She caught Levi in the middle of huffing into his hands for warmth, and even in the slightly silly posture, he looked…
“Wow,” she said. “You look really nice.”
He had looked handsome enough the other night at the bar, and again when she’d run into him at the grocery store, but she realized now that she hadn’t yet seen him when he wastryingto look handsome.
Tonight though, he’d put in effort. His tousled hair still fell over his forehead a little, but in a way that June could see that he’d put some product into it to make it look just that slight bit nicer. He’d shaved too, so there was no more of that shadow of stubble on his cheeks, and though June had liked him with the faint growth, she liked this too. He looked polished.
That polish might have made June’s nerves surge anew, might have reminded her that he was a successful country star that could probably date anyone he wanted, while she was a small-town single mom who worked all the time to make ends meet…
But it didn’t. Instead, it felt flattering, like he was telling her that she was someone worth dressing up for.
There was a slightly awkward pause in which Levi didn’t respond, his hands still halfway to his mouth. Then his gaze dipped down to his hands, and he chuckled, wincing awkwardly at himself.
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I just got distracted because you… you’re thewow, June.”
She grinned, biting her lower lip lest the expression grow too broad and give her away.
“And you’re not quite ready for this weather, are you, Mr. Southern Boy?” she asked, joking to lighten the mood. She liked what she knew of Levi, but she didn’t want to get in too deep too fast, and the way he looked at her like she really was remarkably beautiful made her feel warm in a way she didn’t want to confront quite yet.
“Ma’am,” Levi said with an exaggerated version of his drawl, tipping a hat that he wasn’t wearing. It made her feel good that he was going along with her shifting toward the more casual conversation, like he was okay with her setting the pace. “I rightly reckon that I’ve never felt quite so Southern as when I came up to this here Yankee winter.”
His silliness made her laugh.
“Is thewinterYankee?” she asked. “I thought it was just the people.”
“Anything can be Yankee if it inconveniences a Southerner,” he said in his regular voice, his accent far more subdued but not absent. “Therefore, I say yes.”
“All right then,” she said, chuckling. “Let’s get you into the car before you turn into an icicle.”
“Does that happen to people?” he asked in mock horror. “Goodness, woman, c’mon then. I wouldn’t be nearly as good a dinner companion if I was frozen over.”
He offered her his arm, and June was touched by this show of solicitousness. They headed to Levi’s truck, and June teasedhim about how his car even seemed Southern, which led them to a conversation about all the differences from his hometown and Magnolia Shore.
“Well, actually, that brings me to a good point,” Levi said as he drove them through the dark streets. Few people were out, given the cold, but they passed a couple of joggers and someone walking their dog. “You work at the diner, right?”
“I do,” June confirmed.
“So tell me: why are there no shrimp and grits on that menu? A man sometimes just needs some shrimp and grits!”
June laughed at his vehemence.
“Well, this might shock you, but they don’t actually let the waiters plan the menu.”
“But you must have an in,” he said pleadingly. “Tell me who I need to talk to. Or bribe. I’m not above bribery in this matter, June!”
By this point, she was laughing so hard that she had to clap a hand over her mouth.
“I’ll see what I can do,” she promised.
He pretended to wipe sweat from his brow as though this was a near miss that he’d avoided in the last moment, although of course it was only just starting to get warm in the truck.
The only part of the cab of the truck that wasactuallyhot was June’s cheeks. It was… really sweet, the way he treated her job like it was important, like it mattered. June wasn’t ashamed of her work as a waitress or a house cleaner, of course. They were honest jobs that let her put food on her son’s plate. But some people definitely acted as though she was lesser because she worked in service roles.
It was nice to know that Levi wasn’t like that.
They arrived at Captain’s Crest, which was bustling even on a Wednesday night. Levi had called ahead and made a reservation,however, so they were quickly shown to a table in a private corner in the back of the restaurant.
“Here’s one thing I have to say I prefer about small towns,” Levi said as they opened their menus. “I called the other night, after you agreed to our date, and they had no problem getting me in. In Nashville, if you wanted a table at a restaurant this nice, you would need to call a month in advance.”
