When he got into the car, he looked at her for a second with a faintly bemused smile on his face and then turned on the ignition.
“What?” she asked, curiously.
“I’ve been trying to get you out on a date for months. I’m glad we’re finally here,” he said.
“Me too,” she said.
As they backed out of the driveway, he asked, “So are the yard decorations yours or did your parents show up with those too?”
The front yard had a set of small bunny statues and some parrots with wings that spun around like windmills. Off to the side, there was a small birdbath and a couple of squirrel feeders shaped like horse heads.
She widened her eyes and tried to look offended. “You don’t like my bunny statues?”
As they drove up the street, she saw him glance over at her. She figured he was probably trying to determine whether she was being serious.
“They’re, uh…” Jim trailed off, obviously not sure how to continue.
Elle felt her lips twitch, and she finally said, “They just show up with this stuff. I never know what to do with it. They get offended if I don’t use it.”
“It wasn’t the bunnies, really. It’s the little horse heads. I’d have to draw the line there,” he said, grinning.
On the drive to the park, they talked a little bit more about some of the strange stuff her parents had given her. She currently had an old fashioned bow and arrow set, a butter churn, and three bolts of blue silk in her spare room.
The closer they got to the park the less nervous Elle felt. The conversation was flowing freely now. He seemed genuinely amused by her parents’ antics, which was more than she could say for the last guy she dated. He’d been totally freaked out by her mother’s persistent nagging about settling down and having a family.
Elle hadn’t been on board with the idea of getting married or having kids at that point, but Marc had assumed by the way that her mother talked that Elle had been sizing him up as marriage material. He’d proceeded to fuck a stranger on her dining room table in protest. She’d been pissed off and humiliated, but definitely not heartbroken.
She’d kicked him out, gotten a little drunk, rolled the table onto the lawn, then turned the sprinklers on it. Her neighbors had probably not been the least bit surprised to see that in the middle of her lawn. She’d had all manner of strange shit in her lawn over the years. Why not a table?
When they pulled into the parking lot, Jim paid the parking lot attendant. Once he’d parked, they both got out of the car. Jim walked around to the passenger’s side and grabbed a duffel bag out of the backseat. She laid her jacket over her purse, and watched as he slung the bag over his shoulder.
As they moved toward the entrance of the park she felt his hand against the small of her back again. When they paused at the entrance, Jim pulled two tickets out of his pocket. The man at the gate pointed to a relatively empty space near the screen and said, “Reserved seating is up there. Pick anywhere you like.”
Jim looked down at her and asked, “Did you want to grab some food and drinks before we sit down?”
Elle looked around at the lines forming around the food trucks and said, “We probably better. The lines are probably only going to get worse from here.”
She felt Jim’s hand slide from the small of her back settle on her hip. She leaned into him, enjoying the feel of his hand on her. Looking up at him, she asked, “Which were you thinking?”
He scanned the trucks and said, “The Filipino barbecue truck is really good.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had it.”
“Wanna give it a try?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said.
Twenty minutes later, they had gotten their food and were now settled next to each other on the blanket. Elle took her first bite of the coconut beef and moaned slightly when the flavors exploded on her tongue. So good.
Jim looked up from his brisket with satay sauce and asked, “Good?”
“Amazing. Try a bite,” she said, holding the carton toward him.
He reached forward, spearing a small chunk of beef and then took a bite.
Elle smiled when he made a similar sound of happiness. Once he had finished chewing, he said, “That’s pretty amazing. Mine is really good, too. Want to try it?”
He cut a portion of the brisket in front of him, dipped it in the peanut sauce and held the fork out in front her lips. She leaned forward slightly and took the proffered bite.