He nodded. “Yes, the night I was a dickhead.”
“An accurate description.”
His shifted his weight.
“You seem to have improved since that night.”
He grinned.
They were seated near a corner window at a table for two. Sloan didn’t miss the looks the customers were shooting him when they walked in together. By tomorrow the whole town would be talking about him dating the new dance instructor.
Grace peeked over her menu at him and caught him staring. “Do you know what you are going to order?”
He cleared his throat. “The eggplant Parmesan.”
“Really?” She grinned.
“It’s what I always get.” He shrugged.
“I’ll have that too.” She shut her menu and placed it on the table just as the waitress walked up.
“Can I get you something to drink?” The waitress, Maggie, smiled and pulled out her pad.
“How about we start with a bottle of the house wine? And we are both going to have the eggplant Parmesan.”
“I’ll put the order in and have your wine right out to you, Sloan.” She hurried off to fill their orders.
“I take it everyone knows you in this town.”
He sighed. “It’s both a blessing and a curse.”
“So I will be getting a phone call from Allison asking about our relationship?”
He cringed. “I’m afraid so.”
She laughed. “It’s fine. I’m afraid she’s already been asking questions.”
“She has?” He narrowed his gaze. Allison hadn’t mentioned a word to him.
“Well, actually Tabitha was the one asking. Allison was busy covering her ears and humming.”
Sloan laughed. Sounded like his sister, all right.
***
An hour later, Grace held out her wine glass for Sloan to refill. The food was wonderful and the company was even better. She hadn’t felt this free in a long time.
“Shall I bring you two another bottle?” Maggie appeared just as Sloan emptied the last of the wine into Grace’s glass.
“No, thank you, Maggie, just the check.”
Grace watched the waitress hurry off and wondered if the woman had already been on the phone with half of Cloverton.
“What are you thinking?”
She smiled. “I was thinking how everyone is going to be giving you a hard time when you go to work tomorrow.”
“I don’t have to work. I have the whole weekend off.” He stared at her with those eyes. God, she wanted to lean over and kiss him.
Maybe it was her newly found freedom or maybe it was the wine, she didn’t know. She felt braver than she had in months.
She leaned in. “So what are you going to do with your time off?”
A slow grin spread across his face and he reached for her hand. His thumb made slow circles across her knuckles. “Do you really think you should be asking me that? The answer might make you blush.”
“I’m a big girl. I think I can take it.” She lifted the wine glass to her lips.
“Here’s the check. I hope you two will come back soon.” Maggie gave them a finger wave and retreated back into the kitchen.
Sloan dug out his wallet and laid some cash on the table. “Are you ready?”
Curious whispers followed them as they made their way outside into the night.
He opened her door and lifted her up into the truck. His hand lingered a second too long, causing her heart to miss a few beats.
He slid into the driver’s side and started the engine. “It’s only nine. I thought I’d take you out to Cloverton Lake.”
She’d recognized the name from the maps she studied of the town but had never driven out to see for herself.
“I’d like that.”
Sloan rolled down the windows as they made the fifteen-minute trek south of town. The scent of freshly cut grass and tilled earth lingered in the air. She tilted her head toward the window and inhaled.
“Not many women like to ride with the window down. They’re usually afraid of messing up their hair.”
“I’m not worried about my hair. Besides, I like the smell; it’s invigorating and calming at the same time.” She looked at him and arched her brow. “That doesn’t make sense, does it?”
“It does to me.” He got out and walked around the truck. The headlights shone against his square jawline and sexy lips. Desire tugged at her stomach. She shook her head. She needed to get a grip on her raging hormones.
He opened her door and lifted her out of the truck. When her feet were safely on the ground, she waited for him to let her go. He didn’t.
“It’s been an hour and thirteen minutes since I kissed you.”
Her heart caught in her chest. “You counted the time?”
“No, I counted the minutes.” He glanced at his watch and then back at her. “Make that fourteen minutes.”
Something in her shifted, cracking the barrier she had so carefully erected to keep others out of her heart. One hot cop comes along with a sledgehammer of tender words destroying all those walls she’d built.