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She and Connor waited in the car while Nate ran inside the bank for a few minutes. This was definitely his shortest trip to the institution, and he came out a few minutes later with an envelope he tucked into his backpack.
At the Chinese restaurant, he insisted on sitting beside her instead of across from her, and as Connor colored all over the animals that comprised the Chinese New Year, Nate slipped his hand into Ginger’s and leaned real close to her. “Happy birthday,” he said. “What would you wish for?”
She liked the intimacy between them, and how dim the inside of the restaurant was even in the middle of the summer. “That’s a hard question.”
“Is it?”
“What would you wish for?”
“Oh, let’s see. Cooler summers, for one.” He grinned at her, and Ginger couldn’t contradict his wish. “The ability to sleep in every day. And world peace.”
Ginger giggled and nudged him with her shoulder. “That’s a good list.”
Nate chuckled and lifted his water glass to his mouth with his free hand. “Oh, that’s not good. That tastes like flowers.” He made a face and looked at her. “You like this place?”
“The lo mein is incredible,” she said. “And the shrimp fried rice. That’s what I’m getting.”
He looked down at the menu. “What do you want, bud?” he asked Connor.
“Sweet and sour chicken,” the little boy said as if he’d frequented many Chinese restaurants.
Surprise crossed Nate’s face, but he said, “All right,” and ordered the child what he wanted when the waiter came. Ginger loaded up on carbs, because it was her birthday and she could. Nate got teriyaki beef and pork fried rice, and she watched as he took his first bite.
“Good, right?” she said as his face lit up.
“Really good.”
“Now you know why I come here on my birthday every year.” She happily dug into her shrimp fried rice, more joy coursing through her than she’d felt in many long years.
“Do you always come with ‘good company’?” he asked.
“I usually come alone,” she said. “At least since….” She trailed off, not sure how to bring up Hyrum. But she felt like it was time. Nate had been at the ranch for over two months now. Ten weeks, maybe. They’d been kissing for a while.
He didn’t press her to finish her sentence, and she twirled her chopsticks through her noodles, focusing on the bean sprouts and green onions as she said, “I used to be with a guy named Hyrum. We came together once.”
“Was he the last guy you’ve been out with?” Nate asked.
Ginger nodded and scooped up her noodles. “What about you? Pen pal girlfriend from prison?”
Nate chuckled and shook his head. “Nope. Not much of a love life before prison either. I was pretty focused on my career.”
“Oh, come on,” she said. “You expect me to believe that? A handsome guy like you didn’t have a girlfriend?”
“It’s true,” he said. “Though, I mean…yeah, I can tell you.” He put his fork down and glanced at Connor. “The last woman I dated—her name was Brittany. She’s the one who introduced me to the guys who got us all entwined in the fraud. So…yeah, I’m not really that lucky in the girlfriend department.”
Ginger nodded, trying to sort through which question to ask. The fraud? The girlfriend? “So…what are we?” she asked, going with girlfriend. “If you saw someone you knew, for example, right outside those doors.” She pointed with her chopsticks. “How would you introduce me?”
Nate reached for his fork again, his head bent. “Well, I guess I’d say you were my boss.”
“Oh, that’s the wrong answer,” Ginger said as his words dove deep into her heart and gouged out a hole. But by making her tone flirty and adding a plastic smile to her face, maybe she wouldn’t spiral into self-loathing.
“In that case,” he said. “I’d say you were my girlfriend.”
“Yeah, because it’s kind of icky to be kissing your boss, right?” she asked.
“Is it icky to kiss your boss?” he asked, throwing her a flirty smile too. “Oops. Done that.”
A beat of silence passed, and Ginger burst out laughing. “See?” she asked when she’d sobered up enough to talk. “You have had other girlfriends.”
