“This looks amazing,” I complimented while squeezing his hand.
“Bon appétit,” Waylon sang out before grabbing a lamb chop by the bone and eating it like an adult lollipop.
“Classy,” I remarked while holding back laughter.
Waylon shrugged. “I made it, so I can eat it any way I want to.”
“Touché.”
We were completely quiet for the rest of the meal. It was just too good to talk through.
“I don’t know if I will ever eat anything as amazing as that,” I stated while throwing my cloth napkin down onto the plate.
“You will eat as well as a queen as long as I am around,” Waylon proclaimed while running his fingertips over my arm.
“So what was your backup plan for this evening?” I questioned, leaning back in my chair.
“I made reservations at Elizabeth On Thirty-Seventh, Alligator Soul, Noble Fare, and 45 Bistro just in case,” he admitted. “I wanted to have all the bases covered to make sure this was a good night.”
“I think it’s been a wonderful night.”
“You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that.”
Getting up, he offered me his hand.
“What?”
“Now, we dance.”
Pulling me into the foyer, he got out his phone and put on a Miles Davis station.
“Shall we?” he asked, wrapping his arms around my middle.
“This is nice,” I muttered, resting my head on his chest.
“It really is.”
We swayed back and forth for a few songs before I pulled away from him.
“Everything all right?”
Looking up into his silvery eyes, I nodded. “I just wanted to take it all in for a moment.”
Guiding me back into his grasp, Waylon rested his cheek on the top of my head. “Good.” As the third song ended, he stopped the music. “At the risk of pressing my luck, I am going to clean up from dinner, make you a nightcap, and then let you get to bed at a reasonable hour.”
“How can one man be so damn perfect?”
“For the right woman, a man steps up and actually shows her he is worthy of her time.”
We started washing the dishes, him scrubbing, me drying. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so carefree and just let my hair down.
“So, tell me a little more about you. I feel like you know everything about me and I know nothing about you.” I sat on the counter after putting the sauté pan away in the cupboard.
“Well, there isn’t much to know. I’m an only child. I grew up as an Army brat, and every chance they got, my folks shipped me down to Uncle Hank’s for extended periods of time. I went to the Savannah Culinary Institute then worked for Publix in the Publix Aprons Cooking School at Alpharetta Commons, close to Atlanta for a while. My mom died when I was eighteen and my dad passed a year ago. They left me some money, so I when I heard the Drum and Quill was for sale, I jumped at the opportunity to finally own my own place.” He put his hands on the tops of my legs, kissing my cheek. “That’s me in a nutshell.”
“Why were you behind the bar the other night if you’re the owner?”
“I want to get to know the staff and managers better. No better way to do that than to get my hands a little dirty and sling some drinks with them.”
