commented as they walked out. “You want me to follow you home?”
“Would you mind?”
“Not at all.”
A HALF HOUR LATER, THEY WERE WALKING INTO THE B LUE Moon Diner.
They found a table by the windows and he held her chair for her as if they were in a fancy restaurant that had starched white tablecloths. When they ordered, she noticed he didn’t even glance at the menu.
“You’ve been here before.”
“A few times.”
He looked happier than she’d ever seen him.
When he ordered a cup of coffee she reminded him that it was late for caffeine.
“You worried about my sleeping habits, Emily?” he asked.
“No,” she answered, thinking that it had been so long since she’d had a date she didn’t know how to have a conversation with a man. Only this wasn’t a date. It was simple payback for a meal.
The waitress returned with their drinks and took their orders. Emily tried to settle into conversation with Tannon, but it didn’t come easy. At one point she felt more like she was giving an accounting of how the meeting went than simply discussing it. To her surprise, he seemed interested in every detail.
When the food arrived, they ate in silence. When they finished, he ordered another cup of coffee. Apparently he wasn’t in as much hurry for the evening to be over as she was.
She’d run out of anything to say. She wanted to ask about his mother, but she thought she’d let him bring it up first.
Through the window they saw the sheriff’s car pass by, and Tannon told her that the diner had been robbed a few mornings ago. Someone must have been hiding in the place. Cass had come in, opened the diner, then stepped out backto dump some trash. When he came back inside he saw a man running for the front door with his cash drawer.
“How much did the guy get?”
Tannon shrugged. “Not much. A few hundred. Cass is mad because he’s going to have to buy a new drawer.”
When they left the diner, Tannon rested his hand on the small of her back. It seemed a little thing but it was all she thought about as they hurried to the truck. Tannon was almost a head taller than she was and his touch felt comforting and solid.
He turned on the engine but didn’t put the truck in gear. Instead, he sat there for a moment, waiting for the heater to warm the air between them. They watched the lights go out in the diner, and then he turned slightly toward her.
“Emily. Thanks for having dinner with me. I don’t get out much with people. I guess I’m not great company. I usually stop by and pick up something on the way home.”
She watched him knowing his words didn’t come easy. “You were fine.” She looked away, relieved that they were both in shadows. “I’m surprised you’re not married with a couple of kids by now. Most of the people we graduated with are.” She thought of adding that he wasn’t bad-looking. She’d heard two women in the bakery talking about him once. One said he was walking, breathing sex appeal, but he was hard to work for. He expected everyone in the office to put in forty hours of work a week and everyone knows that no one in an office works every minute. The other added that receptionists didn’t stay around long once they learned there would be no sleeping with the boss, but he kept hiring lookers for the front desk.
“I guess your business takes up a lot of time.” She couldn’t help but wonder if the gossip she’d heard was true. Folks said he was a workaholic who never took a day off. The shy boy she’d known had morphed into a machine.
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Not much time for dating.”
“Me neither,” she admitted. “In truth, I was never any good at it anyway.”
“Me neither. I gave it my best effort in college, but notone girl I took out felt right.” He spread his arm over the seat back, almost touching her shoulder.
She didn’t move. He was closer than anyone had been to her in a long time, but Tannon didn’t make her uncomfortable.
“I used to
“Would you mind?”
“Not at all.”
A HALF HOUR LATER, THEY WERE WALKING INTO THE B LUE Moon Diner.
They found a table by the windows and he held her chair for her as if they were in a fancy restaurant that had starched white tablecloths. When they ordered, she noticed he didn’t even glance at the menu.
“You’ve been here before.”
“A few times.”
He looked happier than she’d ever seen him.
When he ordered a cup of coffee she reminded him that it was late for caffeine.
“You worried about my sleeping habits, Emily?” he asked.
“No,” she answered, thinking that it had been so long since she’d had a date she didn’t know how to have a conversation with a man. Only this wasn’t a date. It was simple payback for a meal.
The waitress returned with their drinks and took their orders. Emily tried to settle into conversation with Tannon, but it didn’t come easy. At one point she felt more like she was giving an accounting of how the meeting went than simply discussing it. To her surprise, he seemed interested in every detail.
When the food arrived, they ate in silence. When they finished, he ordered another cup of coffee. Apparently he wasn’t in as much hurry for the evening to be over as she was.
She’d run out of anything to say. She wanted to ask about his mother, but she thought she’d let him bring it up first.
Through the window they saw the sheriff’s car pass by, and Tannon told her that the diner had been robbed a few mornings ago. Someone must have been hiding in the place. Cass had come in, opened the diner, then stepped out backto dump some trash. When he came back inside he saw a man running for the front door with his cash drawer.
“How much did the guy get?”
Tannon shrugged. “Not much. A few hundred. Cass is mad because he’s going to have to buy a new drawer.”
When they left the diner, Tannon rested his hand on the small of her back. It seemed a little thing but it was all she thought about as they hurried to the truck. Tannon was almost a head taller than she was and his touch felt comforting and solid.
He turned on the engine but didn’t put the truck in gear. Instead, he sat there for a moment, waiting for the heater to warm the air between them. They watched the lights go out in the diner, and then he turned slightly toward her.
“Emily. Thanks for having dinner with me. I don’t get out much with people. I guess I’m not great company. I usually stop by and pick up something on the way home.”
She watched him knowing his words didn’t come easy. “You were fine.” She looked away, relieved that they were both in shadows. “I’m surprised you’re not married with a couple of kids by now. Most of the people we graduated with are.” She thought of adding that he wasn’t bad-looking. She’d heard two women in the bakery talking about him once. One said he was walking, breathing sex appeal, but he was hard to work for. He expected everyone in the office to put in forty hours of work a week and everyone knows that no one in an office works every minute. The other added that receptionists didn’t stay around long once they learned there would be no sleeping with the boss, but he kept hiring lookers for the front desk.
“I guess your business takes up a lot of time.” She couldn’t help but wonder if the gossip she’d heard was true. Folks said he was a workaholic who never took a day off. The shy boy she’d known had morphed into a machine.
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Not much time for dating.”
“Me neither,” she admitted. “In truth, I was never any good at it anyway.”
“Me neither. I gave it my best effort in college, but notone girl I took out felt right.” He spread his arm over the seat back, almost touching her shoulder.
She didn’t move. He was closer than anyone had been to her in a long time, but Tannon didn’t make her uncomfortable.
“I used to
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