Page 94 of Control Freak

“Oh, I’m sorry. That must have been awful.”

“It wasn’t fun.” I pulled out the key fob and unlocked the GTO.

Soon, we were on the road to the Riverside Bistro, an upscale restaurant that was nice but casual, unlike the hoity-toity Silver Spoon. It had beautiful views of the river, appetizers and charcuterie boards perfect for sharing, and an extensive craft beer and wine list.

“I’m sorry,” Shiloh said, sounding awkward. “I am bringing up theworsttopics for a first date. Ugh. How am I so bad at this?”

“I don’t know.” I chuckled. “But we can be bad at it together.”

“You’re good at that,” he murmured.

“At what?”

“Taking a little pressure off me. Sharing the burden. You’re always ready to carry the weight of the world, aren’t you?”

I shot him a sidelong look. “My brothers just call it bossy or controlling.”

“Well, there’s some of that,” Shiloh acknowledged, “but what I see is more nuanced. You take care of people. Sometimes, that means lecturing your baby brother to get his shit together or reminding Gray to get something done at the shop. But…I believe it’s all done with love.”

I turned at a four-way stop, heading toward the river. “That’s a flattering way to look at my need to control everything around me.”

“You don’t control me. You never once told me to stop camming when I got here. I know you didn’t love it.”

“I didn’t.” I slowed to pull into the Riverside Bistro parking lot. “Iwantedto tell you to stop.”

“But you didn’t,” he said simply. “That’s the important part.”

I hoped he was right. I had controlling impulses, but as long as I could keep them in check and understand the lines that I shouldn’t cross, maybe I wouldn’t ruin the best thing that had ever happened to me.

Because I wanted to be the man Shiloh saw in me.

We got out of the car and hurried into the warmth of the restaurant. The hostess led us to a table for two upstairs, right next to a window so large that it gave the illusion we were sitting outside. The river glittered under the lights of the restaurant, the moon a glowing orb in the velvety dark sky.

“What a beautiful view,” Shiloh said. “Is this why you chose this place for the date?”

“Partly,” I said. “I spent a lot of time down at the river growing up. I loved to go out there at night. I used to lie on the riverbank for hours, picking out constellations. I actually wanted to go into astronomy.”

His eyes brightened as he glanced out the window once more. “I had no idea. We should go down there after we eat. You can show me.”

“It’s not too cold for that?”

“To know you better, I can handle a little chill,” he said.

The server arrived, so we made a quick perusal of the drinks menu, and I ordered an IPA while Shiloh opted for a glass of sangria.

Our conversation meandered from our jobs, to my brothers, to Shiloh’s childhood growing up. When the server returned to take our order, Shiloh asked for the young woman’s recommendation.

“The charcuterie for two is a great sampling of delicious bites from around the world,” she said. “But we have more substantial entrees as well.”

“We’ll take it,” I offered when Shiloh looked at me in question. “We can always get dessert if it’s not enough.”

He smiled. “That was my thought exactly.”

“Emory mentioned that you always ask what to order. Why is that?”

“I love trying new things, and who better to recommend a great dish than someone who works with food? It’s just a quirky little habit I picked up. It used to drive Jimmie crazy.” He winced. “Sorry. I was trying not to bring him up.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “As long as you bring up how much better I am in comparison.”