Page 19 of Fear of Love
“Always a good day when a Boone comes to eat,” Rick teased. “What can I get ya two?”
“I’ll take my usual. And onion rings,” I said with a smile.
“Same with me,” Landon added, handing his card to Rick. I almost reached out to stop him but halted. He wanted to pay, so who was I to say no?
“Sounds good. I’ll bring it out in a minute,” Rick said with an amused tilt of his head.
The silence between us was awkward as we moved to sit across from each other on one of the benches outside the food truck. Neither one of us knew how to act without the others around.
“So, the rink is doing well?” I asked after a moment, unable to take the uncomfortable silence any longer. I had no clue what to say but figured talking about work was a safe topic.
“Yeah, things are good. The magazine article last year has really helped.”
“Did Landon Boone just admit my magazine has helped his business?” I put a hand to my chest and made my eyes big. I knew it took a lot of convincing by Josie to get Landon to agree to do any sort of interview or article.
Landon’s eyes narrowed in my direction, making me smirk.
“Saying sorry and admitting my business is helpful, all in one day. Maybe the world is ending,” I said, bringing my hand to my throat to check my pulse to see if I had suddenly died.
“Ha ha.”
“But seriously, I’m glad it’s helped.” And I meant it. That was the main reason I started the magazine. I wanted something that everyone could read and see what was going on in the city; beyond the scope of events the paper wrote about. I wanted mom-and-pop shops to get more recognition along with other businesses.
“The magazine seems to be thriving,” Landon commented.
“Yeah, we’ve been really busy lately. We always are when getting things ready for the next issue,” I responded just as Rick came over with our food.
“Here ya kiddos go.”
My mouth instantly watered at the sight of my burger. This right here was my kryptonite, and I wasn’t even ashamed toadmit it. I didn’t waste a second before reaching for an onion ring.
“Marry me, Rick,” I plead in a joking voice.
“Get me a ring,” he teased. We both knew he was happily taken, but I would have gladly married him just for his cooking skills.
“Oh, I will,” I mumbled around a bite of my food.
“You guys enjoy.” I didn’t miss the wink he gave Landon and me before he walked off.
Grabbing my burger, I took a big bite, not caring that Landon was sitting across from me. Nothing would stand in the way of my food. Across from me, he shook his head as he took a bite of his own.
“What?” I asked once I swallowed.
“All it takes is a burger to get on your good side.” His eyes moved from my food to my mouth, making my cheeks heat.
“Yep. I fell in love with Rick the moment I came here.”
“Hmm.”
I raised an eyebrow at his response. Instead of asking him what he meant by that, I let it slide. We were actually getting along for once, so there was no need to ruin it.
The two of us were quiet as we ate. Once in awhile our eyes would meet before we quickly looked away. It felt weird, yet… nice eating with Landon. Maybe I had eaten alone for far too long if I was enjoying Landon’s company. Not wanting to touch that subject, I continued eating.
“Thank you,” I said after a bit. At his confused expression, I elaborated. “For the food and for the apology.”
“You’re welcome.”
As the two of us shared a small smile, my heart fluttered.
