When she leaves, I lean across the table, chin propped in my hand. “So, tell me something real about the mysterious mountain man himself. What’s your worst habit?”
He hesitates, then shrugs. “I don’t answer questions.”
I laugh. “Oh, come on. Not even just one little fact?” Giving him my saddest puppy dog eyes, I add, “Please…”
He gives me a look, still grumpy, but not so cold now. “Fine.”
“Yay.” I do a little happy dance, clapping while bouncing up and down in my seat.
He just rolls his eyes, fighting a smile. “I hate wearing shoes in the house. Drives me nuts. And I can’t stand people who say they’ll do something and then don’t.”
I nod, smiling. “That’s two. You’re an overachiever.”
He shakes his head, and this time, he can’t help it; the corners of his mouth twitch up on the sides. “What about you, city girl?”
“Hmm…” I think for a second. “I forget to eat when I’m stressed. And I talk too much. And I… kind of hate being alone.” I didn’t mean to say the last one, but I did, and it’s out there now, hanging.
He goes quiet, searching my face. “Most people do. They’re just better at pretending.”
A comfortable silence settles between us. Aubrey brings burgers and fries, and I immediately dig in, closing my eyes. “Oh my god. I needed this.”
I look up and notice Garrett watching me with heavy-lidded eyes, like he’s imagining things he shouldn’t. I feel it everywhere, that low heat, the kind that has nothing to do with how good the food is.
“Good?” he asks.
“Incredible,” I say, then lick salt from my fingers, my body suddenly becoming alltoo aware of him.
He shifts in his seat, and I can see the muscle in his jaw tick. “You always moan over your dinner?”
“Only when it’s worth it.”
He stares at me, unblinking, and for a second, the air feels charged…in the way that if I lean across this table, I know he’ll meet me halfway.
I giggle, hoping to break the tension, nudging his foot under the table. “You’re easy to read, you know?”
He arches an eyebrow. “Am I?”
“Totally. You pretend you don’t care, but I see right through you.”
He snorts. “You don’t know a thing about me.”
I grin, leaning closer. “Maybe not yet.”
We take our time eating, talking about everything and nothing. He tells me about what it was like growing up in Crystal Falls, how his dad taught him to use a saw before he learned to ride a bike, and how he built his first birdhouse at the age of six. Afterward, he was hooked. I tell him about city life, about my loud neighbors and the sweet old lady who bakes bread every Friday and sometimes brings me a loaf when I’ve had a bad day.
Aubrey brings pie…apple, of course, with ice cream melting down the sides. I groan at the first bite, closing my eyes. “I’m not leaving. I’m moving in. Someone call my boss and tell him I quit.”
Garrett watches me, a slow smile spreading across his face. “You’re something else, Annie.”
I look at him, all serious now. “Is that good?”
“Yeah,” he says, voice low. “It’s good.”
We sit there for I don’t know how long. The dinerhas emptied, leaving us and Aubrey, who keeps refilling our coffee cups and giving Garrett knowing looks. The lights get softer as the music hums in the background. I let my foot drift over to his under the table, and he doesn’t pull away.
We’ve both lost track of time, but I know it’s late. “We should probably go. I don’t want Savannah sending out the search party.”
Garrett stands, pulling out his wallet, but Aubrey waves him off. “You’re good, sugar. First date is on me.”
