“What are we watching?” she asked, sitting with her legs crossed under her.
“We can pick. Here are the options,” I said, swiping open my phone to read the text Brian sent. “Okay, we’ve got Gremlins, Pretty Woman, Breakfast Club, Princess Bride—”
“Princess Bride,” she said quickly.
“As you wish.”
She smiled, and I shot a text to Brian, who was waiting in the projection room above the closed snack bar. A moment later the movie flickered to life.
A message came up on the massive screen:
HE MUST REALLY LIKE YOU. HE BEGGED ME TO DO THIS. ENJOY THE SHOW.
Alexis laughed.
Fucking Brian. I felt my cheeks heat. I was grateful for the dim lighting.
“You begged him, huh?” She smiled.
“He didn’t fold until I cried.”
She shook her head, still laughing.
The screen went into a pre–movie reel. Silent ads for places in town that were closed until June.
Black bugs zipped around in front of the screen.
“What are those?” she asked, nodding at them.
“Dragonflies,” I said, wiping my hands on a napkin. “Though it’s a little early for them. It’s been kind of warm this spring.”
She squinted at them. “There’s so many.”
I leaned back on my hands. “My grandma used to say that dragonflies mean change is coming.”
She went quiet for a moment. “Must be a lot of change.”
“It must.”
I kept glancing at her while we ate in the white glow.
She was so beautiful. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten her to come back here. Made me a little proud of my sex skills.
“Does Brian own the drive-in?” she asked, eating a dried apricot.
I nodded. “That and the grocery store.”
“And you’re the mayor, and you run a bed-and-breakfast?”
“We all wear multiple hats around here. Liz works at the VFW and waits on tables at Jane’s three days a week. Doug does odd jobs. And the mayor thing really isn’t a big deal. It’s mostly town hall meetings.”
“For what?”
I snorted, picking up a cracker. “For me to resolve petty squabbles.”
“Like?”
I chewed and swallowed. “Well, like telling the Lutsens they can’t have chickens on the roof of the barbershop because the feathers are blowing into the candy store across the street. Barking dog complaints, judging the butter carving contest in Doug’s barn on Halloween. You know, important stuff like that.”
She laughed.
I took a sip of hot chocolate. “So are you going to tell me what you do for a living?”
She gave me hooded eyes. “I mean, isn’t it more fun if I’m mysterious?”
“I think it’s more fun if I get to know you.”
She twisted her lips.
She didn’t want to tell me.
“Is there something nefarious you think I’m going to do with this information?” I teased.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’m in the family business.”
“Which is…”
“How about I give you three guesses.”
I smiled. “Okay. And what do I get if I guess right?”
She arched a playful eyebrow. “What do you want?”
“I want you to come back next weekend.”
She gave me an amused smile. “Okay,” she said. “You have a deal.”
I rubbed my hands together. “Do I get any questions before I guess?”
She shook her head. “Nope. You have to go in cold.”
Crap. This was going to be hard. I tried to think of the little I knew about her. She was polished and elegant. Smart. My guess was a white-collar job. She obviously came from money, so she probably made a lot, whatever she did.
“A lawyer,” I said.
She tilted her head. “Do I seem like someone who negotiates for a living?”
“You hustled Doug,” I pointed out.
She laughed. “No. Not a lawyer.”
“CEO.”
“Nope.”
“Damn,” I whispered.
“That’s two,” she said, smiling. “One more.”
I pursed my lips.
“Banking?”
She shook her head. “No.”
I puffed air into my cheeks. “So what are my chances of getting you to come down next weekend anyway?” I gave her a raised eyebrow.
“Not good.”
“So you’re saying there’s a chance…”
She laughed at the movie screen. “Let’s just see how tonight goes.”