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“Yeah, well,” I took another sip, “it turns out bourbon is a pretty good cure for nerves.”
Rose leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “Wait, were you nervous?”
I hesitated for half a second too long.
Her grin was immediate. “Wells Calloway. You were nervous about dinner.”
I shook my head, but my smirk gave me away. “I was not nervous.”
She tilted her head, eyes gleaming with amusement. “Mm-hmm. Sure.”
There was a beat of silence between us.
Rose rested her elbow on the table, leaning in slightly. “Okay, tell me something embarrassing about yourself.”
I nearly choked on my drink. “That’s the first thing you ask me?”
“Well, I figure since we’re having fun tonight, we should set the mood with some humility. And I already know you fell off a horse as a kid, so that one doesn’t count.”
I groaned. “Charlie told you that, didn’t he?”
“He sure did.”
I dragged a hand down my face. “When I was ten, I tried to impress a girl at the county fair by winning her a stuffed bear at the ring toss.”
Rose’s lips twitched and her eyes lit up. “And?”
“And I got so frustrated missing every single shot that I flung the last ring in pure rage and accidentally smacked the guy running the game in the face.”
She burst out laughing, nearly knocking over her drink. “You assaulted the ring toss guy?”
“It was an accident! But I panicked and ran, which probably made me look guilty.”
Rose shook her head, wiping at her eyes. “That poor man. I hope he got hazard pay.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they put up a picture of me behind the counter with a ‘Do Not Serve’ sign.”
Her laughter softened into a grin, and she took another sip of bourbon. “Okay, that was a good one. I’ll give you that.”
I leaned forward, resting my arms on the table. “Your turn. Most embarrassing moment.”
She hummed, tapping a finger against her glass. “Alright, when I was in high school, I had the biggest crush on this guy in my math class. One day, I worked up the nerve to talk to him. I was going for casual and charming, but when I walked over, I tripped on absolutely nothing, face-planted in front of him, and—this is the worst part—he thought I passed out and called the nurse.”
I let out a sharp laugh. “No way.”
“Oh, it gets better. The nurse insisted on calling my parents, and when my dad showed up, instead of being concerned, he asked if I was just that clumsy.”
I was laughing so hard I had to set my drink down. “Damn. That’s tough.”
She sighed dramatically. “Yeah. Safe to say, I never shot my chance again. I even tried to get my parents to transfer me to a different high school.”
I tried to compose myself. “I guess that didn’t pan out.”
“Not at all.”
Our food arrived, saving her from further interrogation, and I watched as she took her first bite of shrimp and grits. Her eyes widened, and she chewed slowly before swallowing.
“Well?” I asked.
