Pushing Limits (Fighting Love #1) - kali cross Page 0,61
with women and batting their eyelashes at him?
We get a buzzer, and Tommy walks me out to a redwood deck with trees growing literally out of the wood. Not tiny scruffs either. The trunks were strong and twisted, reaching to the skies with full branches, thick with leaves. The deck has big cutouts to accommodate them, giving the platform an organic feel, almost like it’s an extension of the tree. The restaurant is right on the water. A creek wide enough for boats runs under the deck, stretching down and around a corner. Tiny turtles feed on the food tossed by some little kids.
We take a seat at a black iron table and Tommy orders two beers. As the waitress walks away, he says, “Normally I wouldn’t order for you, darlin’, without asking you first, but you can’t drink a martini or anything like that, with good barbecue. Beer’s a must.”
“That’s ok, beer’s good.” Looking out on the lake, I sit and admire the beauty. The river is tree lined and hills surround us. Tree branches kiss the water. We sit, enjoying the view, comfortable in the silence and the peace.
Our buzzer goes off, and we head back to the front of the restaurant where the petite hostess shows us to our table, chatting away, and looking back over her shoulder as much as possible, trying to catch Tommy’s eye. She is not successful. After seating us, she walks away a little less peppy.
“You know what, why don’t you order for me? You know what’s good here,” I say with an encouraging smile. “No chicken and no ham. Although I have no idea what ham is doing in a barbeque joint? Yuck. I like chicken but I don’t waste my time on barbecue chicken. Anything other than that’ll be good.”
He smiles, and says, “Ok.” The waitress introduces herself, and Tommy orders platters for us and a beer for me.
“So, how is your dad’s hip?” My brows rise as I give him a questioning look. “When did he have the operation? I remember you mentioned in when we were driving in.”
His eyes brighten as his lips curve into a sweet smile. “You remembered that?” He pauses. “Well, he’s doing ok. He can get around, but he’s got at least five months to go until he can get back to work.” He shakes his head and chuckles. “He’s about to jump out of his skin.”
“I don’t know anything about demo work, but isn’t your band going to be pissed that you are away for so many months?” I glance at him trying to look cool and apathetic while inside I’m waiting for the shoe to drop. For him to tell me he’s going to leave anyway in a few months. I sit and wait, ready to construct my infamous emotional wall to defend myself against yet another person leaving.
“Oh, they’re fine.” He shrugs, his eyes filled with a total lack of concern. “They have a guy who’s fillin’ in. They’re a good group of guys. Any of them would have done the same if their family needed them.”
“What about the studio work? Do you have an agent or something?”
“No, darlin’.” His patient smile makes me nervous. Am I that transparent? “No agent. Don’t need one for studio and demo work. I have a few engineers and studio managers that know me, and they call me in when they need me. I met most of them before I moved to Nashville. They know me and so they knew I had to come back and help Dad. When I slide back into town, they’ll hook me up with something. I’m not too worried about it.”
“But what about your place there? Don’t you have to pay rent? What if you get back and you don’t get anything for a while? What would you do?”
“Why do I think your questions are more about your situation than mine?” He studies me with a skeptical, playful expression. His dimples have come out to play. Shit, he’s adorable. “Amber, honey, you can always get a job. Work at a clothing store, be a waitress, ring up groceries at a grocery store. If you work hard, you can always make money doing something. You don’t have to let your mother hold you hostage with her money.” His eyes light with mischief. “Me? I get by just fine. I save money when I make it for the lean times. I spend money on the things I want, and I don’t want