He walked to the door, leaned over and picked up his bag, and turned to face her as he slung it over his free shoulder. “Can you wait thirty minutes to eat?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said.
“Then, let’s get going because I’m starving.”
She followed him out the door and locked up. On the way downstairs, she tried one more time. “I can carry my bag,” she said. “It’s not that heavy.”
“You’re right. It’s not. I got it.”
Nova made a face at his back. “Stubborn,” she mumbled.
“I heard that,” he said as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
“I don’t care.”
Torin laughed out loud as he opened the door leading into the alley. He stood there, holding it open, obviously waiting for her to walk through.
Nova did and tried not to smile. She might give him shit and she might want to help, but she did appreciate his old-fashioned manners.
“Thanks,” she murmured.
“Ah, finally some gratitude.”
He grunted when her elbow made its way to his belly. She didn’t jab him very hard though.
“Never mind,” he wheezed, walking over to a four-door Jeep Wrangler parked at the mouth of the alley.
He opened the back passenger door, put their bags inside, and then opened the front passenger door. As Nova walked around him to climb in, he made a show of putting his hand over his gut in a protective gesture.
She shook her head but didn’t rise to the bait. Once she was settled inside, he shut the door and jogged around to the driver’s door.
He climbed inside, started the Jeep, backed out, and drove away from the restaurant.
“Why does it feel like I’m playing hooky?” Nova asked him.
“Because we’ve never had a day off together before?”
“No,” she said. “I guess because I’ve just gotten used to going to work every day. Seeing everyone.”
“You don’t work every day,” Torin argued. “I’m not a taskmaster.”
“You’re right. I’ve just forgotten what it’s like to take off for parts unknown with no real plan.” She turned her head to look at him. “It’s nice.”
He glanced over at her before he reached out a hand and took hers. He brought their entwined fingers to rest on his thigh. “It is nice.”
He drove in silence, weaving in and out of midday traffic, until they reached the outskirts of the city and hit the highway.
They weren’t far out of the city, but already the buildings were thinning out and there were a lot more trees and open green space. He took an exit that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere even though they were only fifteen minutes out of the city.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To a place with a great lunch menu.”
He turned right at a stop sign and drove along a two-lane highway until they reached a small town. After a left turn, they were in a quaint downtown area with a gazebo in the center of a town square that contained antique and clothing shops, a used bookstore, and several restaurants. One was already bustling even though it was only eleven-fifteen.
Nova knew that’s where they were heading. Sure enough, Torin found a place a couple of storefronts down and pulled in. He hopped out and made it around to her side before she could even get her seatbelt unbuckled.
Torin tugged open the door and held out a hand to help her out. He was really pulling out all the stops, it seemed.
