Light up the Night (Firehouse Three #2)(22)
It took until after he picked up their sushi at the restaurant before Drake could fully relax.
He’d listened to the voicemail that Belinda had left him after placing their food order, and it had definitely soured his mood.
Drake, sweetie, it’s Belinda. Listen, I need to talk to you. You can’t go out with that other girl. I know, you’re such a good guy, and you think this is for charity, but believe me, you’ve more than done your part. I know you’ve got this idea that we were wrong for each other, but don’t throw away our future like this. This is really getting out of hand. I came all the way out here to see you, and you’re out with some other girl? That’s wrong, and you know it. You need to come home. I miss you, your parents miss you, even Daddy misses you. You’re really blowing that whole promotion thing out of proportion anyway. There’s plenty of stuff to do at your family’s company. You don’t need the fireman job. Daddy says he’s not going to keep giving me enough for our apartment on my own, so I’m going to have to move if you don’t come back soon. Nothing is right at home without you, and everyone is wondering where you are and what’s going on. We need to get things straight now, I’m flying home in the morning. Call me and let’s meet up tonight.
Drake couldn’t delete that voicemail fast enough. Belinda didn’t give a rancid f*ck about his career goals. All she cared about was her apartment and her way of life being threatened by his absence. Mentioning his parents was a low blow even for her, though. They didn’t understand why he wanted to do something else, other than work in their investment firm, but they’d never given him the level of shit about it that Belinda had. They didn’t understand, but they sure as hell loved and supported him through it.
Even though Drake hadn’t lived with her in months, Belinda had managed to convince her father that Drake was coming back somehow and they should keep up with the apartment lease. But now that he wasn’t even in the state, even her overly-coddling Daddy wasn’t putting up with her shit.
That, he had to admit, was surprising. Hunter used to joke that Chief Pearce would commit murder if it’d keep baby girl Belinda happy.
Drake climbed back into the truck, shutting the door a bit too firmly behind him.
“Everything okay?”
Everly had settled the paper bag full of sushi on the seat beside her and was looking over at him with luminous blue eyes. Damn. This girl. This guileless, beautiful, hesitant girl. She made his stomach tighten, his heart pound, his palms itch to touch her. But why? She was pretty, but not beautiful. Her body was fit, but not voluptuous. She didn’t flirt, or flutter, or sashay around him. But for some reason she called to him like a siren called a sailor.
Maybe it was her sweetness, her honesty. Maybe it was the way her soft fingers curled over his forearm when he hesitated to answer. Maybe it was the way she sat silently, waiting for him to find the answer, never pressing, never cajoling, simply listening.
Damn it. He was falling to pieces and he hadn’t even slept with her yet.
“It’s nothing to ruin our night with,” Drake said, the tension draining away from him at her touch. “I was just thinking about something that’s not worth my time. I’d much rather talk about the beautiful woman sitting beside me.”
He cranked the engine, noting with pleasure at the pink that brightened Everly’s cheeks at the compliment. “Well—that’s—I—I…”
She couldn’t form a coherent sentence, so Drake put her out of her misery.
“I hope this is okay. I’ve wanted to try this place since I moved in. Sushi’s one of my favorites.”
“Me too,” she said, the relief plain in her voice. “There’s a tiny little takeout place near my house, and I grab food from there all the time. Their rainbow roll is to die for.”
“You’ll have to take me there sometime.”
“Okay,” she said brightly. “There are only four tables in the place, and a bar where the chef works. He’s really nice. I went there last week and sat at the bar, and while I was there…”
Drake couldn’t stop himself from glancing over at her repeatedly as she launched into a story about a belligerent customer and the patient sushi chef. When Everly relaxed, she talked with her hands, becoming much brighter and more animated than he’d ever seen her. The warmth in his chest was growing larger with every word she uttered.
Even the ugly memory of Belinda’s sudden appearance in his new town couldn’t dampen the pleasure of being in Everly’s company.
They laughed together, conversation flowing freely during the short drive to their destination. And when Drake cut his pickup’s engine, Everly finally realized where they were.
“Oh, I love this place!” They climbed out of the truck together at White Rock Lake Park, Everly holding their bag of food while Drake managed the duffel with the blanket, wine, and other supplies he’d brought. “I bring my dogs out here to walk all the time.”
“My buddy Kyle told me about this place, and I thought it would be perfect for a picnic.”
Hand-in-hand, they walked to the edge of the water, a patch of bright-green grass inviting them closer. Drake spread the blanket out while Everly began to unpack the food.
“This looks amazing,” Everly said as she removed the lid from a plastic container of tuna sashimi.