Rason & Eliza - Cee Bowerman Page 0,19
said with a shrug. “I’ll leave the stalks in the ground for now, and you can help me dig them up before you go see your parents again.”
“It’s a deal.”
“You’ve seen mine, so now it’s time for me to see yours.” I smiled and then realized how that sounded. “I mean...” I could feel the heat of a blush spreading up my neck and across my cheeks.
“Nope, you can’t take it back. Come on.” Rason took my hand and pulled me back toward my house. “Let’s start our first date, as unconventional as it may be.”
◆◆◆
RASON
“That was the best shrimp and grits I’ve ever tasted.” Eliza rubbed her stomach and leaned back in her chair across the table from me. “I love this place.”
“It’s really good. I met the owners, and they’re good people. Maria is from New Orleans, I believe. Hence the abundance of Cajun dishes on the menu, I guess.”
“How was your burger?”
“It was good.” I replied as I fiddled with the screwdriver that had been stuck through the middle of the burger to hold it together. “Unconventional, but good.”
“Do you get to keep the screwdriver?”
I laughed. “The menu said the burger came with a free gift, so I guess I do. It’s even got the name of the restaurant on the handle.”
“That’s funny. It’s definitely a unique marketing tactic.” She smiled as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “So far, we’ve eaten together twice, and you’ve picked two of my favorite places.”
“That’s a pretty good batting average. I’m really going to have to think about where I’ll take you on our next date.”
“Our next date?”
“Well, I hope there’s a next one. Don't you?”
“I’m dating the hot guy that comes into the bookstore,” Eliza said softly.
“I’m dating the hot lady who works at the bookstore. I win.”
“When you disappeared, I thought I’d never see you again. I figured you’d moved away. I didn’t get to see you very often, but after a while, I wondered if you were gone for good.”
“We came to town a lot on weekends when I was younger. When I started driving, I was here all the time,” I told her. “I’ve always liked to read and so do my parents, so if they knew I was coming to town, they’d ask me to stop in and pick up a book or two they’d heard about.”
“What does your mom read?”
“Biographies, history, true crime...” I stopped when Eliza laughed. “What?”
Eliza chuckled. “My mom was telling me this morning about this true crime story she just read. It was pretty graphic. Maybe we should never let our mom’s get together and talk. They could go all Thelma and Louise or something.”
“Nah. When you meet my mom, you’ll see she’s too tiny to pull off anything major. She’s even smaller than you.”
Eliza whispered. “You’re thinking about letting me meet your mom?”
“I guess I am,” I realized out loud. “Yeah. I am. I think I’d like for you to meet them someday.”
“As long as I don’t buy her an antique watch.”
“Yeah, just run it past me before you buy gifts, okay?”
“I’m going to do some research,” Eliza assured me. “I’ll read up on Vietnamese etiquette and customs just in case.”
I realized right then that I had already made that decision. I’d talked to Eliza for hours yesterday and planned to spend the rest of the evening with her at my house. Even though we’d only gone on two dates, I wanted to take her home.
There was just something about her openness and cheerful smile that led me to believe she’d get along perfectly with my family.
The fact that she wanted to learn more about my mom’s culture clinched it. I wasn’t ready to talk about forever yet, but I damn sure wanted this to last for a long time if the last 24 hours were any indication of what the future might hold.
I’d never met a woman and become so instantly enamored with her. I’d seen Eliza at the bookstore for years and even asked her for help a few times, but I’d never gotten the courage to ask her out.
Even with all the Robin bullshit swirling around me and the worry that she was going to get out and hunt me down, I wanted to keep Eliza close and get to know more about her.
I wanted to do a lot of other things too, most of them naked, but I’d play it by ear and take things at the pace she set. I didn’t want to