Page 29 of Sheltered

It was so simple, but so wonderful. And for a few long moments, neither one of us made the effort to move away from the other. Truthfully, no matter how much I’d been looking forward to our drive-in date tonight, I would have been content to stand there, just inside my front door, wrapped up in his arms while he kissed me.

But given that Blaze was a man of his word who refused to disappoint me, he broke us out of the stupor and urged me to grab whatever I needed so we could get going.

Now, we were here at the drive-in, and it wasn’t anything like I’d expected. I had assumed it would be like it was in the movies—Blaze would pull his truck in, and we’d sit in our seats, watching through the windshield.

I was wrong.

Because Blaze had another idea in mind, and he came well prepared to execute it.

We were now in the bed of his truck on a pile of thick blankets and a couple of pillows. Not only that, but Blaze brought dinner for the both of us—hoagies, chips, and drinks.

Ever since we’d made the plan to come to the theater, I had wondered whether it could even come close to being as much fun as my day ziplining with Blaze had been. The night had just barely started, and I was in awe. But I didn’t think it was fair to compare the dates at this point, or ever. Not only were they just too different to begin with, but I really couldn’t say one was better than the other. I liked them both for very different reasons, and I didn’t think I needed to pressure myself to choose a favorite.

I had a feeling this date would give me something that the last one hadn’t, and vice versa.

And once I’d decided it wasn’t necessary to rank this date against the last one, I immersed myself in the moment, doing that by telling Blaze exactly what I thought about what he’d set up for us tonight. The movie hadn’t started, so we had some time to enjoy a bit of conversation while we ate.

Seeming a bit proud of himself, he glanced around the bed of his truck, nodded, and agreed, “Yeah, I was kind of hoping to capture a cozy ambience.”

Grinning at him, I insisted, “Well, you’ve nailed it. And you even packed us dinner, so you’re excelling at all of it.”

“I’d love to say I made these sandwiches myself, but it would be a lie. I ordered them from Grant’s Deli. The owner, Mallory, is married to one of my coworkers, Nixon,” he revealed. “I figured they would be perfect for this tonight.”

“Oh, wow. How cool is it that your coworker is married to her?” I asked as I moved to open my sandwich.

“If you think that’s cool, I wonder how you’d feel knowing the owner of Harper Security Ops is married to the owner of The Early Bird,” he countered.

My eyes widened in shock. “The coffee and doughnut shop?”

Blaze nodded and sunk his teeth into his sandwich.

Since he couldn’t speak with his mouth full of food, I asked another question. “Are all of your coworkers married to women who own cool spots to eat in town?”

He shook his head and swallowed. “We’ve got more than twenty guys working at Harper Security, and while a good chunk of them is spoken for, they aren’t all married just yet. Plus, we still have a couple of guys who are single. All of that to say, of those who are involved with someone, there are quite a few women who own businesses in town. They aren’t all food joints, though. And fun fact, the place we met is a place where another woman works.”

I tipped my head to the side. “The Steel Pub?”

“Yep. Sawyer is one of the bartenders there,” he explained.

This news blew my mind. “Did you know someone who works at the ziplining place? Or do you know the owner of this drive-in, too?”

Blaze let out a laugh, took a sip of his drink, and replied, “No. But if a different movie was playing tonight, we’d see one of my coworker’s fiancée on the screen.”

My lips parted as my jaw dropped open. “What? Who?”

“Lily Mack.”

This was becoming more and more insane. “Your coworker is engaged to be married to Lily Mack, the famous actress?”

“He is.”

“Wow, what a lucky bunch,” I marveled.

As Blaze nodded, I noticed a solemn look wash over his expression. I wanted to ask him about it, but I worried I might be pushing boundaries when we were just getting to know one another. If there was something he wanted to share, I believed Blaze wouldn’t hesitate to share it.

So, instead of confronting him about it, I chose to redirect the conversation. “I hope you know just how much I appreciate all the effort you put into this tonight. The movie hasn’t even started, and it’s already wonderful.”

Something warm stole over him, which was a big relief given the look that had been there only moments before. Blaze didn’t mind sharing that warmth with me when he revealed, “I was really looking forward to tonight, and I wanted it to be special, so I didn’t want to skimp on any part of it.”