Page 32 of The Bitterroot Inn (Jamison Valley 5)
“Ready,” Hunter said. “Have you had lunch?”
I shook my head. “Just a snack when Coby ate around noon. I thought maybe we could get something to-go from downtown.”
“Sounds great.”
I nodded for him to go out first so I could hang up my sign and lock up the lobby door. He stood close, and when the breeze picked up, his cologne filled my nose. Mindlessly, I took in an extra-long breath, then huffed it out when I realized what I’d done.
Enjoying his smell was another no-no.
“All set.” I stepped away from the secured door and followed him to his white truck. He went to my door first, opening it for me to hop inside, then closing it when I was set. While he walked around the hood of the truck, I glanced around his truck.
The front seat was clean, the leather new and recently conditioned, but the back was a mess. There were empty jerky bags on the bench seat and the floor was scattered with protein bar wrappers. In between all of that were a few crumpled white takeout bags from the café.
“Sorry for the mess,” Hunter said as he slid behind the wheel.
“No problem.”
“I’m not great at cooking for myself so I’ve just been grabbing food from the café or sandwiches from the gas station. I eat in here a lot and haven’t gotten around to taking out the trash.”
None of this surprised me. I was due to clean his room tomorrow but I already knew what I’d find: empty kitchenette cupboards, unused dishes and a refrigerator with various bottles of Vitaminwater.
I bet Hunter regretted sliding into my booth last night at The Black Bull. He’d come looking for a nice meal, an escape from takeout and gas-station food, and instead we’d had an awkward non-date.
I slumped in my seat. Had I gone too far with all of my questions? I probably shouldn’t have gotten so annoyed that he hadn’t spilled his entire life story. I’d let a few vague similarities between him and Everett’s demeanor ruin the night.
Before Hunter put the truck in drive, he looked at me. “I need to apologize for dinner. I’m not used to sharing much about myself, and I didn’t mean for things to get uncomfortable.”
I could respect that. There were things I didn’t like to share either. So swallowing my pride, I sighed. “No, dinner was my fault. I was being intrusive. Forgive me for being nosy?”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” He smiled, looking as relieved as I felt. “Ask all the questions you want, just know I might not answer. It’s not easy for me to open up and I’ll apologize in advance because it’s probably going to happen again. Can you live with that?”
“Sure.” I didn’t really like it, but I could live with it. At least Hunter was honest—something Everett had never been. And like Gigi had said, not every guy was a drug-dealing killer. I just needed to give Hunter some time to open up. “Any chance we can forget about dinner and just enjoy the day?” Starting over with Hunter seemed like the best idea I’d had in years.
“I’d really like that.” He smiled at me again and my heart melted to goo. “What do you feel like for lunch, Blondie? The café or the deli?”
“Uh, Blondie?”
He grinned. “That cannot be the first time someone has called you Blondie.”
“No, not by a long shot.” I giggled. “And I’d prefer the café if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind.”
For the rest of our short drive downtown, my smile was firmly fixed in place. How was it that a pet name could make me feel so special? Blondie wasn’t particularly unique or creative, but it really worked for me in Hunter’s sexy voice.
By the time we parked and walked into the café, all of the distress I’d felt earlier had vanished. The rock that had taken up residence in my stomach last night turned to dust and my crush on Hunter came raging back to life.
“So what’s your master plan for today?” Hunter asked as we sat at a couple of empty stools by the counter in the café, watching our sandwiches being made in the kitchen.
“I thought we could start here on Main Street. I’d like to do a mixture of iconic places in town and landscape pictures from around the county. We could start down here today since it’s relatively quiet. I was thinking the movie theater for sure. Maybe the café too?”
He nodded. “Good idea. An inside or an outside shot?”
“Either one is fine. I’d also really love to get a shot that looks down Main Street. Maybe something from an elevated point of view if you could manage it?” It was the photo I wanted maybe the most, but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy short of renting an airplane.
He thought about it for a moment. “I wonder if one of the gas stations would let me up on their roof.”
“Would that be high enough?”
