Page 31 of Small Town Swoo
“Just put them in the sink. I’ll take care of it.”
“No, you won’t. You did all the cooking, and you’ve still got a hurt finger. How’s it feeling?”
“Okay.” I set my dishes on the counter. “I’ll be glad when I can get the stitches out. I’m giving you some pot pie to take home for your dad, okay?”
“Do Ihaveto give it to my dad?” He opened the dishwasher and began to load it.
I grinned as I portioned out the leftovers into two containers. “You can take both of these. One can be yours, and one can be his. But I’m going to ask him how he liked it, so don’t hog both for yourself.”
“Don’tyouwant any?”
“I’m good. I’ll make something else tomorrow.”
“If I promise to do the dishes again, can I come back for dinner tomorrow night?”
I laughed as I pressed the lids into place. “Sure. We can watch another movie.”
“Can I choose it?”
“Nope. That’s not how this works.” I set the containers on the table by his keys and hopped up on the counter to the left of the sink as he finished loading the dishwasher.
“So what was your favorite scene inTitanic?” I asked.
“I didn’t know there would be a quiz.”
I nudged his leg with my foot. “It’s not a quiz. We’re just talking about the movie. We’re exploring and comparing our feelings.”
“I’m not sure I had a favorite scene. What about you?”
“Hmmm, my favorite is probably the scene where he’s drawing her.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s looking at her the way she wants him to look at her. He’s seeing therealher, or at least a side of herself she hides from everyone else.”
“The naked side?”
“No! The side that’s showing her trust in him. She’s so vulnerable in that moment.”
“Got it.”
“But of course, I also like the scene in the car, where she says, ‘Put your hands on me.’ Or maybe the scene where he gives her the note that saysmake it count.” I sighed. “You just know that moment changeseverything. I love a moment that changes everything.”
He reached for the dish towel and began drying his hands. “But if you keep doing the same things all the time and never take a risk, nothing will ever change. For example, I’d be playing shirtless lifeguards for the rest of my life—well, until I got too old to play them. Then I’d be playing the freewheeling, troublemaking uncle with good hair. And then when I aged out of that role, I’d be playing the well-meaning but clueless single dad whose kids end up teaching him all the important lessons in life.”
I blinked. “Wow. You’ve really thought about this.”
“In Hollywood, there just aren’t that many options once you’re a certain age. Unless you’re a big movie star.” He turned around so he was leaning back against the sink, his hands draped over the edge in a way that made his deltoids bulge against the sleeves of his T-shirt. “Which is why I’m hoping to change my luck. What about you? If you make safe choices all your life, where will you be?”
“Serving up the same old burgers, fries, and milkshakes at Moe’s, I guess.”
He shook his head. “That’s not going to happen.”
“No?”
“No. You’re going to build a name for yourself. You’re going to do your own thing.”
“You sound awfully confident about that, Dashiel Buckley.”
