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“You okay?”
He nods, rubbing at his leg. “Yeah, the cold makes the pain flare up a bit, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Is it going to stay like that forever?”
“I’m not sure. Hopefully not, but I guess a little bit of pain is better than being six feet in the ground.”
I lean back into the leather seat as he backs out of the drive and heads away from the ranch, my nerves taking over inside of me. He leans over, turning the volume up on the radio, and hums along to the country song playing. When the song is over another one starts immediately and I close my eyes as Brent continues to hum, the sound soothing the nerves wracking through my body.
When I open my eyes, he turns onto the highway and I lean up a little trying to figure out where we are going. There’s no way he’d go into the city, right? It’s a three-hour drive. This is why I try to steer clear of surprises, so things like this don't happen. He could figure everything out and whatever this is will be ruined.
There’s an exit for a city I’ve never heard of and he turns onto it, causing me to let out a breath of relief. He chuckles and places a hand gently on my leg. “What, worried I’m going to take you somewhere no one can hear you?”
Or that you’ll take me somewhere everyone knows me — mostly everyone, at least. I let out a nervous chuckle, then turn my attention toward the window as he makes a right turn into a city. My body sags into the seat as he pulls into a packed parking lot and cuts the engine.
This isn’t so bad.
Chapter 15
Brent
My breath hisses at the pain in my leg as I step out of my car, and I take a deep breath before walking around the truck. I was trying my hardest to keep my attention on the road rather than on the way Sydney looks in that dress throughout the drive. The moment I open her door and she steps down, however, my eyes lock onto the curves I was missing out on.
“This place looks nice,” she says as her eyes survey the building we’re standing in front of. “What made you pick it?”
I shrug. “You said you wanted to do something warmer, so that’s what I did. They have fire pits located outside and I’ve heard good things about the food here, so I thought it would be a good place to start.”
She smirks. “Oh, you think you’ll be getting another one out of me already? What if I don’t like the way you eat?”
“I’m hopeful.”
And that’s the truth. I’m hoping this night goes exactly the way I want it to and she sees that I’m not the guy I first showed her. I made the mistake of treating her poorly in the beginning, but that’s not who I am and she deserves to see that. Like Nathan said, Renee would want me to be happy, and I’m going to prove that I can be.
A young woman is standing behind a counter when we walk inside and I give her a polite smile. “Hi, I should have a reservation under Dudley.” While she looks for the reservation, Sydney moves closer to my side and I wrap an arm around her waist.
“Ah, yes, right this way, Mr. Dudley,” the woman says as she starts walking ahead of us, leading us to our table. She smiles politely at each table we pass where people are sitting, then pushes through the back door that leads to the patio where the fire pits are. “Here you go. Can I start the two of you off with some wine?”
I look over at Sydney, then back at her, and smile. “That would be nice, thank you. Bring us your best.”
“Of course. Would you like glasses or a bottle?”
“Bottle is fine, ma’am.”
When she walks away, I move over to an empty chair and pull it out for Sydney with a smile. “For you.” Once she’s seated, I push the chair in and walk around to the other side of the fire pit.
I’ve never been here before, but I have to admit it’s a little more romantic than I thought it would be. Does Sydney think I’m trying too hard? There’s a switch on the side of the table and I flip it, watching in fascination as the flames appear in the center of the table.
“This is nice, thank you,” Sydney says softly as she brings her hands close to the flames. “Did you ever bring Renee somewhere like this?”
I shake my head. “She was more into art and history. But, I don’t want to talk about her tonight. As much as I love doing so, this is a date, and I’d rather we get to know each other better.”
“That sounds good to me.”
“Are you close with any of your family?”
She scoffs. “You aren’t holding back, are you? To answer your question, not really. My parents live a few states away. I never really get to see them.”
“They don’t come visit with you?”
