Suddenly, she was worried. What if this sexy guy was not who he said he was, and she wound up in a sleazy hotel tomorrow morning with no memory of what happened the night before?
You’ve been watching too many cop shows, she thought, and put the idea of Bubba being shady out of her mind. She’d always been an excellent judge of character, and her gut told her that he was a decent guy.
“We are here,” Miles said, and wished he had done more research than just asking Paul and Eva for a good burger joint in the area. Normally, he wouldn’t take anyone, especially on a first date, to a place like this. Usually he would make reservations at a fancy hotel. The tables would be covered in white linen. Candles and flowers would make up a centerpiece, and the wine list would be extensive as well as expensive.
“The smell of grilled onions is calling my name,” Lula Ann said.
Miles had never been out with a woman who liked onions in any form. “I hope you aren’t disappointed.”
“Not if they taste as good as they smell,” she told him.
He waited for a couple of cars to pass and then quickly got out of the truck and rushed around to open the door for her. A middle-aged waitress was taking money from an elderly couple who were paying their bill and waved at Lula Ann and Miles when they were inside the restaurant. “Have a seat anywhere you like, and I’ll be right with you.”
Miles guided Lula Ann, his hand on her lower back, across the room and to the only empty booth at the very back. “Looks like they’re busy tonight.”
Lula Ann slid into one side of the booth and pulled the menu out from between the ketchup bottle and napkin dispenser. “That means this is a good place to eat, right?”
He nodded and picked up the second menu, scanning it for a bit. “What looks good to you? I’m having the double-meat bacon burger, fries, and a beer.”
“I’ll have the same, and maybe an order of fried zucchini sticks to share?”
“What kind of beer do you like?” he asked.
“Whatever you are having is fine,” she answered.
The waitress brought over two glasses of water and set them on the table. “What can I get you, or do you need a few more minutes to decide?”
“We’ll each have the number four meal deal and a long-neck Coors,” he answered.
“And an order of zucchini sticks to snack on while we wait on our food,” she answered.
“Make that two,” Miles added.
“Sharing?” she asked.
“No, ma’am.” Miles flashed one of his brilliant smiles. “We each want one.”
“Gotcha.” The lady nodded and wrote it all down on a pad. “I’ll get those appetizers right out. We’ve got hand pies fordessert—apple, chocolate, cherry, and coconut are still in the case if you want to get them ordered now. They don’t last long.”
“Let’s have two of each,” Miles said, “and make them to go.”
“You got it,” she said, and hurried back to the cash register.
Miles put both menus back where they belonged. “The popcorn is free at the park’s movie night, but we might want something more than that.”
“I love fried pies or hand pies, whatever you want to call them,” Lula Ann said.
“What’s your favorite?”
“Cherry, coconut, and pecan, but I’ve never met one I didn’t like.” Her blue eyes lit up. “What’s yours?”
“Chocolate and apple. I don’t like blueberry, but I love strawberries, especially dipped in chocolate.” He filed her answer away with everything else he had learned about her that evening. He was already starting to have feelings for her, which was a major shock to him since he had never cared about getting to know the likes and dislikes of his previous dates.
The waitress brought their appetizers and topped off their water. “I’ll have your food out here in a few minutes. Until then, enjoy.”
“Thank you,” Lula Ann and Miles said at the same time.
She picked up a zucchini and dipped it in ranch dressing, then popped it into her mouth. “Ha … ha … hot,” she said as she fanned her mouth with her hand and then took a sip of her cold water. “But delicious.”
