Page 18 of Something More

“Ok.” He climbed down and rushed out of the room.

“Where are you going?” I called after him.

“To pack my stuff for Grandma’s,” he shouted back.

“Don’t forget your toothbrush!” I heard a loud sigh and I couldn’t help but laugh. I turned back to the pink dress and stared at it for a moment. Alex always did like it when I wore pink, but tonight wasn’t about him, it was about me. Afteroverthinking it, I decided to go with a light green one. It had pink flowers, so it was a compromise.

I left my hair down and went light on my makeup. It was still pretty hot out, and I didn’t want to risk sweating it all off. I had a full-length mirror in my room, and I was admiring my reflection when I heard Jack shout a ‘bye’ and the door slammed. My mom must have come over to pick him up. I peered out the window to see them walking back toward the big house. She was carrying his overnight bag and he was chattering away. I went over to the closet and dug deep into the back. I pulled out a tattered box and lifted the lid. Inside was a worn pair of brown boots. I haven’t worn these since I left, but part of me was feeling some nostalgia tonight. I lifted them from the box and slipped them on. They still fit comfortably, and I smiled as I strutted across the room. When there was another knock at the door, my chest seized with nerves. “Just a minute!” I yelled as I shoved the box back in the closet. I grabbed my purse and ran to the door.

Before opening it, I ran my fingers through my hair one last time and smacked my lips together. As my fingers wrapped around the knob, there was another knock. “You gonna open the door?” Hank’s deep voice laughed from the other side.

I slowly opened it a crack and peered around the door. “I’m not sure I should,” I teased. My eyes blinked against the bright sun. I couldn’t really make out what he looked like, it was just a shadow of him and the sun.

“If you don’t open the door, we can’t go out, and if you can’t go out, then I can’t bring you home and kiss you goodnight. So, open the door.” He chuckled.

“Since you put it that way…” I opened the door, revealing myself.

“Damn!” he hissed under his breath. “You’re like fine wine. Just get better with age.”

“Is that supposed to be a pickup line?” I laughed as I shook my head. “Because you need help if it was.” He moved closer and his tall frame blocked the bright sun so I could really see him. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a light blue button-down. His dark hair was tucked neatly under his cowboy hat, and like me, he had on his boots. He smelled woodsy, and I just wanted to bury my face in his neck and stay there all night.

He removed his hat and bowed slightly. “I’m sorry, miss, but you look absolutely breathtaking tonight.” He placed his hat back on his head, tipped it to the side, and gave me a lopsided smile. “Was that better?”

“You’re getting there.” I shook my head and rolled my eyes as I grabbed my purse and stepped outside. After locking up, he offered me his arm and walked me to his truck. My feet faltered as we approached the tan Ford. It was the same truck he had all those years ago. “You still drive this,” I whispered.

“It still runs great.” He opened the passenger door for me. I climbed in, and he went around to the driver’s side. The déjà vu washed over me as we pulled out onto the main road and turned to head into town.

*****

It took about a half hour before we made it to the city limits of Myers. “There’s a new place right at the end of Main Street I thought we’d try. They just opened about a month ago.” He pulled over and parked on the street. Patrons were out walking along the sidewalks going in and out of the local shops. Green and white-striped awnings adorned each storefront, and a few shop owners had displays on the sidewalks.

“This place hasn’t changed my entire life,” I mused as we got out of the truck.

“I kinda like that about it.” Hank came around and took my hand in his, entwining our fingers. “Sometimes sameness offers comfort. It’s nice knowing that it will always be here.” He liftedmy hand and kissed the back of it. “Remember when we went in there?” He pointed across the way to the jewelry shop. We’d looked at diamonds in there with the dream of one day getting one. “We realized real quick that we couldn’t afford much in there.”

“Yeah.” I laughed lightly as I toyed with the ring on my left hand. I still hadn’t taken it off, and I wondered if Hank had noticed. Guilt started to creep up, but I pushed it away. Baby steps. If Hank really meant what he said, he’d be patient.

“Here we are.” He turned to enter The Painted Pig. “This is supposed to be the best BBQ in the state.” He pointed to a banner that hung in the entry, boasting about award-winning BBQ. “They used to be a food truck and decided to open up a restaurant. Your daddy has been talking about this place since he came here.”

There was sign up that stated for patrons to seat themselves and a server would be with them. It was rustic inside: large wooden booths and tables scattered about, dim lighting with mounts of different animals on the walls. The décor made the place look like an oversized cabin. The servers were dressed in jeans with red checked shirts, and I couldn’t help but laugh when one came out of the kitchen and looked just like Paul Bunyan. Menus were already on the tables, so Hank handed me one, and I began scanning it. “This BBQ for two looks promising.” I pointed to the sharable section at the bottom.

“We can get whatever you want. Jeff has been making lunch this week to give your mom a break, and he can’t cook.” Hank curled his lip. “Dirt tastes better than his cooking.”

“Let’s get this then, and we can each pick a few sides.” I flipped over the menu and looked at the list of choices. Everything sounded good, and my stomach growled, announcing how hungry I was. “I didn’t eat lunch today.” I grimaced when Hank turned questioning eyes in my direction.

“We need to get you fed then.” He motioned to flag down a server. A young girl came over and we ordered the BBQ for two meal with cornbread, okra, and pinto beans. After she left, we sipped our sweet tea and fumbled for conversation. After the way we’d left things, I wasn’t sure what to say and Hank seemed to feel the same way.

“You said you wanted to talk…” I clasped my hands in front of me on the table. “You can go first.”

“I guess my first question is, do I have a chance here, or am I wasting my time?”

Chapter 10

Dakota

“I’m not sure how to answer that.” I looked away for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts. Part of me wanted to jump up and down and say yes, and another part of me wasn’t sure I could handle it.

“Remember our first date?” He reached across the table and clasped one of my hands. “Remember how you told me that when I touched you, you felt tingles? You said it didn’t matter if it was our arms brushing or me tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. You said being near me made you feel things.” I nodded. I remembered all of that. “Do you still feel it?” He lifted our joined hands and laced his fingers with mine. “Do you get that zing, as you called it?”

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