He started the engine and shot me a frown as he turned to back out of the parking lot. “You haven’t eaten anything since lunch? That was what, eleven thirty?” I nodded and his jaw clenched. “I don’t like that, Anna.”
Stupidly, my heart gave a little delighted shiver at his calling me ‘Anna’. He was the only one who ever shortened my name, and it made me feel as if I were special to him because of it. Liam Bryant had his own nickname for me, but Anna was so much better than Anna Banana.
“We were busy most of the evening,” I explained. “And then Noah left for the bar so I couldn’t go get a snack or anything. Besides, I knew you were going to pick me up. I didn’t want to ruin my dinner.”
Zander pulled out onto the road, but his hands were clenched around the steering wheel. “I’ll bring you something next time. I don’t like you being hungry and not eating.”
Ah, Z.
I smiled to myself as he continued to drive toward the only burger place in West Bridge. We didn’t have a McDonalds or anything; just a locally owned place called The Burger Shack, which was ten times better than any fast-food chain. It was only eight thirty on a Friday night, and the place was crowded when Zander pulled into the parking lot.
He opened his door and waited for me to scoot across the bench seat to climb out on his side. His hand shot out to take mine as he helped me down, but he didn’t release it once he’d shut the door. Pulling me close, he linked his fingers through mine and we went in.
Inside, it was so full that Zander released my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist, keeping me close as we made our way to the long line of people waiting to order. A few people saw that it was Zander and immediately stepped out of the way. West Bridge was a small town, which meant there were very few places to hang out on Friday nights. Most everyone came to The Burger Shack to hang out more than to actually eat.
“Annabelle!”
I turned at the sound of my name and smiled when I saw my friend waving at me from a back booth. Chelsea made a face and waved her arms again. Beside me, Zander groaned. “Of course they would be here,” I thought he muttered under his breath, but the noise level was so loud that I wasn’t sure if I’d heard him right.
Chelsea turned her head away and I watched her stare dreamily up at the guy sitting next to her. I shook my head at the sight of my brother stuffing a burger in his mouth, seemingly unaware of the adoring way his girlfriend was watching him. Chelsea was probably my closest friend, but she had been Noah’s girlfriend first. I didn’t know how those two had stayed together as long as they had because they tended to argue more than anything else. Still, I figured they would be together forever and my friend would one day be my sister-in-law.
We ordered our burgers with extra chili fries to share and waited for the order before turning to find a place to sit. I figured Zander would want to sit with Noah and so I started walking toward the back table, but he caught hold of my elbow and pulled me down into a booth with him closer to the front. I was surprised but definitely happy that we were sitting alone.
Zander handed over my wrapped burger, his brows raised. “Is this okay?”
“Yeah, Z. This is great.” I took a sip of my sweet tea before smiling up at him. “Thanks.”
“Is it enough?” He sounded concerned. “If you want something else, I’ll order it for you. How about some fried mac and cheese?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “This is plenty, Z. I swear. I probably won’t even eat all of this.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Okay, but we’re getting dessert afterward. Okay?”
Damn it. My heart was going to be a puddle of goo if he didn’t stop. “Yeah, okay.”
I took my time eating my burger, mostly eating the chili fries, which were my favorite. Thankfully it was the extra-large order, because Zander was like a wild animal when he ate. His burger was gone in no time as well as half of the fries. When I was full I offered him the rest of my burger and it was gone within a few seconds. He licked his lips before wiping them with a napkin. “You want a slice of pie here or should we wait and get ice cream?”
I blinked, coming out of the daze I’d been in after watching his tongue swipe across his full bottom lip. “Um… ice cream sounds good,” I murmured before taking a gulp of my sweet tea in hopes of cooling myself off.
Zander grinned. “Good. That means we can get out of here before your brother comes over to ruin our night.”
My heart jumped. He didn’t want Noah interrupting us? I couldn’t help wondering why. Was it because he was having a good time with me and didn’t want my brother getting all big-brother on him? Was this really a date? My heart and head were both confused and hoping, but I didn’t want to act stupid so I bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep from blurting out something I’d regret.
He stood and picked up the tray that had our trash on it. He was back from throwing it away before I could get to my feet. Zander took my hand and linked our fingers as he headed for the door. I glanced over my shoulder as we waited for a few other people to enter The Burger Shack to glance at Noah and Chelsea. My friend waved and I lifted my free hand to wave back, but Noah was watching me with narrowed eyes. That look made me glad that we were going for ice cream and not sticking around. I didn’t need Noah going all brother-bear on Zander.
Outside, the night air was turning cooler and the scent of rain was on the wind. Zander stopped by the passenger door to his truck and while he opened the door for me I closed my eyes and enjoyed the clean fragrance. I’d always loved the rain, even the thunder and lightning. For me it was calming. The rain could wash away the past, while the thunder and lightning seemed to energize me.
Zander tugged on my fingers and I opened my eyes to find him staring down at me with an odd expression on his sinfully sexy face. The lighting was too dim for me to see his eyes, but at a guess I would have said they were green with those damn gold flecks flaming down at me. My heart jumped in my chest, excitement making my blood practically sing.
I didn’t dare blink for fear of making him step away from me. Kiss me. Please, kiss me.
An old farm truck backfired as it left the parking lot, causing me to jump. Zander shook his head, as if he was trying to clear it, and then smiled down at me a little sadly. I wanted to cry, feeling like I’d lost out on something special. “What flavor do you want?” he asked as he helped me into the truck.
“I don’t know,” I told him honestly. Ice cream had been the furthest thing from my mind just then.
He closed the door and came around the truck to get in behind the wheel. “Let’s get several and share, then,” he suggested as he started backing up.
“Okay.”
It was barely a two-minute drive down the street to the little ice cream shop that had been open back when my dad was a little boy. The owners were an older married couple and they both greeted us when we walked into their shop. They had only ever sold seven flavors, but every now and then they would get a new flavor in by accident. Butter pecan was my favorite and the old couple always made sure they had some on hand.
Mrs. Welsh smiled fondly at Zander as he glanced from one flavor to the next. She and her husband were one of the few people in West Bridge who didn’t look down their noses at him because of his OCD. “How are your grandparents, Zander dear?”
Zander met the old lady’s gaze and smiled. “They’re good, ma’am. Thanks for asking.”