Page 25 of Make it Real
“Well, better get ready, buddy, because you’re about toliveThe Golden Girls.”
Her playfulness brought a big smile to my face. She seemed to sway between bright openness and an almost shy reserve I couldn’t figure out. Mostly, I wanted to know how to keep the free-spirited side of her front and center.
“What are you in the mood for? Thai? Chinese? Burgers?” Magnolia Ridge was no metropolis, but we had a good variety of restaurants in town these days. Now and then, I’d drive into Georgetown if I needed something like sushi or ramen, but we wouldn’t go hungry here.
“Oh, are we really going to go eat?”
The surprise in her voice confused me. “What did you think we were going to do?”
Her hands twisted in her lap, her shoulders hitching up. “I don’t know. Find a parking lot somewhere and just hang out until it’s time to go back?”
“Callie Louise,” I chided,tskingaway at her. “You want to go park somewhere for a couple of hours on our first date?”
Her answering gasp came with a swat at my arm. “That’s not what I meant, and you were supposed to forget my middle name.”
“Already told you I can’t.”
“More like won’t.”
“Exactly.” I turned onto Center Street, slowing before we reached the bulk of the restaurant options. “Plus, I had a whole conversation with your stomach back at the house. We’re having dinner. So? What’ll it be?”
“Maybe pizza? Granny can’t eat it anymore, so I don’t have it all that often.”
“Sounds good to me.” Even if I didn’t love knowing she cut everyday things like pizza out of her life to accommodate her grandmother. Seemed too much, but equally too much would be me telling her so.
I parked us a block from Slice of Delight, pulling as close as I could to the curb to make it easier for my fun-sized companion to get out. Downtown could be crowded on the weekends, but on a Tuesday night, we pretty much had our run of the place. I walked around to meet her, noting how easily she jumped out of the truck onto the sidewalk.
Did not look at her legs in the process. Much.
“Are your grandma and her friends always so welcoming to the guys you date?” I asked as we headed up the street. I’d never had the red carpet rolled out for me quite like that.
She made a sound of disgust. “They really should have toned it down a little. And no, I always meet the set-ups wherever we’re going specifically to avoid that.”
I nudged her with my arm. “I’m honored you let me come to your house.”
She nudged me back. “Our plan wouldn’t work very well if you didn’t.”
“Still, it shows a certain trust. An acknowledgement that I’m the inherently superior choice around here.”
“That’s for sure.” Her laughter turned strangled. “I mean, you’re better than those guys, you’re not better thaneveryone.”
“It’s too late to take it back, you already said it.”
“That’s only because I’m so hungry, I can’t think straight. If I weren’t in this weakened state, I wouldn’t have said that.”
“I’m immune to your protests.”
She looped a hand around my arm but immediately dropped it, a weird smile stuck on her face like she’d been caught doing something suspicious by an MP.
“Callie?” I said.
“Callie?” another voice repeated.
I looked up and did a double take—Harper and Sam stood ten feet away from us on the sidewalk. Harper looked from Callie to me and back again, the question in her eyes almost forming a word bubble over her head.
“What are you doing here?”
She didn’t addWith Jed,but everyone heard it.
