“Another huckleberry mule for you?” he asked. “And how are you doing on your beer? Can I bring you another pint?”
Figuring agreeing would be the quickest way to get him to leave, I nodded. “Sure.”
“I’ll be right back with your drinks.” He left, leaving me without the right words to get back to what I’d started to say before.
Rose slid a small bite of steak into her mouth. She looked stunning tonight in a dress that dipped low in the front and hugged her curves. She’d worn her hair up, and I had a hard time looking away from the spot where her pulse beat softly along her neck. Under the table my knee bumped hers. Neither of us moved. The contact felt like a live wire.
“You were right about this place. The steak really does melt in your mouth.” She cut another bite while I glowed under the compliment like I’d grilled her filet myself.
“I’m glad something’s going right tonight,” I said, trying to keep things light. Her smile landed like heat, anyway. I’d taken her into Silver Creek to get away from the prying eyes of everyone in Mustang Mountain. I wasn’t sure how much of the gossip had reached her since she rarely left the house, but I’d heard my fill at the fire station. The guys were teasing me about my ready-made little family. Even Ruby had said something this morning when she’d taken that picture of us on the couch. Seemed everyone assumed I’d go from single, to a single dad, to marrying my kid’s nanny.
I wanted to clear things up, even though I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss.
“So… about what I was saying earlier,” I started again.
“Another round of drinks. A huckleberry mule for the lady and a pint of our fall amber for you.” Our server had impeccable timing. In the absolute worst way.
He gathered our empty glasses and the barely touched plate of stuffed mushrooms. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
I gave up. The conversation could wait until we got home. I didn’t want to start and have to stop again. Losing her scared me more than keeping her, and admitting that out loud scared me most. We both deserved to enjoy our dinner without having to talk about the hard things. Instead, I made small talk about the barbecue cookoff that was starting the next day. Rose said she’d bring Callie, and I was looking forward to seeing how well my great-aunt’s recipe would do.
“How many competitors will be there?” she asked.
“Last year they had about forty show up. One guy even came from Asheville, North Carolina. I heard there are thirty-two signed up for now, but they’ll take entries all the way up until it starts.”
“With all that interest, I’m surprised there’s not a barbecue restaurant in Mustang Mountain.”
Since I’d started making my great-aunt’s recipes again, I’d had the same thought. I’d even looked into what it might cost to rent one of the old storefronts downtown and set up my own place. Just hadn’t told anyone about it. Tonight, with the candlelight casting everything in a cozy warm glow, I considered opening up to Rose.
“Your brisket’s good enough. I bet people would be willing to pay for it.” She took another sip of her drink.
I didn’t look at her as I said the words out loud for the very first time. “I’ve thought about it. It would be a lot of work to run my own place. I don’t know anything about operating a kitchen or how to manage a restaurant full of staff, though. And I definitely can’t do it alone,” I said. I wasn’t just talking about barbecue, but about a life that suddenly looked bigger than one man and a baby.
“But you know barbecue.” She smiled, making me want to forget the only thing that connected us was the fact I’d hired her to take care of Callie. “You can learn the rest. Trust me, I’ve worked in enough restaurants to know you could handle it.”
“When have you worked in restaurants?” I’d been curious about her background since we met, but she hadn’t volunteered any information.
“I used to bus tables at the diner where my mom worked. Before that, I’d sit at a booth in the back and do my homework while she flirted with all the customers.” Rose shrugged. The candlelight caught a few strands of hair that had worked free from her twist. I had a sudden urge to reach over and tuck them back behind her ear. “Before I got stuck in Mustang Mountain, I was managing a place on the water in Monterrey.”
“So you’re from California?”
She bit down on her lip like she’d just shared too much. “I spent some time there, yeah.”
“Maybe you can teach me everything I need to know,” I teased. What I wanted to ask was simpler and harder, like will you stay? Opening my own restaurant was just a dream. One that would have to wait even longer now that I had Callie to think about. There wasn’t enough time in the day as it was. I’d never be able to start my own business while holding down a job at the firehouse and taking care of her.
“You can probably hire someone for that.” She dabbed at her lip with her napkin.
“Someday, maybe. What’s something you’ve always wanted to do that you haven’t told anyone?” I was taking a risk by asking such a personal question. So I was surprised when she leaned forward and actually answered me.
“I want to see the Atlantic Ocean.” Her eyes took on a glossy shine like she was revisiting a memory and had forgotten I was even there. “My grandma brought me a snow globe from a visit she made to the Outer Banks when I was a kid. She said the beaches there were different from the ones in California.”
“And you’ve never been?”
“No.”
“Then put it on the list,” I said, softer than I meant to. She looked away like I’d said too much.
She shook her head, then abruptly scooted back from the table. “Do you know where the restrooms are?”
