I hand her a large towel to dry off. She wipes her hair and body and tugs on her shorts and t-shirt. I try to play it cool, but she seems to know exactly what I’m thinking.
“You better behave. I don’t get frisky on the first date.”
I shake my head laughing. “Why you gotta think the worst of me?”
“Cause, I know your sort.”
“And what sort is that?” I ask, helping her into the bed of the truck, climbing in after her.
“The smooth kind.”
I bring out a basket filled with food.
“See what I mean?” She smirks. “But, I like that you thought of everything. I’m starving.” Her smile is wide and unguarded.
We eat sandwiches and cracker bread and cheese in comfortable silence.
“Drew used to love the waterfall, too,” she tells me after a while. “We used to come here a lot when we were dating.” She meets my gaze.“I haven’t been here in a while; I’d forgotten how pretty it is.”
“I’m sorry about what happened to him. I bet you hear that all the time, but I truly am.”
“Thanks for saying it.” She smiles. There is sadness in her eyes, but the quiet, accepting kind. I know that look. I’ve seen it often, sometimes looking at my own reflection in the mirror. But I love that she still has that spark. I assume that a lot of it has to do with her son, but I have a feeling it’s the fighter in her.
“So, you and Leon, huh?”
She snorts. “Oh my God, no. He’s asked me out a few times. We just went on that one date.”
I nod. “Can’t say I’m not disappointed.”
“What about you andLisa?” She casts me a sideward glance.
“Not what you think. I did take Lisa home, but according to her, I was a pretty big disappointment.”
“Must have been tough on that ego?” she teases, nudging me in the side.
“The fact that you decided to go on a date with me made up for it, I think.”
“I should have spoken to Lisa first, might have changed my mind.”
“That right?” I touch my shoulder to hers. I can tell she’s trying to suppress a laugh.
“Guess you’ll know if I turn you down the next time.” She giggles. Smirking, I pinch her cheek.
“One thing you should know about me, Shelby, is that I never take no for an answer.” I offer her a wink.
She yawns.
“Am I that boring?”
“Oh no, I’m just tired,“ She leans her head against a pillow, and I do the same.
“Wanna head back?” I ask, turning toward her.
“No way. You haven’t told me a thing about yourself, Ember Dale.” My chest tightens. She’s shared a lot about herself, the rest of it I gathered from her friends. And it’s true that she barely knows anything about me. It’s not that I held back information intentionally. I’m just not used to being forthcoming with it.
“I used to be married.” I surprise myself that it is the first thing out of my mouth.
“What happened?” she asks, facing me, her cheek on her hand.
