“I did.”
We’re both silent again. I can feel Kaleb watching us. Claudia glances past my shoulder as if to confirm that fact. She looks back up at me. The smile has faded. I don’t think either of us have thought much beyond this moment. She was looking for me. I found her. Now what?
“There are services that deliver these things, I’ve heard,” I say sarcastically, nodding at the flowers.
She smiles again. “I've heard, but I needed to do this.”
I don't argue. Instead I nod in understanding. I get it. There have been things I've needed to do too.
“I—are you busy? I mean, do you have plans tonight?” she asks.
“No. You want to get out of here?”
“Yeah, actually. Is there somewhere we can talk?”
“Yeah. I can drive.”
“Okay.”
“Come on.” I lightly take her arm. I almost pull away as she falls into step beside me, but I don’t. Instead my hand slides to the small of her back as I open the door for her.
I flip Kaleb the finger as the door closes behind me.
The sound of the bell mixes with his laugh.
* * *
The Peak isfull with its usual Thursday night football crowd. And by full, I mean four of the regulars are crowded around the bar, grumbling at the old mounted TV. I greet the boys and ignore the double and triple takes they all shoot in Claudia’s direction. I tap on the counter and tell Rich to send two beers back to our table. Then I lead Claudia to a booth in the back of the worn-down watering hole. I watch her as she strips off her coat and almost choke. The shirt she’s wearing is a simple black tee, but it’s low cut and her tits are almost spilling out. They look so good, even if she were mine I wouldn’t tell her to cover up.
“I didn’t order for you out of some weird misogynistic shit. Blue Moon is the fanciest thing they have here.”
She smiles again as she scans my face. “It’s okay. A beer will loosen me up. Now that I’m looking at you I can see how crazy this is.”
“What, you being here in Quinten?”
“Yeah. I told myself I thought this through, but thinking and doing are different things.”
I feel the nervous energy rolling off her, but she keeps her eyes on my face. She's cataloging my features. She's not the only one. I want to reach across the table to see if the golden brown skin that covers the expanse from her forearm to her elbow is as soft as it looks.
“I don't think it's crazy.” Crazy is the amount of time I’ve spent thinking about her in the last several months. “I wouldn't have come down here if I was bothered by you being here.”
“Someone narced on me, huh?” Another smile. Fuck, her lips.
“See those guys at the bar and the bartender? Known them all since I was five years old. Kaleb back at the Lodges? He's my drinking buddy, when I come down to drink. It's a small town. Someone is always narcing on you.”
“That must be weird.” She sighs and plucks a napkin out of the holder. “I still shouldn’t have shown up like this and I cannot even pretend that I just happened to be driving by.”
“I’m sorry about back at the motel. You don’t—” I stop myself from saying what almost comes out of my mouth.
“I don’t have to explain why I flew three thousand miles to give you thank-you flowers?”
I shake my head. “I think there’s something to be said about boundaries, but I don’t think you showing up is out of bounds. I wanted to see you again.”
“You did?”
“I tried to come right back to the hospital, and the feds wouldn’t let me. They told me to stay away from you until their investigation was done. And then you were gone.”
Her face goes blank.
