‘Your carriage awaits, Cinderella.’ Griff swept into a playful bow.
‘You’re an extremely daft man at times.’
He grinned, reached to take hold of her hand and led her towards his ancient truck.
Memories of the first time they met flooded back. Her prickliness at the airport should’ve warned him off, but had no effect on his even-tempered, affable manner. Even then she’d sensed something in Griff that was far more of a threat to her steady, measured life than straightforward physical attraction.
‘So where are you taking me?’ She hopped into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.
‘Not far.’
‘That’s not very illuminating.’
Griff threw the truck in gear and gunned out of the drive. ‘You’ll find out soon.’
They took the narrow two-lane road towards Adamsville, the nearest community of any size, but instead of driving straight on through, Griff pulled into an angled parking spot in front of the only shop, a combination garage and grocery.
‘So dinner is a Coke and packet of crisps?’
‘Sure, if that’s what you want.’ He pointed at the strings of white fairy lights twinkling along the eaves of an old, single-story wood building with a pitched red roof. ‘They put them out to welcome you.’
‘Ha, ha, very funny.’ Lyndsey jumped out and watched a steady stream of people entering the shop while she waited for him to join her. It struck her as curious that the place was so popular on a Saturday evening, but presumably this Tennessee version of an English corner shop was open and busy at all hours.
Griff took her hand as they strolled across the road. He pointed to a chalkboard outside the door, announcing an open mic night. ‘If you’re looking for authentic music, it doesn’t get more real than this. There’s a small stage in the back, and on Saturday nights anyone can come and perform. You never know who you’ll hear. It might make your ears bleed, or you could hear the next Dolly Parton or Garth Brooks.’ He hooked his arm around her shoulder. ‘Are you brave enough to give it a try?’
The question might not have been a hundred percent about tonight’s entertainment option, but Lyndsey nodded all the same.
‘The music won’t start for another hour, but it soon gets filled up, that’s why so many folk are here already but we should get a table. Buddy Earl, the old guy who runs this place, is quite a character. The business was struggling when he took it over from his father, but people started moving out here from Nashville, particularly country music folk looking for a getaway, so the local population base for the core of his business increased. Deke is only one of the many celebrities who appreciate the fact they can live a regular life out here without being pestered by fans. Buddy came up with the idea of live music nights, long before another popular venue called Puckett’s and other similar places cottoned on to it. You could say the rest is history.’
He glanced at his watch, a heavy, expensive-looking silver one she guessed was a holdover from his old life. ‘We’ve got time to eat first. I don’t know about you, but I’m starved. I never got around to botherin’ with lunch.’
‘Neither did I, unless you count a piece of toast left over from breakfast.’ She gave him a rueful look. ‘My healthy diet is going to pot here.’
‘Doesn’t seem to be doin’ you any harm from what I can see.’ Griff’s laconic drawl sent a whoosh of heat rushing through her.
‘I tried to give Nora her bottle, but she threw a wobbly and yelled the house down. Then Theo and Becca got into an awful row, because she asked what he planned to do all summer after he gets out of school next week. He absolutely went off the deep end.’
‘He’s not signed up for any camps?’
Lyndsey heaved a sigh. ‘He’s refusing to. Deke offered him several that sounded awesome to me. All he sees is them trying to get rid of him.’
‘That’s too bad. Y’all will go stir crazy if he’s at a loose end for all that long time.’
‘He’s very into video games, but that’s about it.’
He opened the shop door and stood back to let her go first.
As they maneuvered their way through a narrow aisle between shelves of groceries, Griff slid one hand down to rest at the base of her spine, increasing her awareness of him a thousand times over. The pressure from his strong, warm fingers seeped through her clothes, making her skin tingle.
‘Wow, that is a surprise.’ The automatic reaction burst out of her as they entered a spacious room half-full of people.
‘Thought it might be.’
The room ran the full width of the building and history was etched into every inch. Underfoot, the time-bleached pine floor had been trodden into uneven dips by countless thousands of feet. Rusty old farming tools decorated the nicotine-stained walls and mellow electric lights converted from oil lanterns hung from the low rafters.
‘Let’s grab this one.’ Griff stopped at the first empty table.
‘What’s on the menu?’
