“Okay, see you in the morning then,” he says.
I’m almost at the diner when I hear boots crunching in the snow behind me. I turn around and find Dave on my heels.
“What are you doing?” I ask, bewildered.
“Going to get some food.”
“I thought—”
He levels me with a look of skepticism. “You thought my idea of getting something to eat was going to a nasty buffet at the strip club? Come on now.”
I glance between Dave’s bright blue eyes and the retreating backs of Joel and Key. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Now we’re alone.
“You don’t have to come with me,” I say quietly as we fall into step beside each other. “We’re both adults. If you want to go—”
“Well, I want food that doesn’t have sweaty glitter all over it,” Dave says.
I catch his grin out of the corner of my eye, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I’ve missed that sound.”
It’s so quiet, yet I wonder if I heard him correctly. When I turn to look at him, he’s watching his feet as we walk. I think a dangerous butterfly springs to life in my belly, and soon we’re walking through the door and finding a booth to sit in.
We both look over the menu when I spot something that makes me smile. I take a peek at Dave over top of the laminated paper, watching as his eyes scan over what he might like to eat. When a waitress shows up, I can’t help but notice the way she licks her lips at the sight of Dave, then how her smile turns to a frown as she spots me sitting with him. She must think we’re together.
“What can I get you?” she asks.
“What are you known for?”
She turns to me and raises her eyebrows. “What?”
Try each city’s signature dish.It was on his list.
“We’re just visiting, and neither of us has been to Montana before.” I shrug. “What food are you known for? What does everyone come here to eat?”
I can feel Dave watching me, but I keep my eyes on the curly-haired waitress. Finally, she says, “Probably the elk burger.”
“Elk burger?”
“Yeah, game meat is pretty big here.”
I hand over my menu. “I’ll have that, please. With fries.”
“Me too,” Dave says quickly, not taking his eyes off of me as he hands the girl the menu. She walks away, glancing back at Dave just once before she disappears into the kitchen. “You know,” Dave says, playing with the sugar packets in the container on the table, “I’ve always wanted to try different foods from all over the country—all over the world.”
I smile softly. “Yeah? That’s pretty cool.”
He continues with the sugar, correcting the placement of different packets until they’re in order. “I always forget though.”
“What do you mean?”
He looks up at me. “Whenever I go somewhere new, I forget to ask or check what local food I should eat and usually end up with what I’ve always had before. So, thank you for reminding me.”
“Don’t thank me yet. It could be terrible.”
He grins wide, and that little butterfly that’s been fluttering all alone in my belly now seems to have made friends.
“How’s your article coming along?” he asks.
