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“Prego,” the waiter responded before moving on.
“Not to mention what I said at the end of the night.” She made a face that had me smiling like a fifteen-year-old wet under the ears.
“So you remember that?”
“Oh yeah, distinctly.”
“Good,” I said. “I very much look forward to fucking your brains out, Natalie.”
She nearly spit out her coffee. I, on the other hand, took a sip as if I’d asked her what she thought of the lovely weather that morning.
“Jesus. Talk about blunt.”
“As if we’ve been anything else from the start.”
“True. So now that that’s settled...” She took a sip of coffee. “What the hell do we talk about if we can’t bring up you-know-what?”
“Maybe start with that bad relationship you mentioned. Asshole ex and all of that.”
“Oh boy. We’re really diving in this morning, I guess.”
We dove in deep. Not only did she tell me about the ex, but we talked about our other past relationships. We talked about college, times we were stupid. Things we would do over and aspirations for the future. We ate croissants, drank copious amounts of coffee, and watched as the waiter began to serve slices of pizza and wine in place of pastries and coffees.
I could have stayed there all day sharing stories with her. Without the inlet sale stymieing us, conversation flowed. Until there was an unusual pause between us and our gazes locked. I was pretty sure Natalie was also thinking about last night.
Pretty soon, I’d have to actually stand up, so instead of going down that path, I addressed the first part of the night instead.
“Were you ever planning on talking to me yesterday?”
“No,” she said immediately, making me laugh.
“Not for the entire trip?”
“Maybe. I dunno. Probably not.”
At least she was honest.
“But I can’t say any more without bringing up the topic.”
A part of me wanted to break the rule. To tell Natalie that I’d gotten a purchase agreement from the Trust that morning, though she likely knew that already. To ask her why she was really so resistant to the land purchase, especially if she could keep her rowing program there for the summer. But that would essentially ruin all the headway we’d made, so I kept my mouth shut.
“What do you think about moving a bit? Do you have time?” I asked instead.
“Sounds good,” she replied, looking at her phone. “I have to be back around four to get ready. A bunch of us are meeting for aperitivos before the rehearsal dinner. Want to join us?”
“Sure. What’s the plan?”
Having paid the check already, we got up from our seats and strolled the streets. We talked about plans for the night and the fact that everyone at the wedding was invited to tonight’s rehearsal dinner at a sea-view restaurant on the edge of town.
I waited outside as Natalie ducked into a shop until I heard my name. When I went inside, her baseball hat was replaced by a wide-rimmed sun hat.
“Whatya think?”
“I like it,” I said.
“It’s probably impractical. I can’t imagine wearing it back home ever.” She paused for a minute and then put it back. I immediately picked it back up and took it to the register. Once purchased, I handed it to her. “Doesn’t matter if it’s practical or not. You like it, so enjoy.”
She put it back on, sticking the baseball hat in the bag.
