Shelly turned to me with that wide, bright smile of hers and held up the last bite of funnel cake, dusted in powdered sugar, offering it to me like she was feeding a very large, very grateful bear.
I leaned in and took it right from her fingers, and she laughed when my lips brushed her fingertips. Then I took the moment to suck the sugar off them.
“You’re going to get powdered sugar in your beard.”
“Worth it.”
She brushed at my beard, wiping the sugar remnants off it.
Charlie was up on the main stage doing a solid job on a wild Ozark tune that he’d written about a diamond he’d found in the river, his voice carrying easily across the park grounds. I knew he was singing about his new wife. The whole town did.
I resisted the urge to join him up there and belt out a few tunes like I normally would.
I liked to be the loudest man at a party, but today I wanted Shelly’s attention more than anyone else’s. I was trying to be a good fake-boyfriend to Shelly, and I figured that meant sticking by her side.
Around us, springtime was in full bloom.
The white flowering dogwood trees lined the festival, and patches of cheery daffodils sprouted in clumps along the ground.
Mountains rose green and hazy in the distance behind the food stalls. The town square was full of vivid spring colors.
I’d never been big on town festivals before, but Shelly made damn near anything more fun.
We stood and started walking again, drifting back toward the main row where the game booths lined up in a cheerful, noisy row.
I took her hand without thinking about it, lacing my fingers through hers, and she let me, her palm warm and soft against mine.
“So when do the actual lessons start?” I asked. “Because I’ve been on my best behavior all day and nobody’s given me a gold star yet.”
It was hard to imagine that last night I’d been wrecking this woman. And now she was back in the no-touch zone.
I wanted to tackle her to the ground and take her right here with the whole town looking on. But I kept my hands to myself.
She glanced up at me with a playful look. “Amos, the lesson has already started.”
I frowned. “It has?”
“Step one is taking a woman on anactualdate. Not just hanging out or fucking them. Women want to feel special, and hanging out is nice, but it can’t be everything.” She swung our joined hands lightly between us. “You took me on the Ferris wheel. You walked me through the dogwoods. You bought me a funnel cake. You already got a gold star from me.”
“Can I trade gold stars for blow jobs?”
She laughed and swatted my arm. “Maybe. Ask me again after our thirty days are up.”
I considered what she’d said. Not the blow job part, but everything before that.
Most of what Shelly and I had ever done was hang out.
Pool games at the Bear Den. Bonfire parties all around town. Sitting on her couch, watching whatever was on. Or hanging out with the gang at Hidden Lake.
Those were the kinds of things we tended to do together. And other than the couch-snuggling, it usually involved a bunch of our friends.
It was easy and comfortable, but… not exactly intentional.
Todaydidfeel like more of a date, since we’d come here together.
“What else?” I asked.
“No wandering eyes,” she tilted her head and assessed me. “You’ve been doing great with that today, for the record.”
