Page 12 of Finding Tane
Honesty again. What was it about Dillon that was so disarming? I felt so comfortable with him, so at home. I knew he wouldn’t judge, and more than that... I knew he wouldn’t lie to me. There was nothing about him that read ‘player’. He’d be eaten alive in L.A. I wasn’t used to being around someone who inspired the truth. It was a vulnerable sensation. I sipped my beer again, hoping I didn’t stick my foot in it somehow.
“Of course.”
“How was the store today?” I asked, a nice safe topic of conversation.
Dillon’s shoulders relaxed — he’d been nervous too? — and he told me about his day.
His voice was deep and soothing, I realised he could be telling me the most boring details about adding up his finances and I’d be invested. I actually tuned out of what he was really saying, just letting myself drift on the calm ocean of his voice, until he stopped and looked at me quizzically.
“Uh, sorry what?” I sat up straighter.
Dillon chuckled. “I’m going to make dinner up, you’re welcome to stay here and chill or you can come help, it’s up to you.”
“I’ll help.” I followed him into the kitchen. “Although my cooking skills are pretty basic.”
The kitchen smelled incredible, something savoury that made my stomach rumble.
“I made chili, so we can eat it with nacho chips and stuff if you like?” Dillon seemed uncertain all of a sudden.
“Nachos sound great,” I nodded. “Do you have avocados? I think I can be trusted to make guacamole.”
“Right there.” He pointed at the chopping board and a bowl of avocados.
We worked alongside each other in companionable silence and a calm settled over me. I wasn’t anxious, I wasn’t nervous, instead I felt ... at home.
It was a dangerous feeling, one that I couldn’t begin to trust. There were a million and one reasons why I couldn’t be reading too much into this evening. I had no idea what my future was, for one.
So I just tried to relax, humming something to myself, some old song from back home and Dillon worked quietly.
Dillon
Making dinner together with Tane and then eating it across from each other at the kitchen table had me feeling some kind of way. I knew there was no possible chance that a big-time musician from the other side of the world would ever consider dating me, let alone move into a small town and become the supermarket boss’s husband... but I couldn’t help dreaming about it.
He was softly spoken, gentle with his words as if he considered each one before he said it.
His eyelashes were criminally long, black and fluttering over his rich brown eyes. I wanted to cup his cheek and feel how softhis skin was, even with the five o’clock shadow. I wanted to know everything about him.
More than anything, I wanted him to be mine.
I realised I was staring and cleared my throat. “So, what brought you here, to Foggy Basin?”
Tane’s gentle smile faded and a furrow appeared between his eyebrows. I wished with all my heart I could take back the question that had given him even a tiny amount of distress.
“Ah, just... needed to get away,” he waved his hand vaguely. “So, you said you have a little sister?”
I recognised the deflection and accepted it immediately. “Yeah, she’s studying, she’s a writer. Ivy. She’s kind of my everything, you know? Our parents are really great, they raised us right and everything. But I’ve always been pretty happy to stay in my lane, do the expected thing. Ivy’s like a wild creature who could never be controlled.” I blushed, realised I was gushing about my own sister and bit my lip. “Have you got siblings?”
Tane shook his head. “Nah, my folks split when I was little and Ma raised me. She never dated anyone else, said she was done with it. I have a lot of cousins though, both blood and not.”
“They must be really proud of you,” I blurted. I shouldn’t have done that, he immediately ducked his head. “Sorry, you don’t want to talk about work and I keep circling back to it. Just ignore me.”
Tane smiled, his eyes crinkling. “Thanks. For understanding.”
“Have you had enough to eat? I didn’t make dessert or anything but there’s probably puddings in the cupboard?”
Tane shook his head. “Nah, this was really good though thanks. I appreciated all the vegetables in the chili.”
“Let’s move to the couches then.” As we stood up, Tane started stacking the plates like he was going to bus them. “I’ll do the dishes later, leave them.”
