Page 40 of Vince
When an apprehensive Vince opens my door, I consciously make the effort to relax and go with the flow. Icanbe flexible and shouldn’t let my fear of the unknown ruin my time with him. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time someone has gone to such efforts. The fact that he’s doing thismightactually make the unknown worth the while… though the jury’s still out.
Greeting him with a smile, I put him at ease. “In case I forget to tell you, thank you for doing this.” He still looks a little unsure, so I call myself out on my bullshit. “Yeah—I suck at surprises, but the fact that you went to such efforts is incredible. I can’t remember the last time anyone has ever done something like this for me.”
“You need a better dating pool,” he deadpans then panics. “Scratch that. I’d rather not think of you dating other guys. This can just be our thing, yeah?”
He knows how to go for the jugular. Gah… all the feels with this man. But I can’t let him think I’m starting to fall for him. “I think we can manage that,” I tease, keeping my tone light.
His outstretched hand steadies me as I hop down from the Jeep. “I thought I’d take you to one of my favorite places for lunch.”
“Okay, I’m trying not to ask, but can you at least tell me where we’re going?” I finally admit.
“I found some waterfalls just over that hill. It’s crazy busy here on hot days, but it’s perfect for days like this, especially if you want to get away and think.”
Something in the way he says that makes me think there’s a story there, but if he wants to share it with me, I’ll let him tell me in his own time. I know all about self-preservation and needing to get away from it all. Who am I to judge someone for wanting to find peace? However, the thought of it being his special place makes me feel a bit closer to him, and I’ll admit I’m eager to find out more about Vince.
As he takes my hand and leads me down a trail, the sound of running water becomes louder. I’m not sure what I expect but when we round a corner, the view of the river is exquisite. The river’s much wider than I expect, and there isn’t just one waterfall. Nope—multiple waterfalls from all directions swiftly flow over the smooth rock cliffs. Beneath each fall is a pool perfect for swimming—if it were warmer.
“Wow, this place is incredible,” I say in awe. “How did you find this place?”
Instead of answering my question, Vince pulls me to a flat spot and says, “I thought we could picnic here by the falls. I hope you don’t mind, but I brought a couple of different sandwiches you can choose from since I don’t know your favorite. I brought a few other things to snack on—if you don’t like sandwiches at all.” He suddenly looks unexpectedly shy. “I guess I should have asked, but I wanted to surprise you.”
Aww… can he get any sweeter?
“I’m really not a picky eater, as long as it doesn’t have sauerkraut or some pickled beets in it. I’m down with trying anything once.”
Confusion fills his features, and he blanches in disgust. “That’s… an odd combination? Is this dislike… from experience?”
“Oh, hell no. I was just making up a nasty combination—I hope no oneeverputsthatbetween two slices of bread to prove a point. I mean—that’d be disgusting!”
Vince’s laugh echoes off the rocks around us. “Yes, that would be.” He digs into his bag, retrieves a blanket, and spreads it with ease. It appears he’s thought of everything as he empties the remaining contents in his backpack. Not only are there a variety of sandwiches, but he’s thought of drinks and even a few different flavors of chips in individual packaging.
“Wow…” I say in amusement. “You’ve really gone all out.”
I swear I see his cheeks darken as he mutters, “Well… I like I said. I didn’t know what you’d like.”
To ease his tension, I swipe the bag of Fritos with a smile. “These are my favorite. But for the record, I would’ve eaten anything. It looks delicious.”
This does the trick as his shoulders visibly relax, and a lazy grin replaces apprehension. “There’s chocolate in the side pocket for dessert.”
“I may be persuaded to have some of that, too. Especially if it’s milk chocolate.”
“Well, I’ll have to fight you for it because I bought dark chocolate, too, but only to give it as an option… Personally, I can’t get over the bitterness, but I wasn’t sure your preference.”
Rolling my eyes, I chuckle. This guy… “Vince, you didn’t have to go to such trouble. I would’ve eaten it, though maybe not asked for seconds… to be polite, you know…”
“Syd, don’t ever do anything to placate me. If you don’t like something… tell me.”
He doesn’t get it… “Oh, I’ll never placate you… trust me. But I was brought up to take a bite of everything… including the pickled beets and sauerkraut. As an adult, there are just some things I draw the line on. I don’t care how many times Grams forced me to eat those… I hated them each and every time.”
This earns me a beautiful laugh from Vince. It’s the kind of laugh I can’t help but join. It’s so infectious. “I totally get it. For the record… I don’t eat anchovies on pizza or any type of wilted lettuce or cabbage-type substance. You can be as cute as ever or even beg me… I will still flat-out refuse.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I tease. Though when I think about it, he has a point… because… Yuck. Those are both disgusting, too. Instead of responding though, I attempt a subject change. “So… What did you and Julia do this morning?”
“Well…” He pretends to contemplate in this overexaggerated, ridiculous way which only makes me smile even harder.
Is it possible for your cheeks to fall off from smiling too much?
Seriously… His finger taps his chin while he looks to the sky and sucks in a deep breath. He’s fucking adorable. “Let’s see… we got up at the ass-crack of dawn to eat breakfast and watch cartoons. Julia loves cold cereal for her first meal of the day—so at least I didn’t have to make an elaborate breakfast at that hour. When it finally got light enough to be a decent hour, she begged me to take her for a bike ride, and then we spent the rest of the morning doing chores around the house.” He ends with a shrug, as if his morning weren’t already packed.
