“But you do like this place. And you like the idea of a challenge,” I pointed out.
“How do you know that?” she asked.
“Because I can see it in your eyes when you talk about this job.” I shrugged. “I’ll be happy either way. I’ll support you no matter which way you decide to go. But I think you should think long and hard about why you like this place so much.”
She hummed under her breath, then pushed off me. “Let’s go eat.”
“You want to run inside and change?” I held out the box to her.
She bit her lip before she looked around. “Take me to the dumpster over there. I should be able to change there without anyone seeing.”
I did as she asked, and she was right. She was changed into her jeans in under a minute and walking back to me with her high heels once again on her feet.
She sat on the curb and held her hand out for the shoes.
I handed her the motorcycle boots with hot pink stitching, and she smiled. “You treat me like a queen.”
“That’s because you are.”
She smiled up at me, then slipped her heels off before shoving her feet into the boots.
She held them up to inspect them. “Do you think I could wear these to work?”
“What’s the dress policy?” I wondered.
“Where I’ll be working here is a little bit more hands-on,” she said. “Which was part of why I really like this one. I’d get to wear jeans and boots. Though, I think he mentioned they had to be steel-toed.”
I bent over and tapped on her toes. “These are.”
“Then if I choose this place, maybe I’ll wear them.”
I waited for her to finish tying up her shoes, then tossed the box into the dumpster before mounting my bike.
She followed me onto it and wrapped her arms around me in excitement. “You know, I’ve been dying to do this.”
“That’s why we’re on it,” I said. “I wanted nothing more than to have you sitting behind me for as long as I’ve known you.”
“Then it’s a good thing that it’s sixty today.” She squeezed me.
“Where am I going?”
“Start her up, and I’ll guide you.”
I did just that, following her step by step turns to the letter until we ended up in the closest shopping center.
“Whataburger?” I asked the moment that I shut the bike off. “Really?”
“It’s my birthday. And you said anywhere.”
I sure the hell did.
“Let’s go.”
Twenty-Six
One of the weird things about being an adult is having a favorite stovetop burner.
—Calli to Searcy
