“I can be undressed in thirty seconds,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows.
She laughed and hit me on the shoulder. “I’m hungry for food!”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door, picking up my keys as I passed by the table. “Then food it is, my love.”
LIZA TALKED MY ear off about her new job as we walked into Lambert’s Barbecue. She was so excited about being a teacher; my heart soared for her.
“Would you lik
e to sit in or outside?” the hostess asked.
“Is there a band playing tonight?” I asked.
The hostess gave me a flirtatious once-over. She had a pixie cut with a streak of red running down the side. Her eyes narrowed a bit before she smiled and winked.
“Yep! The Whiskey Boats are playing. I’ll find y’all some good seats—near the bar, but kind of tucked in a corner.” She turned, motioning for us to follow.
We sat at a corner booth, tucked away just like the hostess said. I took Liza’s hand and was about to say something when a perky blonde came over. She gave me a big smile, then straightened up. It wasn’t lost on me that she pushed her chest out just a bit.
“Good evening y’all. What can I start you off with?”
I smiled politely before turning to Liza. She had a shocked look on her face—I’m sure it was because our waitress was running her tongue along her teeth, staring at me.
“Baby, have you been here before?” I asked Liza. She shook her head and finally pulled her eyes from the waitress, making a face. I couldn’t help but chuckle. I turned back to the waitress and said, “We’ll take two Ruby Red Mules, please.”
The waitress bit her lip and winked. “A Ruby Red Mule, got it.”
“Two Ruby Red Mule’s,” I said, pointing to Liza.
Liza waved her fingers at the waitress.
“Right,” the waitress said. “Would you like any appetizers? Maybe some crispy wild boar ribs, or achiote-seared chickpeas?”
Smiling, I said, “How about we start with some spicy deviled eggs?”
She winked at me…again. “I’ll get that order in right now.” She spun around and headed off toward the bar.
Liza made another face and said, “What the hell kind of barbecue place is this? Wild boar ribs? Seared chickpeas? This has to be a place Jessica liked to come to.”
I shook my head. “Nope. My dad and your dad actually brought me here about a month back.”
Her face contorted a bit and she looked back down at the menu. “My dad?”
“Yep. Your dad. He got the half local chicken and said it was really good.”
She closed the menu and said, “Then that’s what I’m getting because this country girl doesn’t even know what half the shit on this menu is.”
LIZA PLACED HER napkin on her plate and leaned back in the seat. “Oh my gosh, that was so good.”
I laughed. “I told you. It may not be the country barbecue you’re used to, but it’s good.”
The band had been playing all through dinner and we’d had to practically shout the whole time. When they took a break, we both sighed in relief.
“Shit. I didn’t think we’d be this close to the band.” I said with a chuckle.
The DJ tapped the mic. “Let’s take it back a few years, shall we?”
An old George Straight song played. I stood and took Liza’s hand in mine, leading her to the little dance floor. Her smile was so beautiful, and I loved how it made my stomach feel all kinds of weird. I pulled her into my arms.