Thankfully, her root beer came.
She put down the flashlight and reached for her drink.
Their food came next. She looked at the large helping of meatloaf and mashed potatoes with the little bowl of green beans on the side.
“Hearty country food. What did I tell you?” Reed said.
“Yes, it sure is,” she said. “Looks good.”
“But save room for pie. They have apple and pecan tonight.”
“I’ll be wanting apple. Of the two, I like it best.”
“That’s my favorite, too,” he said.
“My favorite is blueberry, but apple runs a close second.”
“That’s a good one, too,” he said.
As they ate, she asked about SEAL training, and he explained the things he’d had to do to reach his current rank and skills. Mostly, she listened, fascinated by it all.
She was on a date with an honest to God SEAL and he was talking to her as if he were just another guy, describing his day at work. And maybe, to him, it was. But it left her a bit in awe. She couldn’t help it. She’d never met a SEAL before Reed.
Reed didn’t misshow rapt she was over every word he spoke about his SEAL training and anything to do with the SEALs. He was used to that but hoped she wouldn’t go into a state of hero worship where she didn’t see him as Reed the man. He hoped that, with time, she’d reach that point as they continued dating.
Over pie, Reed brought up the question he’d been deciding all night whether to ask her. He liked Christie, a lot. But he’d wanted to get to know her better and see how she did on the range, before he asked her out again.
She was the first girly-girl he’d dated. He hadn’t expected her to take to the guns, wanting to shoot everything, and be excited about all of them, like other girlfriends had. She didn’t have enough tomboy in her to do that. But he hoped she’d at least enjoyed shooting something, so they could go to the range occasionally, and she could learn how to protect herself. It seemed like she had.
Maybe this could work, the two of them. Opposites did attract. And they were opposites. But beyond attraction, could they stick? He needed a woman who could be a team player, who could be a partner, not just a pretty face who was good in bed. And it wasn’t easy being with a SEAL. SEALs could be called away any minute with no notice and might not be able to tell their women where they were going, or even after they got back, where they went. It took a special kind of woman to be with a SEAL, long-term. He’d thought he’d found that once. But she couldn’t keep her pants on when he was out of town and had run off with some other dude. Breaking it off with no explanation.
Christie, though, was like no woman he’d ever known. She intrigued him, and he enjoyed her company. Not to mention the chemistry between them, which he’d had to completely ignore tonight, so that he could focus on the guns and on teaching her. Maybe it wasn’t the most romantic date, but he could also make that up to her. He had a plan.
They’d been thrown together, might never have met otherwise, and maybe there was a little bit of good luck and a little bit of fate in that. Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to examine it too closely. He’d just enjoy her company, keep getting to know her, and see where it went. Now, it was time to plunge in and ask her out again. This time, there’d be romance.
“My best friend is getting married, and I’m in the wedding party. I don’t have a date yet. It’s in two weeks. Would you like to go?”
Christie watched his face, stunned.
Reed held his breath.Was this date too much for her? Am I too much for her? Maybe she can’t handle dating a SEAL. Will she say no?
