“Oh, you know?.?.?. stuff like baseball, comic books, and cartoons. What about you? What types of things are you interested in?”
Gemma fidgeted. “Uh?.?.?.”
I only have one shot to make a decent first impression. Do I tell him the truth? What if he judges me by it?
Tim’s eyes darted to the right. “Gemma, if you’re not comfy sharing, it’s okay. There’s a ton of other stuff we can talk about.”
No. I made a promise that I’d go all in on this dating thing. I have to put myself out there and just be me.
Her cheeks seared with heat. “My guilty pleasure is watching reality dating shows,” she said in a squeaky voice. “I love all the drama.”
“That’s great.” He sat up taller. “Have you seenCupid’s Arrow?”
Relief flooded through Gemma. “Er, yeah. That’s my favorite show.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You seem surprised.”
“I am.”
“Normally it isn’t a show I’d gravitate to, but some of the other teachers at school talked me into watching a couple episodes. I tried to be open-minded about it and I’m glad I was. I enjoyed it. It wasn’t what I expected.”
She exhaled. “I thought you’d consider it a rubbish show and?.?.?.” She trailed off.
“Gemma, I’m not the type of guy who’d ever judge a person based on what they like or dislike. If you enjoy something, embrace it. Life’s too short to care or be worried about what others think. Look at me—I waste most of my weekends readingBatmancomics.”
Hearing Tim’s thoughts brought a rush of adrenaline through her body. Was he real? Had she actually found a guy who enjoyed the same telly programs as she did?
“What makes Batman your favorite superhero?”
“That’s easy, he’s a self-made hero. He doesn’t need any magical powers to save the world.”
Think. What else do I know about Batman? He drives a Batmobile, doesn’t he? And there is some villain called the Joker.
“Oh, he doesn’t have any powers? I’d assumed he did.”
Tim grinned. “Nope. Batman is just ultrarich. He hires other people to make his gear.”
“That’s a smart strategy. I suppose I’d do the same if I were a millionaire.”
Signaling, he turned left and started up the tall hill to Charlie’s cabin. “What else would you do if you had endless piles of money? Travel? Buy a mansion?”
“I’ve never actually thought about it. You’re really putting me on the spot here,” she teased.
“Sorry.”
“While I’m having a think about it, you tell me?.?.?. what would you do?”
Tim slowed the car around the windy road up the hill. “Probably buy my own baseball team and have a real-life Batmobile made up.”
“Oh, that’s a brilliant idea. It’s better than anything I could come up with.” Gemma sighed. “The truth is, I don’t know what I’d want. Touring with DOI, I’ve done enough traveling to last a lifetime. And I wouldn’t need a mansion either because most of the space would sit empty.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I guess I’d buy my mum and dad their dream home, pay off their debt, and save the rest?”
A few moments of quiet passed between them. The sound of the tires running over dry pine needles filled the silence.
“That’s the best answer I’ve ever heard. It tells me that family is more important to you than frivolous stuff like a baseball team.”
The car stopped in front of the dimly-lit cabin. Tim turned and gazed directly into Gemma’s eyes. “I wish the ride were longer. I don’t want our conversation to end. I felt like I was just starting to get to know you.”
Gemma shivered at hearing his words. She felt very much the same. There was so much she wanted to ask him. She wished she could just sit here and chat with him all night, unraveling the mystery of the man in front of her.
