With a soft laugh, she said, "Yes, actually."
"Well, believe it," I said. "And you know what else?"
"What?"
"I still owe you a date."
79
No Further Questions
Tessa
In the truck's passenger seat, I leaned forward, squinting through the windshield. "Is that a barn?"
From behind the wheel, Ryder gave me a sideways glance. His lips twitched as he returned his gaze to the front. "Sorry. No further questions."
I laughed. "You do realize that's the third time you've said that."
"Yeah, because you keep asking."
The rough gravel road rattled beneath the tires, kicking up dust as the barn loomed ever closer.
With mock suspicion, I asked, "Are you taking me to a barn dance?"
"Nope. But hey, if you wanna dance, don't letmestop you."
Around us, twilight stretched across the open fields, with the sky turning from blue to gold as the sun dipped ever lower. It was so beautiful, I could hardly look away. Still, I had to tease him. "So you're gonna make me dance alone? On a date? That kind of defeats the purpose, don't you think?"
"How about this?" he said. "I'lldance, andyoudrive."
I made a sound of protest. "But why wouldIneed to drive?"
"Because it would take some serious whiskey formeto hoedown."
"A hoedown?" I tried not to snicker. "I'm pretty sure there's a better way to say that."
"If you think my wording's badnow, just wait 'til after the whiskey."
"But then who'd drive the boat?" Teasing or not, it was a valid question.
About an hour ago, we'd left Mackinac Island in a slick black speedboat, with Ryder driving. After docking at St. Ignace, we'd found a classic red pickup waiting with the keys inside.
And now, here we were, bumping along the gravel road, still heading toward the faded red barn, which looked older than me and Ryder combined. Around it, I spotted no other vehicles – no trucks, no cars, not even a tractor or random cow.
In reply to my question, Ryder suggested, "We could always swim."
The idea was laughable, so I didn't dignify it with a response. Instead, I watched with growing interest as Ryder slowed the truck and coasted to a stop directly in front of the barn's wide double doors. He cut the engine and said, "This is the part where I ask you to close your eyes."
I waffled between excitement and alarm. "Why?"
He cocked an eyebrow. "Do I really need to say it?"
I almost groaned. "Lemme guess. No further questions?"
"Yup."
Normally, I wasn't a fan of surprises. But for some reason, I felt nearly giddy as I did as he asked, squeezing my eyes shut nice and tight so I wouldn't accidentally ruin it.
