Page 71 of I'm Not His Style
We took slow, careful steps down the block stairs until we reached the bottom. We stood on the concrete slabs, water falling on all sides of us. The sound of it rushing was much louder than I’d expected, and we felt a little cocooned down there.
“Okay,” I conceded, “I wasn’t too impressed from the top, but it’s pretty cool down here.”
“I agree.” Rhett slid his hands around my waist. “Everything really is bigger in Texas.”
Ha. I’d thought the same thing. “Even their fountains.”
“Thanks for coming out with me.”
“I had fun at the rodeo tonight. Your date seemed super nice.”
“She was. My sister would’ve loved her.”
“Because your sister also wears a lot of leather?”
He chuckled, and I felt it through my chest. “No, because she loves eclectic personalities. I’m pretty sure she’d love you too.”
I waited, hoping he would invite me to join him tomorrow and meet his sister. If I was really his girlfriend, that would be expected, right? I had kind of been waiting for it all day and hoping he would say something, but he hadn’t yet.
He breathed out, his hands splaying across my back. “Bridget has been on my case about coordinating more Instagram posts with Karina, but I can’t bring myself to do it.”
Great. I was thinking about us, and he was thinking about work. Typical. “Then don’t.”
“I’m not. Bridget has my Instagram login anyway, so she can post them.”
Not exactly what I meant, but I wasn’t going to say so. Time to redirect the conversation back to his sister. Maybe he was still working up the courage to invite me. “What do you have planned with Hallie?”
“We’re going to a lake house not too far from here and spending a few days together. It’s pretty low-key.”
“That will be really fun. Apparently, I’m going to learn how to line dance.”
He grew still. “I forgot about that. You’re going with Adalyn?”
“Should I not?” I could go to a lake house with him instead...
His mouth turned down at the ends in a conciliatory expression. “No, you don’t need to stay in for my benefit or anything. I’m not fond of the idea of you dancing with other guys.”
I scoffed playfully and leaned back. “Is Rhett Myers jealous?”
“Yes.” He stood up straighter. “I might be.”
Whoa, I had not been expecting that. It sent the butterflies to my stomach in full force.
“I understand. I know there’s nothing between you and Karina, but I still don’t like seeing your pictures together.”
“Don’t be surprised if I’m texting you nonstop for the next two nights so you don’t forget about me when you dance with all those cowboys.”
“As if I could ever forget about you.”
We climbed back up out of the fountain and made our way to the other exhibits in the area. There was a reflective, quiet pond. We walked the perimeter in the peaceful silence of the night. Another couple passed us at one point, and Rhett ducked his head, looking away, but they didn’t seem to notice who he was. When we got in the car to drive back to the hotel, I leaned against the seat and closed my eyes.
We made it back to the hotel, and Rhett parked the car in the underground garage and turned off the ignition. He looked at me. “You were really unexpected, Beth.”
“That’s a compliment, right?”
“Yeah. I had sort of prepared myself for something a little different when I knew you were joining the tour, and you surprised me.”
A curious feeling moved through me. “Surprised you in a good way?”