Page 28 of Trophy

Allison had a fabulous lunch with Vicki at one of their favorite restaurants in the city.

Vicki, of course, put her through a full interrogation on her relationship with Rob.

Allison kept saying they were just having a good time and there wasn’t a future, but she wasn’t even sure she meant it anymore.

She was starting to have a hard time imagining the day when she wouldn’t want to be with Rob.

She was back home by three thirty with plenty of time to get ready for her date. Rob had called and said he’d made reservations, but since it was last minute, all of the later seatings were booked and he’d had to take six o’clock.

Allison didn’t care what time they ate. She was excited about going out with him. She was actually quite fluttery.

She spent a long time looking through her wardrobe until she finally decided on a pretty, sleeveless dress in a pale green color with subtly printed flowers and birds around the bottom of the flowing skirt.

She looked really nice in it, and it would appear like she’d made an effort, but it wouldn’t be totally out of place in a mountain restaurant in the middle of nowhere.

Rob had told her the name of the restaurant, but she’d never been there, so she didn’t know what to expect.

When Rob knocked on her door, she opened it to discover he was holding a pretty bouquet of peonies. She smiled in surprise and was feeling more fluttery than ever as she went to put them in a vase so they wouldn’t dry out while she and Rob were at dinner.

Rob had made an effort with his appearance too. He wore a jacket over his dress shirt and tan trousers. His clothes obviously weren’t custom tailored or particularly expensive, but she thought he looked very nice.

She’d never seen him in a suit jacket before.

He told her the restaurant was the best one in the area.

A New York chef had moved to the mountains and decided to open the place a few years ago.

It was full every weekend, and it was really the only choice in the county if you wanted something other than fast food, standard-issue Mexican, or basic country cooking.

Rob was in a good mood, and he made her laugh on the drive there on some very windy mountain roads. The road suddenly reached a micro-town with a few houses and one intersection, and Rob took the turn to end up at what looked like an old storefront.

“This is it?” she asked. There were already a lot of cars here, but the place really didn’t look like much.

“Don’t judge by appearances,” he teased. “Wait and see when you get inside.”

“I’m not judging. I’m sure it will be great.”

“If it’s not, you can tell me, you know. You don’t have pretend to spare my feelings.”

“I… I don’t think I’m pretending,” she said, stumbling a little on the words.

“Good. I’m glad.”

His expression sobered for just a moment, and she was suddenly afraid that she was pretending, exactly as Arthur always said she was. Pretending she could be independent and run her own life when she was really just waiting for another man to come along and make it better.

Before she could let that thought fester, they were getting out of his truck, and he was taking her hand as they walked in.

She liked how it felt. A lot. Not just the warm, strong grip of his hand, but also how it felt to be really with him this way, for everyone who saw them to know they were a couple.

With Arthur she’d felt like an expensive accessory, a sign of Arthur’s alpha maleness, his ability to land an attractive younger woman. She didn’t feel that way with Rob, and the difference was jarring.

She felt like he actually wanted to be with her. With her .

All of her fears were just silly. Everything was different with Rob.

The place was pleasant and kind of folksy, with a lot of local arts and crafts on shelves and hanging on the walls.

There were quite a few tables fit into a small space, but it all seemed very comfortable.

Near the front there was a small stage where she assumed local musicians sometimes performed.

There were microphones and speakers set up, as well as a couple of instrument cases.

As the hostess showed them to their table, Rob waved and nodded at three different tables.

“Do you know everyone?” she demanded with a laugh.

“Not everyone. But I was born in this county, and I’ve lived here all my life.

And there aren’t actually that many people here to meet.

” He was smiling at her over the candle on the table, and she couldn’t miss the appreciation in his eyes.

He was really glad to be here with her. He was pleased and proud that she was his date.

He was proud .

The waiter handed Rob the wine list, but Rob handed it over to Allison after the young man had left. “You can choose the wine. Anything you want.”

“But what do you want?” she asked, scanning it and surprised by how good a list it was for such an out-of-the-way restaurant. “I want you to like the wine too.”

“I don’t care. I’ll drink anything. It’s your birthday. You pick. We can even get that expensive champagne if you want.”

It was a sweet gesture, but Allison gave a little shudder as she looked to the bottom of the list. “No, thank you. Arthur always drank that.”

“Then we’ll definitely get something else.”

Allison found a midpriced merlot that she liked, and they ordered that with their entrées and appetizer. Rob had been right about the food. It was surprisingly good, and Allison kept making comments about how delicious it was and how she never would have guessed it from the outside.

“I told you not to judge,” Rob told her with a fond smile.

“I really wasn’t judging! I just… didn’t know.”

She could tell from his expression that he was having a good time, and she thought her face was probably conveying that she was too.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this way—like the world was brand new, like it was full of fresh starts, like what had happened in the past wouldn’t necessarily dictate what happened to her in the future.

Maybe it was the wine, but she was giggling and feeding Rob bites of her scrumptious chocolate mousse at the end of dinner. He was looking at her like he genuinely believed she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

She might have just melted away completely if a big man with a long, unkempt beard hadn’t come over and clapped Rob’s shoulders with both hands. “Rob West,” the man said with a very strong mountain drawl. “It’s been a long time.”

Rob turned around, blinking when he saw who it was. “Malachi!” He stood up and shook the man’s hand. Then he turned to Allison and introduced them. “Allison, this is Malachi Beardsley. We used to know each other from around, although I haven’t seen him in years. And Malachi, this is?—”

“Your honey. That much is obvious.”

Rob shot her a quick, apologetic look, as if he thought she might not like being called his “honey.” She actually thought it was kind of cute, and she was still trying to process the irony of a man with a beard like that having the last name of Beardsley.

She managed to say hello in a mostly articulate way. It looked like Malachi wanted to stay and chat, but he was called up by the long-haired man in overalls who had just stepped onto the stage and picked up a banjo.

“Got to go,” Malachi said, giving them a quick wave before he went to join the overalls man and another guy with hair in a ponytail. “Music starts at seven thirty.”

“Oh, I guess we’ll get to hear some of it,” Allison said, turning her chair slightly as the musicians started to pluck and tune their instruments.

“I’m not sure it’s going to be the kind of music you’re used to,” Rob said, cocking one eyebrow at her.

“What do you mean? What kind of music is it? Folk music or something?”

“Eh. More like… bluegrass, with some country mixed in. Wait and see.”

Allison watched with interest and then understood immediately what Rob was talking about.

She’d never heard the song they played, and she couldn’t understand all the words, but it seemed to be a story about a hunting dog who’d gotten lost somewhere in the woods.

The music was very interesting, though, and the men obviously knew how to play very well.

She was smiling as she looked over to Rob.

“Don’t tell me you like it,” he said, looking at her closely despite his teasing smile.

“It’s different. It’s interesting. I kind of want to hear more.”

The second song she liked even better, but their coffee and dessert were done, and she was wondering if they should give up their table. There was probably another reservation at eight, and she didn’t want to be rude.

She was just turning to Rob to suggest they think about leaving when the song finished and Malachi spoke into the microphone. “We have a treat tonight. A really talented musician who was long since forsaken his guitar. Maybe we can get him to join us for a song.”

Allison looked around, interested in who this was, when she realized the three guys in the band were all grinning at Rob, who looked like he’d been caught in oncoming headlights.

“Rob West,” Malachi continued, confirming her conclusion. “Come on up and sing a song for us.”

Allison gasped and covered her mouth with her hand as she stared at Rob. He was shaking his head and waving Malachi away, smiling but looking very self-conscious.

“Do you sing and play the guitar?” Allison asked him.

He shrugged. “I used to. Just something to do. I was never very good.”

“He’s saying he wasn’t very good,” Malachi said into the microphone, obviously set on goading Rob into getting up on the stage. “Let’s try to convince him to come up.”

The rest of the customers and the waitstaff were all getting into the spirit, clapping and calling out for Rob to get up there.

Allison gave him a little push. “Go on,” she said, a little embarrassed to be the center of attention but, more than that, really wanting to see what Rob could do onstage. “Go sing a song with them.”