ended, and my brother came up to help me move down. It’s been… hectic.” She didn’t want to get into all the details with Ellen just yet, so she closed her mouth.