He leaned in closer to me and whispered close to my ear so only I could hear him. “You’re a virgin who can’t drive.”
I sucked in a sharp breath and pulled back from him. “You’ve seenClueless?”
“Even if I haven’t had my share of girlfriends in the past, I had a younger sister who watched it weekly when she was a teenager.”
“Had?” I asked when I see a flicker of pain in his eyes.
His demeanor did a one-eighty. “She died a long time ago. I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Okay,” I agreed immediately, though I wanted to find out more about his sister and what happened to her. “Is the grocery store the last stop today?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Yes. The last thing you can help me with, at least. I’ll make sure you get back home to get ready for work in plenty of time.”
“Sounds good.”
We talked a little more as we ate, but it didn’t get back to the funny banter we had before he mentioned his sister. I didn’t know what I missed more as we finished lunch—his smiles orhis teasing. I’d never had so much fun on a date, and even when things got serious as far as the conversation went, I still felt so relaxed around him. I caught myself analyzing the last hour and had to put a stop to it.
This isn’t a date.I had to remind myself because I kept forgetting that fact. Tucker and I were—I don’t know what we were—we weren’t friends exactly, but we weren’t dating either. He only told Grant that to protect me, because that’s the kind of guy he is. My mind wandered as I tried to find a label that fit what Tucker and I were to each other, but I had nothing. He didn’t fit in any one box.
“You look like you’re trying to solve world hunger.” He was reaching for his wallet to pay the check for lunch, and I reached for my own, not expecting him to pay for my food as well.
“Just thinking. How much, so I can pay my half?”
Tucker paused and looked at me like I’d just slapped him in the face. “Where I come from, the guy pays.”
“For a date, maybe, but this isn’t a date.” I opened my wallet to reach for the tip money I had inside from the previous night.
His hand covered mine as he reached out to stop me. “Maybe not a date, but it’s a thank you for driving me around today.”
“Oh.” I paused, not sure what to say to that. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.” He took his hand away, but I could still feel where his skin touched mine. He handed a black card over to Giana when she approached the table.
“Was everything alright?” she asked, accepting the card from him.
“It was wonderful as always,” I answered with a smile. “Thanks, G.”
“Thank you. It was great. I hope to come back before I leave town.” Tucker paid Giana the compliment and her gaze slid over to me as her smile faded with concern.
“I hope you do too. Give me a moment and I’ll be back with your card.” She turned away, leaving us alone at the table.
“Thank you for lunch,” I said softly, ignoring the heaviness that I felt over his words about leaving. I shouldn’t be attached to him. He was always going to leave, but I didn’t want him to. I slid out of the booth once the Giana brought the receipt back. My stomach was full of good food and butterflies again, which made me a bit nauseous.
He’s not here for long, Patience, I scolded myself. My head was warning me, but my heart was being stubborn and refused to give up the flicker of hope for so much more.
***
“Do you need help upstairs?” I asked over my shoulder as I opened my door to climb out.
“No. You need to go get ready for work, so you aren’t rushing and running stop signs again.”
“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?” I settled my hands on my hips in a mock annoyed gesture.
“Maybe someday, but today is not that day.” He nodded toward the house. “Thanks for the offer, but I got this.”
I nodded and grabbed my purse before heading into the house. I had about forty-five minutes before I needed to be at the brewery, so I ran upstairs and swiftly changed into my black jeans and a shirt. Quickly, I ran a brush through my hair and pulled it up into a messy bun on top of my head. Fixing my makeup took a little more time, but since I didn’t wear much, it’s over and done soon enough.
“Did you eat?” Mom asked when I walked back downstairs and into the kitchen.
