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Ritz chuckled. “Couldn’t pass up the opportunity to come out here and give you shit.” He gestured toward the table. “What did you order?”
“Nothing yet.”
He shifted his attention back to me. “What’s your favorite food?”
“Umm…” I hesitated but then decided to be honest. “Pasta. I’ll eat anything that includes pasta.”
Ritz snickered. “Then pasta it is. I’ll tell your server you won’t need to order, and I’ll take care of you.”
After Ritz left, Tank stood and moved his chair so he once again sat across from me. “Why did you hesitate?”
I laid my hands in my lap. “Pasta is another food I’ve avoided most of my life. I only eat it occasionally.”
“Even though it’s your favorite?”
I shrugged and looked around the restaurant, needing to change the subject. I knew he couldn’t understand why I would deny myself something that gave me pleasure, and I didn’t know how to explain it.
“This place is beautiful. Seems like a hidden gem.” When he only continued to watch me, I rattled on. “What’s your favorite thing to eat here?”
He shook his head slowly. “I’ve never been here before.”
“Why not?”
“Not really my kind of place. Plus, I work a lot, so I don’t have a lot of extra time. Anything Ritz makes here, he makes at the clubhouse.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever asked you what you do for work.”
“I’m a mechanic.”
Again, he studied me closely after he answered, so I continued. “Did you go to school for that?”
“Learned in the Army. Got out, joined the club, and Bear taught me what I hadn’t already learned.”
“Do you like it?”
He nodded. “I love it.”
I frowned. “How did you know that’s what you wanted to do?”
The server appeared next to our table and put a glass of water in front of us both.
“Thank you.” I smiled.
She returned my smile. “You’re welcome. Can I get you anything else?”
“Nothing for me, thank you.”
Tank shook his head and thanked her before she moved away from the table. His eyes settled on me again. “I didn’t know I wanted to be a mechanic. I just learned it was something I had a knack for, and the more I learned, the more I liked it.”
Twisting my hands in my lap, I glanced around before meeting his stare again. “I’m not sure I’m naturally good at anything.”
“Everybody’s good at something.”
I considered that. “Maybe.” He opened his mouth to say something, but I didn’t want to discuss it anymore. It was embarrassing to admit that at thirty years old, I still didn’t feel like I was good at anything. I didn’t know any more about myself now than I did when I was twenty. “You said this isn’t really your kind of place, so why did you suggest here?”
“Knew the food would be good,” he admitted.
I liked that he didn’t say he thought it would be a place I’d like. In my social circle, this place would be a relaxed place for dinner, which was almost always my favorite kind. I hated anything fancier. Those places were less about being out and more about being seen. It was always who you were with and where you went that was important, and I liked that Tank didn’t choose this place for either of those reasons. He chose it because he trusts Ritz.
