Page 23 of Forever Enough
A bubble of excitement coursed through my veins. “I think I’d love to see that. You won’t get hurt, will you?”
He winked. “I hope not!”
Bradly slipped out of the truck and made his way to my door. He opened it and held out his hand to help me down. “Don’t slip, looks like I’ve got some ice on the footrail.”
I carefully stepped out of the truck and looked up at the restaurant. “Naps Grill? I’ve heard this is a great place to eat.”
“It’s one of my favorites. I always try to eat here at least once when I come home.”
Like the gentleman Bradly was, he motioned for me to go first as he said once again, “Don’t slip, there’s some ice right here.”
Nodding, I took his offered arm. It felt so nice to have someone looking out for me, even if it was just something simple like watching for ice. He reminded me of the heroes in the romance books I loved so much. A real-life book boyfriend was turning out to be much better than a fictional one.
Well, he wasn’t my boyfriend. But a girl could dream about finding love one day.
We stepped inside and I took in the decor. It had a very rustic feel, and I was instantly in love with the warm and cozy vibe.
“What a cute place,” I said as we walked up toward a counter.
“Yeah, I love this place. We order at the counter, then we can either sit on this side, or on the other side, which has a bar.”
I nodded. “How about the bar side? What do you recommend to eat?”
That brilliant smile of his broke out over his handsome face, and I was once again charmed by his boyish good looks.
“You can’t go wrong with any of their burgers. I love the French dip sandwich, the Rockefeller burger, and the Vanderbilt chicken sandwich.”
I scanned the menu, reading the description for his choices, and raised my brows. “You like spicy things, I see.”
“The Rockefeller is the burger of all burgers. Their onion rings are heavenly, as well.”
Glancing at him, I grinned. “Thank you for not suggesting a salad. That would have been the first thing my mother…”
I let my voice trail off. Had I really been about to talk about my mother?
Bradly didn’t miss a beat. “Salads are for pussies.”
Laughing, I turned back to the menu. When it was our turn, Bradly ordered the Rockefeller, and I ordered the Vanderbilt. We decided to split an order of onion rings.
We waited up at the counter for our food, which took no time at all. Bradly grabbed it and we made our way to the bar side of the restaurant. It was just as cozy as the rest of the place.
“Hey, Dan,” Bradly said to the bartender, as he turned a stool for me to slide up onto. He placed my sandwich in front of me and put the onion rings between us before he took a seat.
“Bradly! It’s good to see you, man. How’s the bull-riding gig going?”
“It’s going. How’s your family?”
A look of pride filled the bartender’s face. “Millie just had our first baby. It’s a girl we named after her mother, Ashley.”
Bradly reached across the bar and shook his hand. “Congratulations, man. I’m happy for you and Millie.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll tell her I ran into you and pass it along.”
“I bet life has changed a bit for y’all,” I said with a smile, wanting to acknowledge his celebration in some way.
“I’m sorry,” Bradly stated. “Dan, this is Mackenzie. Mackenzie, this is Dan. We went to high school together. His family owns this place.”
“Oh, it’s such a charming restaurant. I love it already.”