As he starts the car, the low rumble fills the silence, but it’s his hand slipping onto my leg that steals my breath. The gesture isn’t possessive. It’s more a reassurance that he's okay with my craziness. When he shifts the SUV into gear and pulls forward, I hold up a finger. “Remember, I really only have an hour or two.”
“I know just the place.” He winks at me and then steers out of the parking lot.
thirty
Bill
We slip into Ruth’s closed-for-the-night diner like we’re secret agents on a covert mission. Truth be told, the place is always cozy, and it’s starting to feel like a home away from home.Tonight, it gets huge bonus points because it’s after hours and completely void of people.
She waltzes in first, saying softly, “I’m not turning on all the lights.” Her voice is playful, but I can hear the underlying hesitation. “And we can’t sit by a window, or someone who drives by might notice and be alarmed and call the cops. A police officer showing up here is the last thing I need.”
“Got it. We break our ankles as we try to navigate where we can sit that doesn’t make a shadow,” I say, trying to keep the ridiculousness of us sneaking around like teenagers to a minimum.
With one hand perched on her hip, she scans the clean countertops, and sighs. “So I could make coffee, but I already cleaned it for the night, and I hate to do it again. How about sodas from the fountain, and for snacks, I have secret bags of popcorn below the counter.”
“Seriously, I can’t even think about food after tonight,” I say, my voice playful, because suddenly I’m thinking about how close she is. “Just kisses.”
Laughter slips from her lips. It is such a gorgeous sound my chest aches. She tilts her head, eyes bright. “Just kisses? Well, you’re in luck. Those are hard to come by at Ruth’s Diner, because you’ve met her, and you know, she’s short of a workaholic, but recently she’s been learning to let her hair down, and she has a few of those on a very secret menu that only one special customer gets to order from.”
“A secret menu? That sounds amazing,” I tease, leaning a little closer. “I would like that menu, please.”
Sliding my hand on her hip, I brush my lips against hers. She lets out the tiniest sigh as her fingers graze my arm.
There’s no mistaking it anymore. I’m falling head over heels for this woman. I was heartsick all night long while I stared at her from across the ice. Now, she’s in my arms, and I feel aliveagain. I want to tell her so badly all the feelings I’m growing for her, but the words tangle in my throat.
From the way she kisses me, I don’t doubt she has feelings for me too. It’s always pure magnetism when we are together, and every nerve in me ignites.
Until the overhead fluorescent lights snap on!
Without warning, harsh lights shine on us like a police spotlight. We instantly jerk apart, blinking against the brightness.
And yes, frozen in the doorway, is Noah and three of my players, all wearing their Granite Ice jackets. Their eyes rocket wide open. My heart skips, then races as I cling to Ruth’s expression. Her eyes bug out from her head as her jaw flops open.
It’s clearly out in the open now.
thirty-one
Ruth
The sudden burst of light feels like a gut punch. My skin prickles from shock, and my breath catches, leaving my lungs tight. I stumble away from Bill, and my foot catches a counter stool leg.I barely manage not to fall on my face as my heart slams against my chest like I’m having an actual heart attack.
Noah's bright blue eyes darken as all the lines of his face pull taut.
I’m first to break the silence, blabbering from my nerves. “Why are you here?”
“Uh, the wing place was packed. It was a two hour wait, so we figured we’d raid this fridge and make omelets instead.” He shifts on his feet and rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. After a hard pause, he says, “Same question back at you, Mom.” His gaze cuts harshly to Bill as he tacks on, “And you. And why are you two here together with the lights off?”
Panic bubbles in my gut. Before I can choke out a single word, Bill steps forward with his entire focus on Noah. “Your mom and I are on a date,” he declares with enough strength to fill the room.
Noah’s jaw drops. His eyes narrow as he zeros in on Bill.
Snickers ripple through his group of friends. Fire rages on my cheeks like I’m some kid caught stealing something I wasn’t allowed to have, which is absurd. I’m not doing anything wrong, but even if I was, I’m a grown adult and can make my own decisions.
That’s when it hits me.
All my hesitation was never about Bill.
Well, maybe some of it is, but as I look back at my life, there seems to be a connecting string, where I’ve always been the people pleaser. When forced with the choice between what makes me happy and what other people want from me, I have always done what pleases everyone else. Not just Noah, but for all my customers, when I’d stay late all hours of the night after working all day, because they’d come at closing time, and I didn’t have the heart to turn them away. It’s crazy I never noticed it before, but it’s not my job to coddle everyone else’s feelings somuch that I miss out on living my life. I don’t know where it comes from, but I draw a deep breath, filling my chest with so much air, I feel like I’ve been given a new strength, and one that allows me to defend myself.
