; She stepped out onto the porch of the cabin and took in a deep breath. He wasn’t here yet. There wasn’t a thunderstorm today, which she was glad of. The sun was starting to creep closer to the mountains for the night, and the scent of pine was thick in the air. It always amazed her how late the sun set in the summer.
She stepped off the porch and saw him walking toward her. Her body heated as she looked at him. He had on his faded jeans, low-slung and ripped at the knee and t-shirt that fit him perfectly. Somehow still looked like he just walked off the catwalk. She had a hard time believing that this guy had sat behind a desk to make his living. His broad shoulders and trim waist made it look like he’d worked on cars and with his hands his whole life instead.
“All ready?” he asked. He stopped short of her with a friendly smile.
Friends, she told herself. Just friends. He had seemed to have completely forgotten their almost kiss earlier if it hadn’t been all in her mind in the first place. Maybe she was just hallucinating due to hunger.
“Yup,” she said, putting on a smile of her own. “I’m ready for that hamburger.”
This time he’d left his car in the garage, so they walked across the ranch. She made sure to keep her distance and not accidentally bump her hand into his. Even though she wanted to. The last thing she wanted was for him to stop spending time with her because she tried too hard to kiss him.
The car ride down to Sandy’s was comfortable, and she started to relax. He liked alternative rock on the radio, and they talked about music. She preferred country, and he only teased her a little bit about it before turning on a country station.
“Wow, the place looks packed,” Bonnie said as they pulled into the parking lot. Every spot seemed to have a car in it. Dylan pulled around to the back and managed to find a spot just as someone was leaving.
“It’ll be fine,” Dylan promised, but he didn’t sound terribly confident about it.
They got out of the car and walked into the restaurant. The night before, they’d walked in and sat right down, but tonight they could barely get in the entrance.
“Do you want to wait?” Bonnie asked as someone jostled her shoulder. Being in the crowd made her nervous. She didn’t like crowds since it was too hard to see if someone was watching her. “Maybe we could go someplace else?”
“No,” he said firmly. “Green chili burger, right?”
She nodded, keeping her arms wrapped around her.
“I’ll be right back,” he told her. He touched her shoulder gently, but it didn’t put her at ease. She put her back to the wall so she could watch everyone else. She wasn’t hungry anymore. Not with this many people around. The space between her shoulder blades itched like someone was watching her.
She knew it was silly. No one knew she was in town here. No one was even paying attention to her, but she still felt like she was wearing a neon sign with an arrow pointing to her for the mob to see.
Dylan made his way to the bar. She recognized the bartender as Elena. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Dylan said something to her, and she looked up, meeting Bonnie’s gaze. She smiled and waved. Bonnie did her best to return the motion. She hoped it looked friendly enough.
Dylan said something more to Elena before making his way back through the crowd to get to her.
“Elena says she can get us the burgers to go in ten minutes,” he said, leaning over and speaking quietly into her ear so the other patrons wouldn’t hear. She liked how it felt intimate, even if it wasn’t.
“Seriously?” Bonnie pulled back and looked around. The place was packed. Ten minutes was barely long enough to get the food cooked, let alone cook it with all the orders the restaurant had to be receiving.
“There are perks to having someone on the inside,” he told her. “I have friends in high places. I don’t know if you know this, but I’m kind of a big deal.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “I’m sure you are.”
“I’m basically a king in Silver Springs,” he replied, brushing his shoulder in an exaggerated motion as he puffed out his chest. He winked at her.
She laughed, feeling a little more at ease with him near her. “Or Elena is just awesome.”
“That’s possible too,” he agreed with a smile. “Can I get you a drink? I happen to know someone.”
She thought about it. A drink sounded great, but ever since the fire, she didn’t like the way alcohol made her feel. She needed to stay sharp and in control. “I’m good. Thanks.”
“Okay.” He shrugged and leaned against the wall next to her.
It was hardly three minutes before Elena reappeared at the bar and held up a large paper bag. Dylan touched Bonnie’s shoulder with a smile before heading through the crowd to pick it up. Bonnie hesitated for half a second before following him.
“Thank you for calling in your order, Mr. Abbott,” Elena announced. She winked at Dylan as she handed him the bag.
“Thanks, Elena,” he replied, handing her a couple of crisp bills. “See you later.”