“Ah, well, I have been there for breakfast before, and it’s amazing. Plus, we could eat and come back here for a bit before you go to work,” I said. “What do you think?”
“I think that sounds splendid,” she said. “Do you think I can go like this?”
She held her arms out to her sides in a silly pose, and her figure cast a shadow through the thin, white shirt that made me again very aware of how little I was wearing too.
“I think they might frown on that,” I said. “Not that I would complain.”
“I suppose I’ll get dressed then,” she sighed comically.
“Me too. I can help if need be.”
Zanzibar was one of the more established restaurants in Ashford, though I had only been there a couple of times. It was more of a sit-down place, which never really appealed to me outside of breakfast buffets. I could kill a breakfast buffet.
This place, however, was more traditional, and when Rebecca and I walked in, we were instantly surrounded by big hats and men in suits. The church crowd was strong on Sunday mornings. I felt underdressed in the same clothes from the night before, but Rebecca seemed to have seen it coming and was wearing a simple but cute dress.
We were seated along the wall, near a corner away from most of the other patrons. That was alright to me. A little space and distance from the rest of the world while I lost myself in her gaze was just what I was hoping for. That and a mountain of eggs. I had worked up a hell of an appetite.
Afterward, we made our way back to her place, and I took a seat on the couch in a living room I had barely noticed when I came in the night before. It was a typical twenty-something living room, I supposed. Pictures of family and friends on the wall, a television in the center of the far wall from the door, and a big couch across from it. A wall of books and DVDs in free-standing shelves affixed on either side of the TV spoke of her interests.
Romantic comedies, old literature, a couple of gardening books, and cookbooks. The usual fare. Some of the shelves had stoppers to separate the books or hold up one end. Many of them were gnomes or fairies or unicorns. One of them was a glass skull with what looked like scotch in it. That one I would have to ask her about if I got the chance.
Rebecca curled up beside me, and we put on the television, stopping on an adult-oriented animated comedy show. It was her choice, and I was happy to see we had very similar senses of humor. Another tick off a box for me, the things she laughed at.
It didn’t take long before we were making out on her couch. It was a bit more reserved and innocent than the night before, though our hands were moving all over, and I felt like I was seconds away from ripping my clothes off and spending the next few hours making her writhe like she had last night.
“Shit,” I said when I looked at the clock. “Twelve fifteen. If you’re going to get to the tattoo shop, you’ve only got a few minutes before you should leave.”
“Dammit,” she muttered, her lips just an inch from my neck, so her breath warmed me where she spoke. “I need to change. This isn’t exactly tattoo shop attire.”
Rebecca stood and made her way to the bedroom while I made sure I had all my things. Keys, wallet, phone, all in their appropriate pockets, all my clothes back on my body, and Rebecca back in a T-shirt and jeans, we made our way to the door. One last kiss goodbye in front of our cars separated us, and she hopped in her jeep. I revved the engine of my truck and watched her pull away first, heading in the direction of town.
As I watched her go, I thought about the twist in my chest at her absence. It was too much like falling for her. And it was way too fast for all that noise.
Grimacing, I turned the wheel and headed back to my cabin, hoping against hope that Everett was either out on errands or otherwise not home and awake when I got there. I didn’t want to hear it.
16
REBECCA
It was torture driving to work. Knowing that he was behind me, watching me as I pulled out onto the road and heading across town was awful, though I kept my eyes on the rearview mirror as long as I could safely do so. My eyes flickered back and forth up until I crested a hill and went down the other side, leaving his truck behind the horizon and out of sight.