She leans back with a whistle. “Oh my. This is a special occasion indeed.”
Impressing her is my favorite part of this gig. “I’m glad you see it that way.”
Audria studies the vehicle and surrounding area again. “This is like a pop-up.”
“Sure,” I drawl. The only thing that comes to mind is a book, but that can’t be right.
“We have those in the city sometimes.”
Some of the shock factor of this date dulls upon hearing that. “I should’ve known.”
Her forehead dents at my brittle tone. “This is much better, trust me. The ones in Minneapolis are too fancy-pants. Most of them are exclusive access only.”
That makes me feel marginally better. “Ray sells to anyone who’s hungry or wanting to chip in for a great cause.”
Audria smacks her lips. “I’m sold. What kind of food does he serve?”
I jerk a shoulder. “Burgers mostly.”
“And when does he open?” She glances at the shuttered windows.
I tap my phone to check the clock. “In about five minutes.”
“Super, that gives us a chance to catch up.”
A chuckle rolls out of me. “We just saw each other a few days ago.”
When I cooked farm-fresh eggs in her stainless-steel kitchen. We watched a movie after dinner but got distracted before the opening credits finished rolling. Making out led to heavy petting, which ended with her on my lap. All that dry humping left my balls a midnight shade of navy. My dick still aches, but I have zero regrets.
Audria hums while twirling a lock of blond around her finger. “I’m sure you could give me plenty of updates about the CornHub harvest.”
“As if you want to hear them,” I deadpan.
She scoffs. “The correct term is ‘understand.’ Most of that stuff goes straight over my head.”
“That makes you a saint for listening to me ramble.”
“So?” she prods.
Even with the threat of boring her in the forefront of my mind, my pulse thrums in my veins when I think about Prairie Myers. “The crop growth overall is better than expected, so it’s taking longer to get through all the fields. That’s not a true complaint, though. We’re expected to earn more than last year, which is insane. Our profit margin has been steadily increasing without a plateau. We expect to see an even higher gain than the loftiest predictions. It’s been a huge success.”
“That’s excellent.” The awe in her voice reveals pure honesty.
I smile, pride shining at being able to share this with her. “The big bosses are very impressed with our branch. I’m all lined up to get a raise at the start of planting season.”
Audria snags my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Very well deserved.”
“Or so you assume,” I joke.
“All I have to go by is what you’re sharing, so that really depends on you. For all I know, you could be blowing smoke up my ass.” She winks.
“You’re a riot.” I laugh. “How’s your class? Is Gabby behaving herself?”
She lifts a brow. “Don’t you know?”
“You see her far more than I do.”
“I suppose being her teacher has its perks.” Her exhale is full of whimsy. “That little girl is very smart and talented. She follows instructions almost immediately and is always the first to volunteer. I’m not supposed to have favorites, but Gabby makes that difficult.”
“Are you saying that because I’m her uncle?”
Her lips form a flat line. “Not in the least. I would never lie about a child just to avoid conflict.”
I widen my eyes at the snark in her tone. “That sounds like some teachers do.”
Audria shrugs. “How they choose to handle parent communication is their choice. To each their own and all that.”
Just then, Ray flings open the serving station, and a small crowd streams forward out of seemingly nowhere. I stand so abruptly that my chair teeters. “We better get in line.”
She follows my lead as we join the masses. Her attention flickers to the menu underneath the metal awning. “What’s with the names?”
I feel my lips twitch at the corners. “The owner is ex-military, right? He made it a theme.”
“Very creative,” Audria murmurs. She studies the board further as the person in front of us pays their tab.
Ray waves us forward with his typical haste. “What can I get for you?”
“Ladies first.” I nudge my date.
She shakes her head. “I’m still deciding.”
Ray grunts and nods to me. “How about you?”
“A General Sam with extra pickles.”
“You got it,” the older man confirms. His steely gaze finds Audria again. “Miss?”
Her smile is warm and genuine. “I’ll have a Private Dan.”
He jots that down. “Any additional toppings?”
“Uh, just the usual?” She glances at me with a questioning gaze.
Ray clears his throat. “Do you like cheese on your privates?”
Her jaw slips open with a quiet slick. She gawks at him for a moment before giggling in that uncomfortable way women do. “Um, maybe?”
Not a hint of amusement lifts his wrinkled features. “It’s a simple yes or no.”
Audria tucks some hair behind her ear. “Well, I’ve never had to make this decision before. Give a girl a minute to compose herself.”
“You’ve obviously never had one of my privates,” he states with a flat tone.
She chokes. “No, I certainly haven’t.”
“Cheese?” Ray’s expression is bored at best.
Keeping my own in some semblance of neutral is a struggle.
Audria nearly bends in half with laughter. She wipes beneath her eyes, exhaling a harsh breath. “Okay, I’m ready. Yes, I will take cheese on my burger.”
“Great,” he mutters. “Glad to hear you like eating cheesy privates.”
She gapes at him again, perhaps searching for a crack in his stern exterior. There’s not a fracture to be found. A wide smile spreads on her lips after a moment of recovery. “I’m going to gobble every morsel.”
“Whatever blows your skirt up.” Ray shoots me a covert wink.
Keeping tally of how often she appears like a fish out
