Page 10 of Reluctantly Married

Adam choked on his milk. “No way. How?”

“It wasn’t entirely my fault. I don’t think the teacher made it very clear that our clay needed to be hollowed out if we had any solid areas.”

He hid a smile. “Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes. Mine exploded in the kiln. Ruined a bunch of other kid’s projects. And Parent’s Night was the next day.” She picked up her fork and stabbed a meatball. “That’s when Mrs. Bohate suggested I try shop class instead.”

“How did that go?”

She took another bite as Dale moved to get a better shot. She’d almost forgotten he was there. “It wasn’t a good fit either. Power tools and I don’t get along. Mr. Harding banned me from using the scroll saw.”

The corner of his mouth lifted up in a grin. “At least you still have all your fingers.”

“I think he was more worried about me breaking the machine than hurting myself.”

He chuckled. “Any other little-known facts I should know about you?”

She twirled the last of her spaghetti around her fork. “I’ve never been on a Ferris wheel.”

“Really?”

“To be honest, they scare me. I’m not good with heights.”

He arched an eyebrow, which looked really sexy on him. “Any heights?”

“Just those that are off the floor.”

A warm laugh erupted from his chest. “Got it.”

The waitress sauntered up to the table, her hand on her hip, eyeballing the camera. “Is everything good here?”

Adam leaned forward. “Excellent. The best kid’s meal I’ve had in years.”

She tittered and put her hand on his shoulder. Megan fought the urge to slap her as the perky little waitress leaned over Adam. “You’re so funny, Mr. Warner.”

“Seriously? You’re flirting with my date?” Megan blurted. When they both stared at her, she wished she had kept her mouth shut.

The waitress stiffened. “No. I’m doing my job.” She picked up the empty plates and stalked off with a sniff.

Adam grinned. “Are you jealous of our waitress?”

A snort came out of Megan, which she tried to cover up with a cough. “Hardly.”

He chuckled. “Would you like dessert?”

“I’m full, thanks.” For some reason, she wasn’t in the mood to sit at the table any longer. Having to watch some waitress fawn all over Adam was making her head hurt.

“How about this. I know a little place that makes old fashioned milkshakes. The kind with real whipped cream on top.” The way his face lit up was endearing.

“Sounds yummy. I’m in. Let’s blow this joint.”

He paid the check and they piled back into Adam’s car. Megan found herself relaxing and enjoying the time with him, even though they were on camera. It was getting easier to forget about being filmed as they talked.

The shake shop was a quaint little restaurant on the corner, with a red and white striped awning and a checkered tile floor. They were severely overdressed, but Megan found herself having fun anyway. The waitress wore a poodle skirt and saddle shoes, and she acted like she didn’t even notice Dale. “Whaddya want tonight, hun?” she asked as she smacked her gum.

They ordered strawberry shakes with extra whipped cream. As people came in, they stared. It was hard to blend in with what they were wearing and Dale climbing all over the adjacent booth to get a good angle, but Adam just smiled conspiratorially and made it into a game.

“Act like nothing’s out of the ordinary. We dress like this all the time.”

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