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“I just said it wasn’t because of that.”
“You said it didn’t help.”
Will stared out over the pond, the moon casting a silver line across the surface of the water. “Remember I told you about the pre-diabetes?”
“Yes,” she said, really drawing the word out.
Gladness moved through him, because her Texas drawl gave him another few beats to think. “I started working out pretty hardcore when that came down the line,” he said. “I cut out all sugars. I lifted weights religiously. I hurt my back doing that.” He supposed there could be worse ways to injure himself, including weeding her father’s strawberry patch.
“Oh.” Gretchen took an audible breath through the line. “Does it bother you a lot?”
“Not a lot,” he said, hesitant to say much more about what yesterday had cost him. Daddy hadn’t been happy at all by the time Will returned to the farm. He’d worked until nearly ten p.m., and he’d gotten the early morning shifts for the next ten days straight. He wouldn’t be mentioning any of that to Gretchen.
He was forty years old, and a punishment for leaving the farm without asking or telling anyone where he was going—for almost four hours—made him feel like a fifteen-year-old who’d snuck off to see the girl he liked.
Of course, that was exactly what Will had done, so he’d taken his tongue-lashing and awful schedule like a man.
“How long ago did you hurt it?” she asked.
“Couple of years,” he said.
“So you haven’t had dessert for a couple of years?” she asked, a hint of horror in her voice.
Will smiled into the night around him. “Not a lot, ma’am.”
“I wish you wouldn’t call me ma’am,” she said. “It makes me feel old.”
“Sorry,” he said quickly. “My mama taught me to be respectful.”
“Mm.”
The conversation seemed over, but Will didn’t want to let her go yet. “I’ve told you about a couple of things now,” he said. “What about you? Health conditions I need to be aware of? Dietary restrictions for dinner? Food allergies?”
Gretchen giggled, and Will knew in that moment he wouldn’t be canceling their date. “I don’t like shellfish,” she said. “Everything else is fair game.”
“I’m assuming we need somewhere with amazing dessert,” he said.
“That’s a given,” Gretchen said. “Before I moved here, I worked in a fancy restaurant in a big hotel in Dallas. I made the most amazing chocolate pear tarts.”
“Wow,” Will said with a chuckle. “Maybe we should skip going out and just eat desserts at your house.”
“Mm, that’s not how to get a woman to go out with you twice, Will,” she said, her voice carrying plenty of teasing. “Make them cook for you on the first date? That’s a guaranteed way not to get a second date.”
“Noted,” he said, and they laughed together. The natural low that came after the high slid into place, and he asked, “What’s your week like next week?” He honestly had no idea what his week held. Sometimes things could change minute to minute on the farm, but Travis had managed to see Shay on a steady basis. Properly motivated, Will could find a way.
“I have to go help my dad on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday,” she said, her voice getting a bit quieter. “He’s got a few medical things I assist with. I usually go after work, sometimes in the afternoon. Tuesday is an easy thing, and I could be back in Sweet Water Falls for dinner.”
“I could meet you up in Short Tail,” he offered. “Or we could go out to Sugar Hill. They have a fantastic little barbecue place out there.”
“Yes,” she said, but she didn’t sound excited about barbecue. Will could eat it for every meal, but he kept his mouth shut. “I live out in the country about halfway between my shop and Short Tail,” she said. “Are you wanting to come pick me up or meet me somewhere?”
“Pick you up,” he said instantly. “My mama would fillet me into bite-sized chunks and serve me raw if I let you meet me somewhere.” He grinned as he said it, though a human sushi bar was actually a really disgusting thought.
Gretchen laughed again, and when she sobered, she said, “Will, you should do what you want. Despite what your mama thinks.”
“I do,” he said, feeling somewhat defensive. “I want to come pick you up.”
“Then there’s this great place near my house,” she said. “A friend of mine owns it, and their menu changes every night.”
