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River’s got a menu in his hands, but he glances over it with a grin. ‘Don’t stop there, I feel like I have to know the rest of this story or I won’t be able to sleep tonight.’
‘I can’t have you losing sleep over my family drama,’ I chuckle. ‘Get ready for a story you’ll never forget,’ I say, jokingly. ‘My grandpa found the coat in a thrift store when he was nineteen and had to have it the moment he tried it on. The sales associate talked him up, so suddenly taken by him that she asked him for coffee afterward. He’d found his lucky charm with the ladies – he even used it to reel in my grandmother.’
‘So, it’s got superpowers. Interesting. I may need to borrow it, the next time I’ve got a hot date.’
‘Oh really?’ I need to hear about his dating life as he’s never really mentioned it. Not once have I heard River talk about a girlfriend. ‘Well, my grandpa was a very slight man, and… not that I’ve noticed or anything, but you’re not. I’m not sure it’d fit you.’
A smile grows on his face, and his cheeks go pink. I’m just going to keep talking and pretend I didn’t just tell him I’ve noticed his body.
‘Really, it’s pretty cool for the age it is. Great condition, mostly because it lived in the back of Grandpa’s closet except for special occasions like first dates, parties, and anything considered a celebration. His lifelong joke was that he knew my grandmother was the one because he felt the same way about her as he did the coat – she was another perfect fit.’
River bursts out the same laugh everyone did when Grandpa would tell that story – a little bit of shock, part confusion, then the realization that this sweet little old man possibly just made a cute story into a dirty joke, without shame.
‘I like Grandpa already.’
‘He was amazing,’ I say with a sigh. ‘Any time I had a bad day, he knew what to say or do to turn things around. He didn’t take life too seriously. His mission was more to make those around him smile. I loved that about him the most.’
‘Did he pass?’ River asks softly, concern in his voice.
I nod. ‘Three years ago. My grandma was so crushed she died a year later. Mom said she died of heartbreak. Can you imagine that? Then my mom went. Now I’m just trying to keep my dad’s head above soil so I’m not completely parent-less.’
He frowns at my string of family deaths. I must sound like a girl in mourning who should be wearing a black veil like they used to.
‘Do you believe in that? Dying of heartbreak?’ he asks.
I shrug. ‘No idea considering I’ve never had the kind of love those two had.’
River cocks his head, setting the menu on the table. ‘Shouldn’t you feel that way about the man you’re engaged to?’
Painful words have never been more true yet I haven’t even considered it until now. ‘Probably.’
‘I have one spiked freckled lemonade and a Sand in Your Shorts.’ I’ve never been so thankful for a waiter. I preordered drinks before River even got here and now they’re sitting in front of us. ‘And one slice of mudd pie, two forks.’ He sets the pie in the middle of the table. ‘Anything else?’
River inspects the table, then looks at me questioningly. ‘We’re having pie and drinks for dinner?’
After my conversation with my father, I was worried maybe despite our clear ‘unromantic’ rules, that dinner and drinks might be a little bit date-like. So… I came up with a plan on my ride over.
‘This is an anti-date so I figured to make it that we needed to do things differently. Dessert first, dinner later?’
He laughs. ‘How about no dinner, and we stick with dessert, drinks, and appetizers? Add an endless basket of fries, my friend,’ River requests.
‘And a tower of onion rings!’ I throw in. ‘Appetizers and dessert definitely aren’t romantic.’
‘Totally not,’ he agrees, with a smirk.
‘I’ll be right back,’ the waiter says with a flash of a smile. He’s earning his tip with his happy aura alone.
‘Have you ever eaten one of these by yourself?’ River asks, not waiting a moment to scoop the first taste.
‘Only when I’ve ordered it for delivery as comfort food. Crying over a massive heap of ice cream pie isn’t a great look in public places. You know?’
‘Shit. Are you a crier? I should warn you now that crying women aren’t my thing.’
I can’t say I’m surprised by that. Not many men I know enjoy a crying woman. ‘Do tell. What part of crying women scares you?’
He cocks his head, a pinched lip smile on his face. ‘I didn’t say I was scared. I just never know what to say, and that’s usually when the worst possible words leave my lips.’
‘You didn’t say the worst possible thing when I cried to you once. In fact I walked away from that feeling a bit better, honestly.’
