Page 13 of Rescued By the Rebel

The ride is over way too fast, and I try not to be too disappointed as we park outside the best steakhouse in town. Aldis kicks the kickstand down, and I climb off, making sure that my dress is in place.

“Let me help you with your helmet,” Aldis says, and I step forward, letting him handle the helmet strap.

“Thanks.”

“Of course.”

He sets the helmets on the bike and takes my hand.

“Have you been here before?” He asks me, and I shake my head.

“No, I haven’t been to many places in town besides the grocery store and that taco truck that parks by the library.”

“You don’t like eating out?” He asks, and I pause.

I do, but I guess I never really tried to here. I was so focused on the animal sanctuary and getting things running smoothly there that everything else just fell by the wayside. Or maybe I was afraid to put down roots here in case the sanctuary and myself failed.

“I guess I just didn’t want to go by myself,” I admit as we head inside the steakhouse.

“Well, now you don’t have to. We can have a standing date. Try a new place every week until we’ve been to them all.”

“How many weeks would that take? Four?” I joke, and he laughs.

“Well, there’s other towns nearby. We can check them out too.”

I smile, feeling my cheeks heat with a blush.

“I’d like that,” I admit.

“Good.”

He approaches the hostess, and I look around the restaurant. It’s a dimly lit place with tables scattered in dark corners. The hostess leads us to our table along the back wall, and I smile, letting Aldis pull out my chair for me. I smooth my hand over the white tablecloth and smile at Aldis as the hostess hands us our menus.

“Your waiter will be right with you,” she says before she heads back to the front.

“Welcome to Prime Grill. I’m Justin, and I’ll be your waiter tonight. Can I get you started with something to drink? A bottle of wine or some cocktails, perhaps?”

Aldis glances at me, and I shake my head.

“Just water for me, thanks.”

“Same.”

“Of course. I’ll give you a few minutes to look over the menu.”

He leaves, and Aldis and I open our menus.

“It all looks so good,” I comment, and Aldis nods.

I decide on the sirloin and close my menu, setting it on the table.

“Did you want an appetizer?” Aldis asks, and I shake my head.

“Do you come here often?” I ask him, and he shakes his head.

“No, I’ve been here once before when some old friends from the SEALs came to visit, but that was it.”

“Where do you usually eat in town?” I ask as he closes his menu.

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