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I nodded. I thought she looked beautiful as always. Her hair was up in a ponytail, her eyes were bright, and her freckles were starting to appear across her nose. “Perfect.”
“You just don’t want me to run off and take another twenty minutes.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” I chuckled. “Come on, you can put some make up on while we drive if you want.”
“Such the typical guy. Do you know how much it hurts to be hit in the eye with a mascara wand?”
“No, kinda grateful I’ve managed to avoid that so far.” I held my hand out. “C’mon, you look great.”
“Okay…” She took my hand and stood up. “But you’re buying the first round.”
“And the second,” I said with a chuckle as we headed for the door.
***
Abbie had wanted to go for a drive before we headed to the restaurant, so we’d taken about an hour and just driven around, back towards the airport and farther out, taking in the beautiful coastline scenery and what seemed like the constant breeze with all the windows open. She played with the radio, switching to different stations, but staying fairly silent. I figured she was just tired from the sun and the travel. Even I felt more tired today than I had yesterday.
Finally, I headed back into Willemstad and followed the directions to the restaurant. We found a parking spot fairly close and headed in. It was larger than it had looked online, and we went straight to the bar, taking two spots near the end. The place was starting to become more crowded a few minutes after we arrived, some people already spilling out onto the patio outside.
I wouldn’t mind going out there either once we had our drinks. It was turning into a beautiful night out from what I could. Stars and sky, and apparently, the fireworks would begin soon—an amazing sight, we were told by a couple near us who’d already been there for a few days already, taking in the sights. They raved about the tree and gave Abbie directions that she put into her phone for later.
I couldn’t wait. I’d always loved fireworks. So did Abbie, even though she always said she couldn’t photograph them worth a damn half the time.
The female bartender finally approached us with an easy smile, setting two napkins with the bar logo on top in front of us with a flourish.
“I’ll have a beer, whatever’s handy…and…” I leaned towards Abbie. “She wants to try something new.”
She nodded. “Something other than wine.”
She glanced at me with a grin.
The bartender’s smile grew. “Okay, no wine. Have you ever had a Blue Lagoon?”
“Never.”
“Then let me make you one.”
I watched her get to work, pouring some vodka into a shaker and then grabbing a blue bottle.
“Blue Curaçao, a little sweet, but amazing...” She added some in, then put the top on the shaker and began to shake it in time to the music overhead. In a few moments, she stopped and put out a glass. She poured it in then added a wedge of lime to the corner of the glass before sliding it to Abbie, who took a test sip.
“Amazing.” She held it out to me.
I took a sip and nodded my agreement. “Really good.”
“Glad you like it. Now you’ll know what to order while you’re here.”
I paid our tab, and we picked our drinks up, heading outside. We found a small table off to the back and claimed it. I slipped into my seat and looked skyward. I thought I’d heard the first loud boom of the fireworks as we’d stepped outside, and I wasn’t wrong. In moments, above our heads, a beautiful display was starting.
“Almost makes you wish you’d brought your camera,” I teased.
“Ha. I still have my phone.”
Abbie leaned back in her chair, her head up, the smile on her face making me smile. She looked so happy, so content. Her eyes lit up as the fireworks grew above us, the multicolor lighting up the night sky. I glanced up, catching a few large bursts, but my eyes were drawn back to the woman in front of me.
She sipped her drink and glanced at me. “Thank you…”
“For what?” I took another drink of my beer.
