He rocks his head side to side. “I always loved spending time in the kitchen with Grandma, but when Slade left town to go to culinary school… I wanted to be just like him back then, and yeah, I just kind of followed along in his footsteps.”
He pauses and looks off into the distance, and I shamelessly admire his profile with the blue sky and granite mountains behind him. I grab one of the paprika chips he made, and I have to admit they’re good too. He notices it because he looks back at me. “So what’s the verdict? The classic American favorite? Or do the European inspired ones pull off the upset?”
“Oh, sour cream and onion will always win.But these—” I munch on another paprika chip, “—are my new second favorite.”
“That’s high praise from you. I’ll take second place as a compliment.”
I rest my head on his shoulder and look out over the town below. “So what about now? Would you ever want to move back?”
I feel his hand intertwine with mine. “I’ll always love it there, but I feel like I’ve outgrown it. I still want to chase that star I think too.” He turns to look at me. “You know? Unfinished business I guess? I think more than anything now, I just want a place that’s my home—a place I built that’s out of the shadow of my family.”
I nod and part of me feels a bit of relief knowing that he’s not dying to leave Jackson, at least not for now.
“You’ve been asking a lot of questions today. When do I get my turn, Shadow?” He reaches down and this time, he flicks a chip at my mouth. I open my mouth just in time for it to land on my tongue.
His brows raise and he nods approvingly.
I finish the chip and nod. “I guess it’s your turn. Ask away.”
He rubs circles on the back of my hand. “What’s long-term look like for you? I hope it doesn’t look like what you’re doing now.”
I glare at him. “What is that supposed to mean? I love what I do.”
“Shit,” he says, scrubbing his hand over his face when a hint of red creeps up his neck. “That’s not what I meant. I just know you’re working so hard, and I get that you never want to leave this place, but I also know what burnout looks like.”
I cock my head at him. “And what does that look like exactly?”
“I’ve been watching my brother for the last six months.He won’t say it, but I think he’s hanging on by a thread. I hate seeing anyone do that to themselves, especially if they don’t have to.” He squares himself to me and I can see the worry in those soulful eyes. It nearly makes my breath hitch because having his full attention focused on me makes me squirm and feel anxious even though I know he means well by it. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me back into his side. My head naturally finds its way back to his shoulder. He sighs and I can feel the tension leave his body. “I’m sorry. I just wanted you to know you’re not alone. I’ve seen people work hard. Making it in the service industry as long as you have and still loving it, that takes passion and drive. You’re doing amazing.”
His fingers trace along the hem of my shorts and the bare skin there. I grab his hand and squeeze because that is probably one of the nicest things someone has ever said to me.
“Thanks. That means a lot.” He turns enough to kiss the top of my head. I don’t know if it’s the charming picnic or a lingering post-orgasm moment of clarity, but I do want to share more with him. So I take a deep breath and do just that. “To answer your question though—what long-term looks like for me—I don’t know. I want to get ahead, but it’s hard enough to just stay afloat. It feels like if you don’t own your business or have a stake in one, you’ll never get ahead.”
He lifts his head up and looks at me. “Have you ever thought about that? It takes passion and drive, but I’ve watched you enough to know you have the kind it takes to run your own place.”
I chuckle, partly to avoid the blush creeping over my cheeks at yet another sincere compliment and partly because that idea is insane. “I’d love to, but with what money? You know that saying, ‘it takes money to make money’? Not all of us have former rockstars to help fund their fancy new restaurants.”
“Sorry, I just wanted you to know I think you’d be great atrunning your own place if you ever wanted.” He squints and looks off into the distance like he’s thinking about something, but doesn’t say anything else. He just rubs his chin which forces me to look at those dimples that almost make me forget what we’re even talking about.
“I thought we said no more apologies?”
He laughs through his nose. “Fair enough.”
His eyes find mine and a moment passes where we just sit in silence, enjoying the perfect summer day and the date that I would have loved just as much two years ago. He leans in to kiss me when a buzzing sound interrupts us.
He groans and looks down at the phone on the blanket. I peck a quick kiss on his cheek. "Do you need to check that?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “It’s probably just one of my siblings and if it were an actual emergency, I’d probably be getting called by one of them, if not all three of them and my parents.”
“You really do a lot for them, even from here, don’t you?”
He shrugs. “My younger brother says I have a hero complex.”
"You absolutely have a hero complex.”
He rolls his eyes. “Yes, well you didn’t let me get to the part where I’ve recently started to realize Sly is probably right.” He sighs. “I just want to help the people I love. I’m just not good at setting boundaries or respecting them most of the time.”
I hum to myself and nod. “You mean like stealing someone’s car and driving it ten hours away?” I give him a knowing look, but he just flashes a smug grin right back.