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“Well, that sounds like a great time,” Nate says, pulling me back to the present. “I used to love going to the pumpkin patch when I was a kid.”
“Me, too. It’s fun reliving childhood memories with Noah and seeing him enjoying the experiences as much as I did.”
Nate’s smile widens, and I can’t help but smile back and just admire how beautiful this man is.
“Well, I need to get goin’,” Todd says, throwing some money down on the bar. He stands, shoves his wallet into his back pocket, and looks at me. “Have a great weekend, Shawna. See you on Monday!”
“Will do, Todd,” I reply.
Then he turns to Nate and shakes his hand. “Take care, sir. Good luck with those ghosts.”
“Thanks, Todd. I hope to see you around.”
Todd gestures as if he’s tipping a hat to Nate, but he’s not wearing a hat. Then he heads toward the exit, limping along the way he always does.
Looking back at Nate, I suddenly realize I’ve never asked what I had wondered since the moment I saw him sitting here. “Where’s your other half today?”
Nate looks taken aback by my question. “My other half?”
“Rob, your partner,” I say. “Where’s he at?”
Realization seems to hit, and he chuckles. “Oh … I guess, in a way, he is my other half.” He cocks an eyebrow. “Wait, you don’t mean partner partner, do you? I mean, Rob and I aren’t a couple, if that’s what you meant.”
Erupting in laughter, I say, “No, no! I meant partner as in your work partner!”
Nate laughs with me. “Okay, just checking. Usually, when I hear people talking about other halves and partners, it’s meant in the relationship sort of way.”
Wait, maybe he and Rob aren’t a couple, but maybe Nate is gay? “Are you single then?” I blurt out without thinking. My cheeks burn, and I hope he doesn’t get the wrong idea.
Nate’s laughter fades away, but his smile remains. “I am single, actually. And I’m not gay if that was your next question.”
Unsure of what to say and not wanting to embarrass myself any further, I just nod and reply, “Good to know.”
“How about you? Are you single?”
The fact that this single, hot man who I can’t deny my attraction to wants to know if I’m single as well makes my heart pound a little faster. “Yes, I am.”
“Well, that’s good to know,” Nate says, his smile turning into an adorable smirk. “And to answer your question, Rob had work he needed to do, so he couldn’t join me for lunch today.”
I nod, then mindlessly begin wiping the already-clean bar with a rag as a nervous gesture. “I see. Well, I’m glad you decided to come here for lunch. It’s nice to see you again.”
“I had to. This is my new favorite restaurant.”
I set the rag down and look at him. Nate’s emerald-green eyes dance as we hold each other’s gaze for a moment. My cheeks have a perma-blush, and butterflies have taken flight in my stomach.
“Shawna!” Kayla, one of my waitresses, calls my name. “I have a question.”
Pulling my eyes away from the gorgeous man in front of me, giving me feelings I haven’t felt since I was seventeen, I turn to see Kayla approaching the bar.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I tell Nate.
* * *
The rest of my afternoon goes by in a blur after Nate leaves, and all I can think about is him. He ordered lunch and stayed for a couple more hours, and we talked almost the entire time. I learned a little about his life, and everything I discovered made me like him even more. He grew up in Ohio and has a younger sister, who still lives in the same town as his parents. He joined the Navy right out of high school, following his older cousin’s footsteps. Thanks to the Navy, he’s seen a lot of the world, but he’s only been stationed in Bremerton for about six months. He’s thirty-five, ten years older than me, but that doesn’t seem to matter. We like a lot of the same types of music and movies, and enjoy watching football and spending time by the water. He says that’s one thing he loves about both Port Townsend and Bremerton.
I also shared some things about my own life, of course. Nate seemed genuinely interested in everything I had to say. I even felt comfortable telling him how Noah’s father left shortly after he was born, and I haven’t seen or heard from him since. He was genuinely impressed that I’ve raised Noah all on my own, although I gave credit to my parents for helping me. I definitely couldn’t have done it all alone.
Before Nate left The Cellar, he flashed his sexy as sin smile and said, “Maybe I’ll see you around this weekend.” I hope he’s right.
