straw, just like it always did.
“Wow, that’s a really good fry,” he said, chewing. He carefully took another, dipping it into his milkshake before taking a bite. His eyes closed, and they rolled to the back of his head as he gave a grunt of approval.
“Oh, no.” I grinned. “You’re one of those guys.”
He scrunched his brows, tilting his head in question.
“You know,” I said. “The fries in the milkshake kind of guy. It’s a perfectly good waste of a French fry.”
He laughed and grabbed another. “If you don’t like it, then you clearly haven’t tried it.” He dipped it in the milkshake and passed it to me. “Go on, try it. It only works with a simple milkshake. Don’t try it with the mint.”
I rolled my eyes, taking the fry from him, and our fingers brushed. I bit the fry, chewing cautiously and swallowed. “Okay,” I started, “it’s not as bad as I thought. But, it’s still also not good.”
“Oh, come on.” He slapped the table.
I shrugged. “Sorry, but it’s true. It doesn’t deserve the praise people give it.”
“I’ll convert you, eventually. It’s better when you have bad fries…it masks the shittiness.”
“Well, see? There you go. These fries aren’t meant to be dipped.”
“It’s habit now, Betty.” He paused, sipping the milkshake and looking up at me from over the straw. “So, what else?”
“What else?” I repeated.
“You said you’ve been coming here for years. When did you start working at the tutoring center?”
My heart thundered in my ears. Taking him here was stupid if I didn’t want to explain myself, reveal who I really was. But I had to know if he’d be okay with this place—if he wasn’t okay with my favorite diner, then there was no us.
No wait—there is no us. Why am I even entertaining this thought?
“I came here all the time with my mom. For as long as I can remember. The milkshakes are seriously the best I’ve ever had—I don’t know how they do it. And I started volunteering at the tutoring center in high school.”
His brows dipped as he mulled that over. “Your mom? Are you from around here?”
I nodded. “I’ve pretty much been in Charleston my whole life. You?”
He examined me cautiously, as though reading my conversational shift once more. “My parents went to college in Charleston as well, but I grew up in Greenville. Do you still come here with your mom a lot?”
“No,” I said. His eyes were still on me, waiting patiently for my answer. What was I going to do? Never bring her up to anyone new ever again? Baby steps. “No,” I repeated more quietly. “Look, my mom…she passed away a couple months ago. And I’d just rather not talk about it.” I bit my lip before the tide of tears rose again. “If that’s okay.”
“I’m sorry. Of course,” he murmured.
I turned my attention out the window, heat flooding my cheeks. I hated being looked at like that. With pity. With sadness. “Please, could you just sto—”
“Did you see Ceele’s toupee flop over when he bent to get his pen today?”
I darted a glance back to Tate. He was grinning, but there was a dampness to his eyes. I swallowed, sniffing back emotion. “No…I was too busy trying to look up every fourth word he said. When did that happen?”
Tate laughed, leaning forward, and his fingers grazed mine as we both went for the same fry. He trailed his index finger across my knuckles before reaching instead for a different fry. And in that moment, as heat and energy and intensity buzzed between us, making the air thicker and my lungs tighter, I wanted Tate. I wanted him more than almost anything. And damn was that frightening.
…
Hours passed, and we had long since finished our meals. It wasn’t until my phone buzzed with a text from Reagan that I realized how late it was.
“You have no idea how amazing it is getting up before the sun and hitting the beach with a surfboard. Even if you don’t catch a single wave, it’s beautiful just to sit in the water and watch the sunrise.” The milkshake gave up its last remaining sip up with a slurp, and Tate grinned, biting the plastic edge of the straw.
“You make it sound so Zen. Like yoga or something.”
“Exactly. And when you do catch a wave? It’s like ten seconds of pure adrenaline.”
It was late. And I should get home. But all I wanted to do was stay there with him and keep