“I’m not. I’m judging it based on the fact that it’s a hundred years old. Now, promise you’ll text me.”
“I promise.”
“Good.” He moved closer and rested his hands on my shoulders. “Will you go out with me next weekend?”
“Of course. Like I said before, I want to cook dinner for you next time we get together.”
“I’d love that. I’ll also try to think of something fun we can go out and do beforehand.”
“Okay.”
“I’d better get going, but are you sure you don’t want to abandon your truck, which is definitely going to break down on the drive home, and fly with me? We’d have fun on the plane.”
“Tempting, but I can’t.”
“That’s what I thought. Safe travels, Arie.” Tory leaned in and lightly brushed his lips to mine.
We started to separate, but then we gravitated right back together again. Our next kiss was wild. I threw my arms around him, and he picked me up and kissed me like his life depended on it.
By the time he put me down, my head was spinning. Tory grinned at me before turning and heading for the small terminal. I caught my breath as I watched him walk away. When he reached the door, he glanced back at me and waved before disappearing into the building.
I whispered, “Holy shit.” My legs felt shaky, so I climbed into my truck. I was still sitting there about five minutes later, when Tory sent me a selfie. He was smiling at the camera and sitting on the plane with the eggplant sticking out of his pocket.
I chuckled at that and started the engine, but I only drove about a hundred yards before pulling to the side of the road. A tall chain-link fence stood between me and the wide tarmac.
While I waited for his plane to take off, Tory sent me two more photos, about three minutes apart. One was of the eggplant posing with a glass of champagne. In the next, it was sitting in its own seat with a seatbelt on. I grinned and muttered, “That could’ve been me.”
A few minutes later, a sleek little jet appeared from behind the terminal, rolling down the runway before smoothly lifting off. I kept watching it grow smaller and smaller, until it was too far away to see it anymore.
I started the engine again and sighed as I put the truck into gear. Tory was going to be home in about an hour and a half. Me? Not so much.
The drive to San Diego should have taken about eight hours. Instead, it took nine. I only stopped once to fill up the tank and grab a sandwich to go, but a three car pile-up along the way had slowed traffic on the I-5.
Even though I was exhausted, I drove to the diner instead of my apartment and got there ten minutes before closing time, which was nine p.m. on Sundays. I parked around back, same as always, and let myself in through the kitchen door.
Javier was hard at work scrubbing the grill. He looked up and exclaimed, “Hey boss, welcome back! When did you get in?”
“Just now.”
He stopped what he was doing and frowned. “You mean you haven’t been home yet?”
“I came straight to the diner, so I could close up and you could go home. I thought I’d get here sooner.”
“You must be exhausted.”
“I’m fine.”
His frown deepened. “You always say that.”
“Go home, Javi. You must be tired too, after working all weekend.”
“Yeah, okay. It’s been dead for the last two hours, so I went ahead and closed out the register,” he said, as he gave the grill a final once-over. “Everything else is shut down, too. If I hurry, the girls might still be awake, and I’ll be able to say goodnight.”
“Say hello to your family for me.” He and his wife had two adorable daughters, who were nine and ten.
“Will do.” Javier washed his hands as he said, “I want to hear all about the wedding next time I see you. Kit looked so happy in the photo you sent. I was showing it to everyone.”
“For sure.”