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“It is excellent. Is that what you want, too?”
Mere hadn’t even looked at the menu, using it as a shield against Anders’s scrutiny.
“Yes, please.” She handed the menu over like a woman in a trance.
“And two glasses of chardonnay, please,” Anders said.
“Of course.”
The server left, taking whatever armor she had against the beautiful man in front of her.
6
LITTLE MISS AWKWARD
Say something. Say anything. Stop looking like little miss awkward.
But Mere couldn’t. Every time she tried to speak, the words left her head like dandelion fluff on a windy day. It seemed she was going for some record as the worst first date. Maybe it would make a good anecdote someday. Maybe she could post it to the awkward first date sub-Reddit.
“This is where you grew up?” Anders broke the silence when it stretched to an uncomfortable level.
She nodded, and he waited, his entire body still and calm with no evidence of impatience. She sipped her water and suddenly the words came.
“Yep. I was even Homecoming Queen my junior year.”
“That’s not only in movies and TV?”
Mere reminded herself of his accent. If he grew up outside the US, he might have no idea what a homecoming was.
“It’s real. It was a big deal at the time, but now, it’s a fun memory.”
“Ah, so did you get a crown, like Miss America?”
“Yes, and my mom still has it in a box somewhere.” She met his gaze, worried he’d think it vain and trivial, but the corners of his lips ticked up and only curiosity filled his expression. Mere let the tension go and tore the bandage off. “I was born in the town hospital when we had one. My mom is a social worker for the county and my dad taught for years and is now the high school principal. We’re a small family. My mom was raised by her aunt, Nadine, and my dad’s folks died a year or two after he graduated from college. His older brother lives on the East Coast, and we only see him every couple of years.”
“Your Aunt Nadine lives here. You cook for her.”
How did he—? Oh, yeah, last night. “She lives in one half of a duplex, I live in the other. I try to cook for her once or twice a week. She doesn’t need much help, but it’s nice to cook for someone else. How about you? You said your grandmother mentioned Leonard Reed.”
A coolness washed over him, and a mask dropped into place. This disinterested front was scarier than whatever hunger had greeted her earlier.
“I believe he was her uncle. I only know someone from my family lived here in Strawberry Creek. When I looked for a place to settle, I decided this would be nice.”
“It’s a little out of the way.”
A strange look, halfway between wry amusement and anger, flitted over his face.
“I prefer being out of the way.”
“My aunt says you moved into the old Reed place.” She took a sip of her water.
“That is the only thing I do not appreciate about being out of the way. News travels fast in a small place.”
Mere snorted in agreement. “Yeah, my parents will find out about our date before I call them tonight.”
“Is that a bad thing?” From the way he leaned forward and the intensity of his gaze, he was honestly curious.
“No, it’s just how it is. They worry about me and will be disappointed I didn’t tell them beforehand.”
