“I like that idea.”
I had a reason for keeping the nature of the date a secret. The last place was a standard fancy joint. The food was great, the view was killer, and the service was always impeccable. But it was the kind of place that any date would be impressed by. After all, who would have a problem with sipping a glass of red wine while looking out over the moon-lit Rocky Mountains?
The restaurant I was taking her tonight, however, would be a real test. It was less a conventional place to eat, but one of my favorites.
“We’ll be there soon,” I promised. “So you won’t have to wait in suspense for long.”
“Fair enough.”
“And what about your week?”
“Well, maybe I’ve got a surprise of my own. When you reveal yours, I’ll reveal mine.”
“Perfect.”
I took a few turns downtown, eventually leading us to one of the side roads. Once there, I spotted the restaurant up ahead and pulled into an open spot. Annie, understandably confused, looked around at the empty street around us – well, empty aside from the cars parked in front of the restaurant.
“Where are we?”
“We’re there. Come on.” I killed the engine before going around to let her out.
And as soon as she stepped out of the Land Rover and sniffed the air, I knew the jig was up.
“BBQ?” she asked.
“BBQ,” I affirmed. “Come on.”
I took her hand and led her down the street. The entrance to the restaurant was down a flight of stairs from the sidewalk, nothing about the joint obviously advertised. When we reached the steel door, I pulled it open and watched her eyes widen.
The place – Finger Lickin’ BBQ – was packed, as usual. It was a massive restaurant with space for a hundred people, all of the tables covered in paper and messy-looking BBQ. Servers rushed here and there, dropping off big plates of ribs and pulled pork and burgers along with more than a few beers. Wild country music was in the air, and the walls were covered in neon sights of all different colors.
“Come on.” I took her hand and led her to one of the back booths, the sweet smell of BBQ thick in the air.
“I had no idea this place even existed,” she commented, then snickered. “Of course, I am new to the area.”
“It’s only for those in the know,” I said. “Believe or not, even a small town like this can have its secrets.”
She flashed me a sly smile, clearly pleased by this response. “And that’s why you made the suggestion about clothes.”
“I don’t know about you,” I said as I slipped out of my pea coat. “But I can’t seem to have more than a few ribs without sauce ending up on my shirt.”
“Hmm,” she said. “I bet if I ask the server, they’ll bring you a bib for that.”
“Cute,” I said after a laugh. She winked in response as the server arrived with menus. “How about a couple of sampler platters and pitcher of local pilsner?” She lifted a brow in question. It’s a little bit of everything.”
“Hey, as long as it’s meat and covered in sauce and served with a beer, I’m happy.”
And there was the answer I was looking for. Smiling, I ordered our food and beer. I’d been on more than a few second dates here in the past, and the women weren’t all that happy with my choice of restaurant. The fancy places in Denver always went over well, but when I brought them to a simple, downhome place like this, they often showed their true colors.
The last thing I wanted was a woman with expensive tastes who couldn’t get her hands all sauced up working through a plate of ribs.
“So you’ve learned my secret. Time for yours.”
Excitement lit up her face. “So I followed your advice. I looked for some jobs in journalism and landed an interview.”
“Are you serious? Congratulations! What’s the publication?” I asked, excited for her.
“You might’ve heard of it – it’s called Classical Monthly.”
“Wait, the Classical Monthly? The biggest classical music magazine out there?”
She blushed a tad, as if me mentioning that fact made her a touch nervous. “That’s the one. I sent them a little music writing I’d done for a blog I had in college. And between that and my hobby playing for kids in hospitals, they were totally down to talk about a position with the magazine.”
The server arrived, placing our pitcher and two iced mugs on the table.
“And it actually pays pretty well,” she told me as I poured our beers. “It’s a full-time job with benefits and everything. I don’t know if it’s what I want to do forever, but it’ll be perfect for now. And it’s a subject I love to write about, so that makes it even better. It’s not even close to being certain, but I’m going to be talking to one of the editors soon so…who knows?”
I lifted my beer. “In that case, we’re having a toast.”
She smiled, raising her mug. “Alright. I’ll drink to that.”
We tapped rims, and as soon as we set our drinks back down, we fell into effortless conversation. I told her a little about my work that weekend, along with my plans for the next couple of weeks. And this was to my total surprise – I never liked to talk about work during dates. But not only did she ask, she seemed interested. So, I was more than happy to tell her about it.
But what I really wanted was to hear more about her. She told me other than the job hunt success, she’d had a great visit with her family. As she chattered about this subject, I couldn’t stop watching her. When she spoke about her family, nothing but love shown in her eyes, and the pure affection in her voice was lovely. She told me about her mom and dad, and about the sister she’d almost lost at a young age. Not to mention the adorable nephew she couldn’t get enough of.
The food arrived during our conversation, and we dived into it, Annie telling me more about her family, and me eagerly listening. There was no doubt in my mind that Annie cared deeply for her family. I already knew she had a big heart, but this only cinched it.
She was beautiful and kind and loving. What more could I want? There was the little matter of her being my brother’s ex, but I had no doubt I’d be able to handle that in time.
When we were done, nothing but bones and sauce on our plates, I ordered some apple cobbler to go and we left. I took her hand as we went back to the car. The sounds of our footsteps echoed through the otherwise empty street around us. The back of my neck tingled. The restaurant was second-to-none, but I wasn’t crazy about how isolated it was from the rest of town.
“I’m not too far from here,” I told her. “Want to come to my place for a bit?”
She opened her mouth to speak, but before another word came out, a voice spoke from behind us.
“Hey!” The word was delivered in a friendly tone.
We turned to see a tall, wiry man dressed in thick winter gear, a white tear on the elbow of his puffy black jacket, a knit cap pulled down nearly over his eyes.
I was on guard right away. “Yes?” I asked.
He smiled, but it wasn’t a warm, friendly smile in the least. It was the smile of a man on edge, a man I needed to watch myself around. A man I needed to watch Annie around. Before saying a word, I took a small step forward, putting my body between him and Annie. He twitched at this, making me even more certain my gut instinct was right.