"Hello, earth to Bree," Travis said, snapping me out of my reverie. I had been staring out the window.
I shook my head slightly. "I'm sorry, Travis. I just got caught up in my own thoughts there for a minute. My brain can seriously be a black hole sometimes." I laughed softly, embarrassed. "Anyway, uh, sure I'll go to dinner with you."
He raised his eyebrows. "Well, try not to sound too excited about it."
I laughed, shaking my head. "No, sorry, I just… just dinner, right?"
He grinned. "I mean, maybe an appetizer… maybe even some dessert…"
I laughed. "Okay."
"Friday night?"
"Yes, okay." I held my finger up to a couple that had just sat down in my section and they smiled. "I gotta get back to work, but see you Friday?" I scribbled my address down on a piece of paper from my order pad and handed it to him, smiling.
"Yeah, how about I pick you up at seven?"
"Perfect." I smiled again. "See you then." As I walked around the counter to the table, I could see him leaning back on his stool to check out my ass as I walked away.
CHAPTER 12
Bree
I worked early on Friday and drove home to get ready for my date with Travis.
I took a long, hot shower and took extra time with my hair and makeup, trying to work up some excitement at just being a girl who was about to be picked up for a date.
What if he kissed me? Nervous flutters started in my belly. Strangely, again, Archer came to my mind and so did a vague sense of guilt. That was silly though–Archer was only my friend. I thought maybe there was a little something between us though, only what it was, I had no real clue. It was confusing and strange, unknown territory. He had a nice face, from what I could see of it anyway, but was I attracted to him? I furrowed my brow at myself in the mirror, pausing in my eyeliner application. He definitely had a nice body–no scratch that, an amazing body, totally drool-worthy–and I admired it constantly, but attracted? How could you be attracted to someone who was so different from anyone you'd ever been attracted to before? Still, I couldn't deny his charm. When I thought of him, pictured his shy smile and the way his eyes constantly took in every little thing about me, my tummy fluttered. Yes, there was something there–what, I couldn't be completely sure.
Travis, on the other hand, was seemingly easy to be attracted to. He had it all–smooth moves and the kind of good looks that any girl in her right mind would find appealing. Apparently, I wasn't exactly in my right mind. But maybe giving myself a little push was a good thing, a necessary thing. It'd been over six months now…
I finished up my makeup. I didn't need to over complicate this. It was just a date. With a cute guy, a nice guy.
And I didn't need to be so nervous. I wasn't inexperienced–and I wasn't a virgin. I had had three semi-serious boyfriends in college, and I had even thought I might be in love with one of them. It had turned out that he was in love with every girl on my dorm floor–or at least in love with getting into their pants behind my back, and that had ended badly. But the point was, I had no need to be nervous of Travis Hale. This was just a date, and only a first date at that. And if I didn't want to see him again, I wouldn't. Simple.
Travis knocked on my door at seven o'clock sharp, gorgeous in a pair of dress pants and a button up shirt. I had chosen a black, wrap dress that hugged the few curves that I had and my silver heels. I had left my hair down and curled it very loosely with a curling iron. He looked me over appreciatively and handed me the bouquet of red roses he had in his hand, already in a glass vase.
"You look gorgeous, Bree."
I brought the flowers to my nose, smiling. "Thank you," I said, setting the vase down on the table next to the door and taking his arm as we walked to his large, dark silver truck.
He helped me into it and we chatted about how I was settling in to Pelion on the drive to the restaurant.
He brought me to a place called Cassell's Grill on the other side of the lake which I had already heard was the nicest restaurant around. What I had heard seemed likely enough–it was dim and romantic with a beautiful view of the shoreline out the huge windows that surrounded it.
When we sat down at our table and I remarked on how beautiful the restaurant was, Travis said, "Pretty soon we won't have to come across the lake for places like this. We'll have plenty to choose from in Pelion."
I looked up from my menu. "So you like the proposed changes I take it?"
He nodded. "I do. Not only will it modernize the town, but it will bring in more income for everyone, my family included. I think most people will be happy in the end."
I nodded, wondering at that. From the talk I'd heard here and there in the diner, most people in town weren't thrilled about turning Pelion into another big, modern tourist retreat.
"Plus," he continued, "I'll be taking over the land the town is on soon, so I've been working with my mother on some of the planning."
I looked up at him, surprised. "Oh, I didn't realize."
He nodded, a slightly smug look on his face. He took a sip of water and said, "The land this town is on has been in my family since the first people of Pelion made it their home. It's always been passed down from first born son to first born son, once that son is twenty-five. Not this February, but next, I'll be running things."
I nodded. Before I had moved to Pelion, I hadn't even realized that people owned whole towns. "I see. Well, that's great, Travis. And the fact that you also followed in your dad's footsteps and became a cop– I admire that a lot."