Page 25 of Refuge for Flora

“Then steak it is.”

“No, I mean, you’d take me for steak?”

“Of course, if that’s what you want. Steak, baked potato, green beans, or broccoli, or… I dunno. Whatever you want.”

“Okay. That sounds good. I’d like that.”

He wheeled into the parking lot of the Longhorn Steakhouse in front of the discount store, and Flora’s eyes bugged. “Is this okay?” he asked.

It took everything she had to force out her answer. “I’ve never eaten at one of these. Never could afford it.”

“I feel like splurging today.” She was still sitting there, dumbstruck, when he opened her door. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“Uh, okay.” With Barrett right behind her, she wandered up to the front door, and he opened it for her to step inside. The hostess asked them to follow her to a table and, to her astonishment, as they walked along, she felt the warmth of Barrett’s hand on the small of her back.Is this a date?she wondered. She hadn’t thought it was, but maybe… Nah. He was just being polite. Nothing more.

“I love the stuffed mushroom appetizer. Want to share it with me?”

“Sure!”Oh my god, this is so awesome!she heard her heart sing. She was sitting in a nice restaurant across from a good-looking guy and having a fabulous meal. Then she thought about her shabby clothes. Damn, she couldn’t understand how he could even stand to be there with her. What if someone he knew saw him with her? How embarrassing would that be for him? “Um, Barrett, do you want to…”

“What?”

“I mean, somebody might see you with me, and I wouldn’t want?”

A strange look passed across his face. “What? You embarrassed to be seen with me?”

“No! I mean, I thought you might be embarrassed… If somebody saw you with me, and they thought… You wouldn’t…”

“I don’t give a shit what anybody thinks. I’m here having a nice dinner with a beautiful woman and I have every intention of enjoying myself. How ‘bout you?” Flora realized she was just staring at him with her mouth hanging open, and she couldn’t help it. “What? What’s wrong?”

“You called me beautiful.”

“And you are. Oh, here she comes to take our drink order. Know what you want?”

“Uhhhh, yeah. I…” The server walked up to the table and in a minute, she had their drink orders as well as Barrett’s appetizer order, and they were alone again as she disappeared toward the back.

He folded his hands on the table in front of him and stared right into her eyes. “Now, this is the part where we make conversation. So, what do you like to do? Got any hobbies?”

“No. I don’t have any hobbies. I don’t have time. Never have had time. You?”

“I like to fish and hunt. Kinda goes with the territory, huh?” he said and laughed. She had no idea what that was supposed to mean. “I played football in high school. Used to play men’s softball, but not so much anymore. Had a lot of changes in my life and that just kinda fell by the wayside.”

“I know what you mean.”

“You told me you’re from Pikeville, but you never did say why you came here, except that it was as far as you could get from Pikeville without leaving the state.” He stopped for a minute and waited, but she didn’t say anything. He finally asked her, “Is there somebody you’re trying to stay away from?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because you came to Paducah, Kentucky, with no one here that you knew, and I know that you stayed at the shelter before you came here.”

“Who told you that?”

“You did.” Her cheeks burned?she’d totally forgotten about telling him.

“Yeah. I did. And yeah, I’m trying to stay away from somebody.”

“The law?”

“No. Not the law.”

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