“So, where are we off to for dinner?” I assumed we would show up at one of the restaurants in town and send tongues wagging for a few days.
Chase said nothing, only smiled as he helped me into his shiny black car, closed the door and jogged around to the driver’s side door. “That is a surprise. Do you like surprises Carlotta?”
“I don’t not like them, then again I can’t remember the last time I was surprised by anyone. Well except for Lacey running off to cover unrest in Venezuela.”
He laughed. “That was pretty unexpected.” Chase handled the car well, driving slightly over the speed limit as we immersed ourselves in conversation.
“What about you, any urges to travel?”
“Maybe. Some day. I’ve always wanted to see the world, but when you decide to run for mayor, well you have to stay close to home.”
“I guess I hadn’t thought about that. Well you’re near the end of your first term, which means in about five years you’ll be free to roam the world with a scruffy face and sunburn.”
He let out a gruff laugh. “Maybe the scruff, but I’ll pass on the sunburn.”
“Ah, the plight of the fair-skinned redhead.”
“It’s not joke,” he shot back with a teasing smile. “Sometimes I get a bit burnt even on overcast days.”
“You ought to look into being a guinea pig for SPF 1000 or something like that, I’m sure that’s a thing.”
“Believe me, I have the strongest sunblock you can legally buy, so don’t think I won’t try it if the option becomes available.”
We drove on the interstate for about thirty minutes, chatting and falling into comfortable silence before we finally arrived at the restaurant.
“Barbecue?”
Chapter 8
Chase
A big ball of worry formed in my gut and worked its way up to lodge in my throat. The look Carlotta sent me had stopped me cold, because upon further reflection, it probably wasn’t the smartest idea in the world to take a classy woman like her to a barbecue themed restaurant.
“Yeah?” She was a southern girl through and through, and I figured she would appreciate the unique nature of this particular restaurant.
But there was an ear-splitting squeal followed quickly by a stunningly beautiful smile that made her brown eyes sparkle.
“Barbecue! Did you know that I absolutely love barbecue in all of its shapes, forms and varieties?” Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and finally my shoulders dropped below my ears.
At her expectant look, I felt put on the spot and blinked several times. “No actually, I didn’t know.” At her wide-eyed expression, I shrugged. “They have all types of barbecue here though, Texas, Memphis, Carolina, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Tandoori and even Brazilian.” Feeling ridiculous, and like a waiter, I rolled my eyes. “Plenty more, but too many to name. I thought it would be a fun place to check out.”
Carlotta grinned, her gaze full of happiness and excitement. “Well this is an absolutely wonderful surprise Chase. Thank you.” She hooked her arm through mine and gave it a squeeze. “Lead the way Mayor Chase.”
I groaned and she giggled as we made our way inside the restaurant and were quickly seated. A server appeared before we’d even looked at our menus. “What sounds good, Carlotta?”
She nibbled her lip as her eyes bounced over the drinks menu, but I knew the moment she spotted what she wanted, because her eyes flashed. “I’ll have the spiked sweet tea, please.”
“And I’ll have the regular sweet tea.”
“All right. Take your time with the menu, and I’ll be right back with your drinks. The back pages have all the tasting menu items we have just in case you folks want the full global culinary experience.” The server flashed a smile and jaunted off, leaving us alone.
All alone.
I expected some type of awkwardness to fall over me as we both focused on the menus in front of us, but there was none. It was an easy, comfortable silence while it lasted.
“What do you think, Chase? Are we going around the world together, or are we taking separate journeys?”
It almost felt like she was talking about more than the menu, but what that more could be, I didn’t want to assume, so I shrugged and reminded myself this was just a dinner between friends. “That depends, Miss Carlotta, where would you like to go,” I drawled.