Staring at my phone on the desk in my living room, I debated calling her. I wanted a chance to get us away from town, away from everything there and just breathe. If she would let me. That was the key. Figuring the worst that could happen was she would say no, I grabbed the phone and hit her contact information. I exhaled slowly as the phone rang.
“Hello, Carter,” she said when I answered.
“Hey. Look, I’ve been thinking it might be a good idea for the two of us to just get away for a day or so. Go somewhere way away from Ashford and have a nice dinner.”
“Where?” she asked. I counted that as a good sign. She didn’t immediately say no. Hurriedly, I opened my laptop and searched for something that would fit.
“Well,” I said, trying to give myself a few seconds to find something, “I was thinking maybe getting out of the mountains. If you don’t mind a little drive, I was thinking maybe Knoxville?”
“Knoxville? Isn’t that a bit of a drive?”
“It is,” I said. “But I thought the drive might be nice too. If I make us a reservation, would you come?”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment, and I nearly held my breath in anticipation.
“Yes,” she said. “I think that would be nice. Text me when you have a reservation, and I’ll let you know when you can pick me up.”
“Fair enough. I look forward to seeing you.”
“Me too,” she said quickly. “Goodbye.”
She hung up before I could even say anything, but I was fine with that. She was looking forward to seeing me too. That meant there was hope.
I scanned through the different restaurant reviews and found a place I thought would be nice. Something wildly different than what we could find in Ashford anyway. I called and made a reservation for a few hours later, enough time that I could pick her up and drive the hour and a half into town. It was a hike, but the drive that way was gorgeous. I had done it before and enjoyed it, heading that way for a concert years before. As the sun went down, and the golden light kissed the mountains and then laid out in the plains ahead, it was as if it were heaven on Earth.
With the restaurant reserved, I hopped in the shower and got ready. I reached into the closet and pulled out the special cologne bottle. Spritzing my neck with it once, I looked up at the ceiling and smiled.
“This stuff better work, bud,” I muttered.
As I pulled into her driveway, Lauren was already standing at the door waiting for me. I hopped out and opened the passenger door for her, and she got inside, a whiff of her jasmine-scented perfume following her.
“You look fantastic,” I said as I piled into the driver’s seat. She was wearing a pretty blue dress, tight on her top half and flowing down to her knees. Her long, slender neck was adorned with a simple necklace with a heart pendant on it. I recognized it as one she said her mother had given her when she was a teen.
“Thank you,” she said. “Let’s get going. We’re going to be late.”
“I don’t think so. I made the reservation far enough out that we have time to make a leisurely travel.”
“Good. I’m just glad to get out of Ashford.”
“I get it,” I said, pulling out of her driveway and heading to the highway. “I am too.”
We hit the road and made great time, mostly quiet in the cab of the truck as music played softly out of the radio. Lauren kept her eyes on the window, looking out over the mountains as we traveled over the scenic route, admiring the same things I did. Once, a hawk kept pace with the truck, just a few feet away for a little bit before peeling off.
As we left the mountains and neared Knoxville, the light began to disappear, and the brightness of the city replaced it. By the time we pulled into the restaurant, five minutes early, the smile that she had been trying to hide the entire trip was peeking through to the point where she gave up fighting it.
“I’ve heard about this place,” she said as I helped her out of the car. “It was on one of the food shows I watched.”
“I know. I remembered. You watched it with me.”
“I did.” She smiled. “I’m so excited.”
“Me too,” I said. It was true, I was extremely excited. But my excitement had little to do with the restaurant and everything to do with the fact that her hand slid into mine, and suddenly, we were back to being us. Only we didn’t have to hide.
The date went well, slipping so easily back into our flirty and silly chemistry it was as if nothing bad ever happened. Her lips, so shiny and red in her bright lipstick, were tempting me to the point where I had no choice but to try to kiss them. When I did, over the empty appetizers and tasting the wine off her tongue, she melted into me.