Page 4 of She’s Got that Spark
I’ve never been drawn to a woman like this. All I can think about is how long I should wait to kiss her. If a date goes well, a goodnight kiss is traditional. I’ll watch those expressive, sparkling eyes to be sure. But that’s hours from now.
I don’t know what it is about this beautiful, sweet, smiling young lady, but I’m already infatuated with her.
3
EMMA
I’m grateful there’s a table at the back of Betty’s Bistro, so nobody can see how nervous I am. I’m also grateful that Aunt Tish and Uncle Boyle weren’t there when I quickly went home to change after work. Living with them has been okay so far, as long as we all keep a little distance. Aunt Tish is a bit like my pushy sisters, with all sorts of opinions on how other people should live.
I’m pretty sure Crow knows I’ve never really been on a date before. I’ve been to several events with groups of friends where everyone was trying to partner up, but I didn’t click with anyone.
With Crow, it was different. The second he looked into my eyes and touched my hair, something deep inside me awakened. There’s something wild about him. A magnetic force, pulling me closer.
“How long have you been in town?” Crow asks, after a smiling lady with a fifties pinup hairdo and wearing a tiger print dress hands us menus.
“Just three weeks. I lined up the job at the café before moving here to live with my aunt and uncle.”
“Where were you living before?”
His eyes are so deep I could get lost in them. “Chicago.” I can feel my nose wrinkling. “It was so busy. Too many people everywhere.”
He reaches out to trail his fingertips along my arm, making me notice how pale it looks against his tanned, inked skin. “Your heart needs wide open spaces. I bet you’re an artist, right?”
“Oh no.” My head shakes violently. “But I do appreciate art.”
He looks at me suspiciously, then changes the subject by pointing at the menu. “Everything I’ve ever eaten here is amazing. You must be ravenous from being on your feet all day.”
I’m relieved he mentioned that. My two older sisters always told me that women should order light food on dates, at least until things started to get serious. Being ladylike is important when looking for “a keeper”, according to them.Ugh. I swear my sisters are from the fifties. They’d love our server’s hair, for sure.
Ashley and Amber said they knew by the second date that their husbands – a dentist and a lawyer – were the men for them. But how can you possibly know that until you’ve spent real, meaningful time with a person?
Ugh.
I focus on the menu. “Which is better, the Rockabilly Burger or the Slow Jazz Pasta?”
“Hmm.” He ponders for a moment, then grins. “Do you like garlic?”
“Love it.”
“Get the pasta, then. It’s fantastic.” He leans closer, his lips drifting just at the edge of my cheekbone as he whispers, “And I really like garlic, although I bet it tastes even sweeter from your lips.”
Whoa. Who says something like that, just casually confident? Crow, apparently.
After we order dinner, accompanied by a “Blue Suede Fizz”…whatever that is…I look around. “Didn’t you say there was going to be music? There’s no stage.”
He chuckles, patting my knee. “You’ll see.”
We chat about Cedarville for a bit, and I learn that his family has been rooted here forever, although he went to art school in New York for a few years, then apprenticed in tattoo shops in Seattle and Austin.
He chose to come back to Wolfe Mountain after all that? Interesting. I’ve always felt drawn to this place, but didn’t know why until the lush scenery overtook me. I’ve wanted this to be my home ever since.
There’s a rumbling noise, gradually becoming louder. My head turns and I stare in disbelief. A flatbed truck rolls up right in front of the patio. A bunch of scruffy looking guys in black jump up, run some cables, then leap onto the makeshift stage.
“A mobile music truck?” I laugh.
“Yeah. They use it for holidays and town events, since they can drive it to any park. Betty got permission to use it every Tuesday over the summer.”
I sip my blue fizzy drink, which tastes like raspberry punch. “See, in a small town you can get that sorted with a phone call, and that’s that. In the city, it would take months of paperwork and permits.”