Page 90 of Lone Star Longing
But what he really wanted to do was follow Lacey into the water.
*****
PROBABLY HE SHOULDhave listened when Sofia told him to apply sunscreen, because he winced a little as he pulled his dry t-shirt over his head. The drive back to town wasn't going to be all that fun.
He wished he could get Lacey in his truck for the ride back. Maybe it was foolish to try to talk to her with all their friends around, but she had avoided him since he’d reacted badly to the news about the twins. And yeah, he could admit he’d reacted badly.
He was just going to have to wait.
They had decided to get dinner in Brackettville before heading home. The small town didn't have a ton of options, but they found a place that offered a little bit of everything.
Beck made a point of sitting next to Lacey. He’d been upset with her earlier. Well, no, not upset. Hurt. He’d thought he was a bigger part of her life. He was going to make sure she understood that he wanted to be.
“What are you getting?” he asked, perusing the menu. “I’m starving.”
“Something I can't get at home,” she murmured. “Fried catfish, I think.”
“That sounds good.”
They ordered wings as an appetizer, and everyone but Beck and Lacey ordered beer.
“You can drive my car,” Poppy said to Lacey. “If I have too much?”
“Of course,” Lacey said. “I’ll be a designated driver for a year or so.”
Well, that blew Beck’s plan of getting her into his truck for the ride home. He sighed and reached for a straw for his water.
Then winced.
“Sunburned?” Lacey asked.
“I think a little.”
“I thought you put on sunscreen.”
“I did, before I went in the first time. I should have reapplied.” And he had probably missed some spots, though he’d considered asking Lacey to apply it for him. He just hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask her. It seemed a little too intimate, and he thought his outburst earlier had alarmed her.
“My skin’s feeling a little tight too,” she admitted, patting her cheeks. “I think I was a little too cavalier about being in the shade.”
“Yeah, it’s the reflection of the sun on the water that gets you.”
“It’s okay. I have aloe vera at home. I can get you some when we get to town.”
“Yeah, that would be great, thanks.”
“Hey, did y’all hear Austin Driscoll is due to come back to town this week?” Sofia asked.
“That’s Dr. Austin Driscoll,” Con said. “At least he’d better be a doctor after the town paid for his med school.”
“I’m sure he wouldn't come back otherwise,” Lacey said quietly.
“Are you going to start going to him instead of driving into San Angelo?” Poppy asked.
Lacey grimaced. “That would be so weird, going to him for that. I’m going to stick with Dr. Fredrick, until it gets closer to the time. I don't mind having an excuse to go into San Angelo once a month.”
“Poppy and I have been working on making the space above the office into an apartment,” Sofia said. “I mean, it had the kitchenette and bathroom already, but we cleaned it up and got some hand-me-down furniture and are trying to make it as welcoming as possible.”
“He’ll live above the office? That will suck” Beck said. “Never getting away from your job. How long does he have to serve here to fulfill the commitment?”
