His grin grows wider. “No. I was getting a nice rub down, though.”
“Try to keep it in your pants.”
I can’t even be mad at him. He’s getting what I want. We part ways to get ready for dinner. Holden lives close by, but we set him up with a room so he can keep some of his stuff here with us.
By the time I get downstairs, several guests have already come out and are drinking. Kids are playing cornhole and chasing each other. Parents are talking and laughing together, but the one girl I’m hoping to see isn’t here yet. Holden sidles up to Molly, and she giggles as he hands her a drink.
Mom asks for help putting food on the tables, so I begrudgingly oblige. I’m so busy, I don’t even notice she’s behind me until I step on her foot. She yelps in surprise, and I spin around, almost knocking her over. I grab her shoulders at the last second, holding her upright.
“Oh shit, I’m so sorry. Are you hurt?”
“You love trying to push me over, don’t you?” A corner of her mouth lifts. “I’m fine. My shoe is dirty now, but I’m sure I’ll live.”
I step back and really get a chance to look at her. She’s wearing a navy knit skirt with a big pink hibiscus on the bottom, a simple white tank top, and her pink converse. Her hair is done in a side braid and sits in front of her shoulder. She has a smattering of makeup on her face, covering her freckles, but it makes her hazel eyes pop.
I lean forward to kiss her cheek but pull myself back at the last second. It doesn’t stop me from getting a good whiff of her shampoo, though. She smells like apples. “You look nice.”
Again, that damn blush of hers. She bows her head and kicks a rock with her foot as she mumbles a quiet thank you.
I tap her elbow. “Come on, I saved us the best seats in the house.” I lead her to a table for two, away from everyone, and motion for her to sit down.
She looks down at the table and then behind her at the other ones. “Won’t it be weird we’re not with everyone else?”
Shaking my head, I tell her, “Trust me, in about thirty minutes, this is thebestseat in the house. Usually, we reserve it for couples, but I asked Mom if I could snag it tonight.” She plays with her shirt. “Not that we’re a couple or anything.” Then she looks up. Her expression is hard to read, but it looks like she’s saddened. “I mean. Ugh.” Way to shove my footwayinto my mouth. She giggles, and I know it will be okay.
After leading her to the seat that will give her the perfect view of the sunset dipping behind the mountains, we each pick up a plate and join the rest of the crowd by the food table. I load my plate up with chicken, ribs, potato wedges, and green beans. She picks up some chicken, salad, and potatoes.
I salivate looking at the food in front of me and dig in when we sit down again. I glance up at her, halfway through a rib, and she scrunches her face at me.
“What?” I ask, swallowing a bite of meat.
“You weren’t lying about this being your favorite night, were you?” She takes a bite of a potato wedge and chews slowly.
“No, and Bill changes it up every now and again. It helps that there are only about twenty people that can stay with us at one time. He’s able to do stuff like this.”
We continue eating, and when she gets up for more food, Mom happens to come by. She smiles and bends so she can talk quietly. “How’s the date?”
I take a bite of my food, trying to ignore her. “Not a date, Mom. I told you I wanted to show her the sunset. That’s all.”
“Well, whatever it is, she seems to be happy, and the Robinsons are happy she’s not sulking in her room.” She stands and rubs my back. “You seem happy, too, sweetheart.”
“Hi, Lana. Having a better day?”
“Much, thank you.” She puts her plate down and takes her seat again. Mom leaves us alone, and I look at my watch. Ten minutes until show time. I shift in my seat, my nerves taking hold as I wait. The sun is barely above the mountains when I place my hand on hers, stopping her mid bite.
“Watch the sun go down. You won’t see anything like this anywhere else.”
I pull my seat next to hers so we can watch it together. The orange, red, yellow, and blue hues in the sky blend perfectly. She takes out her phone, trying to snap a picture of it. When she looks at her screen, her lips turn down in a frown.
“You need a good camera to capture the vibrant colors. My cousin has taken some pictures of the sky. I can find one for you to take home if you’d like.”
She looks up at me, her eyes wide in surprise, and a smile spreads across her face. “I’d like that a lot. Thank you, Tristan.”
“Look straight up. See all the stars?” She does and nods. “When we go to the field tomorrow night, there’ll be tons more of them. You’ll see shooting stars, too, if you keep an eye out.”
She beams. “Really?” I nod and smile. “I’ve never seen a shooting star. We have meteor showers back home, but it’s usually too cloudy or bright to see them. When they come up during the winter months, it’s too cold to be out there. I don’t like the cold.” She scrunches her face, then laughs.
“Well, I hope to be able to experience your first one with you.” I lean closer and lower my voice. “Don’t forget to make a wish.”
