Page 13 of Shelter for Tanna

As he walked away, Tanna called out, “What do you say?”

“Thank you, Daniel,” she heard Max mutter as he closed his door.

“I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” Tanna told Nita, who’d already ensconced herself on the sofa.

“No worries. Take your time. They’ll be fine.”

“Thanks, sweetie. I owe you.” Grabbing her bag, she headed out the door and found Braden standing beside the truck, passenger side door open and waiting for her. “Thanks.”

“You’re very welcome. Ready?” he asked as he stood there in the doorway, waiting for her to put on her seat belt.

“Yep. Ready.” Tanna breathed a huge sigh of relief. Maybe this would work out after all.

* * *

“Sorry I don’t have much in the way of music. All I’ve got in here is the AM radio.”

“It’s original, isn’t it?” Tanna asked, peering at the face.

“Yep. Old tube-type radio. It still works. Of course, there’s nothing worth listening to on AM radio anymore.”

“True, but it works. That’s like, what, one in a million these days?”

“Believe it or not, there’s a whole subculture of antique radio collectors out there. I found one who worked on it and got it running again.”

“Really? That’s interesting. So everything’s original?”

“If it’s not original to this truck, it’s original to another truck of the same year. I worked hard to keep it as true as possible.”

“It’s super nice. No air conditioning,” she noted, thankful that it was a cool evening.

“Nope. Under-dash heater. But I have a ChevyMalibu I drive when it’s really hot outside. I love this truck, but I’m not going to roast because of it!” he said and laughed.

“That’s good to know! So where are we going?”

“Thought we’d just go somewhere fun and relaxed. We can save fancy dinners for later on. We just need to be in a space that’s safe for both of us and that makes us feel at home. Do you like burgers?”

“Well, yeah.”

“I thought we’d go to Grissom’s Gourmet Burgers, if that sounds good to you.”

Tanna had heard of the place for years but she’d never been there. She couldn’t afford one burger for eleven dollars, much less three. This was her chance to try it out, and with a good-looking guy at that. “Sure. Sounds great.”

The parking lot at the side of the building was about half full. Tanna opened the truck’s door but before she could get out, Braden was there. “Here, let me get that for you.”

“That’s not necessary. I can?”

“Yes. It is. I promised your son I’d treat you like a lady, and I intend to. Got everything?” he asked as he stepped back for her to slide out.

“Yep. Ready.”

After checking the truck to make sure the doors were locked, Braden took her hand and Tanna felt something?excitement??run up and down her spine. It had been years since a man had held her hand, and while it felt unfamiliar, it also felt good. His was big and strong and hers felt comfortable in it. “Have you eaten here before?”

She could feel her cheeks burning. “No.”

“You’ll love it. They have a beer burger that, ohmygod, it’s so good. Their meatloaf burger is good too. Come to think of it, I haven’t had anything here that’s not good.” They reached the door and he held it for her. “Ladies first.”

It wasn’t at all what Tanna had expected. The interior was old bare brick but instead of a high industrial ceiling, the ceiling was low and gave the room a cozy atmosphere. A fireplace to the right had a roaring fire snapping and popping in it, and the big bar to the left was adorned with beautiful brass fittings and gleaming mirrors behind the liquor bottles. Tables sat in the middle of the room, but around the sides were booths, their seats and backs sporting black vinyl button-tufted cushions. There was a sconce on the wall inside each booth with an electric candle-type flickering bulb in it, warm and inviting, and the tabletops were gleaming walnut. Tanna wanted to crawl into one of those booths and never come out. “Will this do?” the hostess asked, motioning to a booth near the fireplace.

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