Page 39 of Lone Star Longing
LACEY WAS SURPRISEDto see Beck sitting in the waiting room when she finally emerged. The room wasn't as crowded as when she’d gone back, but Beck was the only man, and the other waiting patients eyed him warily. Eyes wide, Lacey hurried toward him.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, no, everything is great.” He stood slowly, stretching. “I just thought I’d make sure you were okay. Everything okay?” He looked from her face to her belly.
“Yeah, sure, everything’s okay.” Flustered, she turned to the counter to schedule her next appointment, hyper-aware of him behind her, aware of the other women in the waiting room watching him with curiosity. Watching both of them.
Bad enough to have the people of Broken Wheel speculating about her. She didn’t need the people of San Angelo speculating as well.
She turned from the counter to Beck, aware she was holding her purse in front of her like a shield, gripping the strap with both hands.
“So you didn't go to the home improvement store?” she asked as they walked down the steps to the parking lot.
“No, I didn't want to be in the middle of something if you called.”
“I could have waited, just fine. The plan was for you to go shopping while I took care of business.”
“You don't mind going to the home improvement store, do you?”
The idea didn't exactly hold a lot of appeal for her, but she could find something to look at while he attended his affairs.
“I don't mind. But really, I could have waited. I’m not fragile.”
“Of course not.” Nonetheless, he came around the side of the truck to open the door for her.
She didn't think she’d ever been in a home improvement store as big as the whole of main street. She wandered around the nursery, talking herself out of a few plant purchases because they wouldn't travel well back home, not if she and Beck kept their plan to stop for lunch, and maybe a clothing store or two.
She ambled through the patio furniture, wishing Broken Wheel wasn't hot as Hades. She even wandered up and down the aisle of light fixtures before she settled in front of the rack of home improvement books and magazines, and thumbed through them until Beck texted that the truck was loaded and he was ready to go.
She looked at the load in the bed of the truck. Were they going to be able to get to go to lunch, with this vulnerable?
“It’ll be okay while we go to lunch,” he said as if reading her thoughts, pressing a button near the cab of the pickup, then drew it down the length of the bed to secure it at the tailgate. She didn't think it would fit over the boxes of tiles, but it did, and everything was hidden and secure.
“That was like magic,” she said, stepping up into the truck.
“Yeah, otherwise I would have stopped here last.”
When she got into the truck, she saw the backseat was filled, also, with things he obviously couldn't get at the hardware store back home.
“Where do you want to go?”
“I don't know Something that’s the farthest from being a diner as you can imagine.”
“I think I know the place.”
He didn't have to drive very far, since the shopping center was filled with restaurants as well as stores. In fact, she thought they could probably take care of her maternity clothes requirements without leaving the parking lot.
“Oh, a steakhouse?” she asked when he parked in front of the building with white-washed brick and a giant logo painted on the side.
“It’s good, I promise, and if you don't really like steak, they have other options. Plus they have lunch specials.”
Her mouth started watering just smelling the food when she slid out of the truck.
“Before we even go in there, I’m letting you know I’m buying,” she said. She would rather have this argument out here with customers streaming in and out, than in there in front of the waitress. “I was planning to take Poppy, so since you drove, I’ll treat you.”
“You don't have to do that. I volunteered.”
“You did, but I would like to do this, so please let me.”
