I basically had two choices on the night. Okay, maybe three. First being going back inside of Shammy’s and just pretend like nothing happened. That meant sitting at the bar hoping that nobody else would bother me like that guy did. The second choice was to just go home. That was possibly the logical choice because I could go home and sleep. That was logical because it involved my bed, my comfy covers, and a night to do completely nothing and relax. The last choice was the one I took.

Following Ramsey as he drove toward the edge of the town.

What exactly was I doing?

That was a question that had no answer in my mind.

I had myself ready to work, only to be told not to come in. Then came the decision to go out with Norah, which turned into what I thought it would. Not that I could blame her for wanting to enjoy her life. I probably should have done the same. Except the guy I attracted turned out to be a creep who thought it was fun and flirty to touch my drink, try to touch my phone, and touch my arm when I clearly didn’t want it.

Yet, I was following the guy who punched the guy who was touching me without my approval.

It was almost like stepping over fire to step into fire.

The truck pulled to the side of a large and steep dirt road. It didn’t look like much, but right over the ridge was a cemetery. It was a strange kind of cemetery because it was on such a steep hill and overlooked the entire town.

When Rams stepped out of his truck and left the door open, I knew where this was going.

I sat there and watched him walk toward my car.

He was everything that screamed trouble, or maybe a night of fun. Built a mile wide with a pissed off look on his face, my headlights reflecting off the dark color of his eyes as he stared straight ahead, right at me as he approached my car.

I put the window down, playing coy and actually enjoying it.

“Did you get a flat tire?” I asked.

Ramsey grinned.

A sense of comfort went through me and that’s when it finally made sense.

I was comfortable around him.

Yet I had no idea why.

“I was going to give you a ride to the next part.”

“You want me to sit in your truck while you drive to the top of a cemetery?”

“Exactly.”

“And that isn’t supposed to scare me why?”

“Then we’ll just sit in the bed of my truck down here where you can’t see anything. You tell me.”

“I’ll take my chances,” I said.

“With what?”

“Following you again.”

“You want to follow me up there?”

“Not the first time I’ve driven that road in a car.”

Ramsey raised an eyebrow. “Well then. I’ll just keep an eye on the rearview in case you get stuck.”

“If I get stuck, just keep going,” I said. “But remember me.”

Was that flirting, Jordyn? Is that how you flirt?

Lucky for me Ramsey started to turn and didn’t see my cheeks become hot.

The last time I did anything spontaneous like this… was too long ago to admit.

Ramsey started to drive again, and I followed.

The cemetery had always been the ultimate party place back in the day. Because you were sort of hidden, had the best view of the town, and if you were smart enough to know how to get off the little mountain, you could get away from the cops before they caught up to you and busted you for drinking.

When I finally parked the car for good, I shook my head, still trying to come to terms with what was happening on my Saturday night.

As I walked around my car, feeling the crisp, fresh autumn air hit me, Ramsey surprised me by pulling a couple of bottles of beer from the back seat of his truck.

“As promised, darling,” he said with a smooth coolness that would have made me swoon and melt back in the day.

“Thanks,” I said, taking the bottle of beer.

“Here, have a seat with me,” he said.

He opened the tail gate of his truck and patted it. He jumped up and the entire truck bounced. I did the same and the truck didn’t move at all.

I looked out and down to the small town that was home. Random lights from streetlights, pizza places, and houses. But above us was the real view. It was so dark at the top of the hill that the stars were massive clusters of twinkling lights.

“Nice up here, right?” Ramsey asked.

“Been a while.”

“I used to come up here and raise hell,” he said.

“You’re supposed to be respectful in a cemetery.”

“Tell that to the version of me back in high school.”

“I didn’t come up here all that much,” I said. “I mean, you know, a bunch of times, but I used to go to the other side of the valley.”

Ramsey raised an eyebrow. “Oh, wow. So, you were really a tough chick then. Over in Southbrooke? With the enemy.”

“The enemy,” I said with a laugh.

The stupid high school rivals that were built from sports and somehow translated into everyday life. Having teachers preach to the kids about being nice to one another, yet building up a rivalry based on football, so much so that kids wanted to fight each other with no real reason.

“So, you were a big time party chick then,” Ramsey said.

“Do you have to use the word chick?” I asked.

“My apologies,” he said. “Should I call you Mom?”

“What?” I asked, almost jumping at him.

“Saw the booster seat in your car,” he said. “So, it’s either Mom, Aunt, or babysitter.”

I swallowed hard, as though I should have felt guilty for some reason.

Guilty for what? Not quickly telling Ramsey I had a son? For his sake? Or for Sam’s sake? Like I was pretending not to have a son.

“You’re just really trying to crash into my night and life, aren’t you?” I asked.

“Just making conversation,” he said.

“Yes. I have a son. Is that a problem?”

“Not at all. Is that a problem for you?”

“Nope,” I said. “I love my son. Being a mother is the greatest thing in the world.”

Ramsey nodded. “Right. That’s a good thing then. So, I take it that’s why I haven’t seen you at Shammy’s before.”

“What do you mean?”

“Meaning I assume that not every Saturday night is a kid-free night for you.”

“Every other Saturday,” I said. “But I usually work. Or try to work if I can get the shifts.”

“Every other Saturday. So that means…”

I laughed. I sipped the cool beer, which wasn’t as cool as the air outside.

“Why are you shaking your head?” Ramsey asked.

“I’m not going to lie, Rams, this is a very interesting night, so far.”

“So far, huh? Meaning there’s more to go?”

“Now you’re just getting ahead of yourself,” I said.

“And you’re trying to change the topic of conversation.”

“So what if I am?”

“Why though?”

“I get one night out, and I’m supposed to talk about being a mom? I’m not sure that’s what most guys want to hear about.”

“Well, it would only matter if it’s a date, right?” Ramsey asked.

“Oh, I get it. If it’s a date, you don’t talk about it. But if you’re sitting at the top of the cemetery in town, drinking a beer in the bed of a truck, then nothing is off limits.”

“See? Now you’re getting it.”

I stared at Ramsey.

At least what was being said set the line that wouldn’t get crossed. This wasn’t going to turn into a one-night stand. I wasn’t going to fool around with him in the bed of his truck. Or follow him to his place. Or invite him to my place. Which meant he could either finish his drink with me or find some lame excuse to get out of there pronto.

“So, back to this every other Saturday thing,” he said with a grin.

“No, no, no,” I said. “It’s your turn.”

“My turn for what?”

“To tell me something about you.”

“Oh, so we’re playing that game?”

“Maybe.”

“That’s teetering on becoming a date then.”

“Which means I don’t have to talk about being a mom anymore.”

“But that also means…” Ramsey shrugged his shoulders.

“Means what?” I asked.

He ignored me, instead throwing his bottle of beer back and taking a big drink.

“Means what?” I asked him again.

When he ignored me the second time, I decided I wasn’t going to play any games. So, I jumped from the bed of the truck and put my drink down.

It took Ramsey a split second to do the same and get in my way.

Now my back was to the bed of the truck and he towered over me, staring down at me in a way that probably should have made me want to knee him in the balls and walk away. Except Ramsey was nothing like the guy back at the bar. If Ramsey touched my arm, I wouldn’t cringe. I’d get goosebumps everywhere. Things would happen to my body…

“Don’t leave, darling,” he said.

“I don’t feel like playing the quiet game, Rams.”

“Fine,” he said.

He leaned in on me and I leaned back, gasping, my eyes going wide. I thought he was going to kiss me. Instead, he reached behind me and got my beer. He handed it to me, grinning, knowing exactly what he was doing.

“What I was going to say,” he whispered, “is if this becomes a date and you want to pretend you’re not a mom for the moment, that’s fine by me. But it also means I might steal a goodnight kiss from you. And if that happens, you’re going to want to see me again.”

What he said was almost cringeworthy, except it was coming from him. Which somehow made it super sexy. So much so that my lips tingled, wondering what it would feel like if he…

No, Jordyn. Not a chance in hell.

I reminded myself of what waited at home for me.

That was reality.

This right now was just a fantasy.

Ramsey leaned down a little more toward me. “Now, darling, what do you want to know about me?”

* * *

I couldn’t respond.

What did I want to know about him?

The entire night started to play through my head and the craziness of where it began and where I then stood.

“I, uh, don’t know,” I said. “I mean, you were pretty quick to punch that guy.”

“So you think I have anger issues?”

“Do you?”

“Only with those who deserve it.”

“Did you know that guy?”

“No.”

“So you just hit a total stranger to help me?”

“If that’s the way it looks,” he said.

He sidestepped and leaned against the tail gate of the truck. There was a slight sense of disappointment that he didn’t try to kiss me, but an even greater sense of appreciation that he backed away.

“My brother is down there,” Ramsey said.

“Down where?” I asked. “In town?”

He turned his head. “No, darling. Down there. The cemetery.”

“Ohmygosh,” I said. “I’m so sorry. Rams…”

He put a hand up. “No. Don’t do that stuff. You wanted to know something about me and there it is. You have a kid. I have a brother who said goodbye too early. Are we even now?”

“I’m not sure how that works,” I said.

“Sometimes it’s nice to just step away. Come up here. Have a beer. Look at the stars. Look at the town. Take a deep breath away from life.”

“That I can totally understand.”

I wanted to know more about his brother. He probably wanted to know more about me having a kid. But we both left those two subjects silenced.

“This is better than Shammy’s,” I said as I waved the half-emptied beer bottle.

“Yeah?” he asked with a grin.

“Yeah.”

“Look, I know this is a little crazy being up here and doing this. I’m not a fool. But I figured you needed it.”

“You figured?” I asked. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“Same for you,” he said.

“I didn’t drag you up here for a beer.”

“I don’t remember dragging you anywhere. You followed.”

“You told me to.”

“That’s dangerous.”

“What is?”

“You, doing what you’re told,” Ramsey said. “Especially by me.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

He smirked. A way too sexy for his own good kind of smirk. His thoughts penetrated my thoughts and my cheeks burned hot again.

We finished our drinks without much more conversation. Which wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Just sitting there with Ramsey, casually looking over at him. He stared straight ahead. I wondered what he was thinking about, but it wasn’t my business to ask. Just like it wasn’t his business to ask anything else about Sam’s seat in my car.

“I’ve got plenty more,” Ramsey said as he showed me his empty beer bottle.

“I’d better not,” I said. “Not with driving.”

“So you were a bad party girl back in the day, but now you’re responsible, huh?”

“Don’t you remember me at all?” I asked.

“Remember you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Am I supposed to remember you?”

“I guess not,” I said.

I took a couple of steps and Ramsey made a move to get in front of me again. “I don’t remember much of anything back then. Okay? So don’t take it personally, darling. I sort of bounced around quite a bit, which you’d know if you remember me. And once I was able to go, I was gone.”

“But you came back.”

“Only because my uncle needed me here. I work for his construction company. He hurt his back and couldn’t work for a while. He almost lost everything. And if it wasn’t for him and my aunt, I would be living here for good, if you get what I mean.”

There was an honesty in his eyes that startled me.

I swallowed hard. “Well, then I guess that’s a good thing you can visit here and leave.”

Ramsey gently touched my chin. “Same for you, right?”

“Yeah. I’d, uh, better get going. Thank you for tonight, Rams. I mean it. I shouldn’t have come out at all, but I did. And you actually saved the night.”

“I can do the same again,” he said. “Just tell me when.”

I shut my eyes for a second and sighed.

This was the hard part.

Meeting a guy like Ramsey and having him hint at seeing me again.

“It won’t be for a while, Rams,” I said. “My situation…”

“That’s fine. Name it.”

“Every other weekend works for me,” I said.

He stroked a finger from my chin to my cheek and stepped away. “Have a good night, Jordyn. I’ll follow you down to make sure you don’t get stuck.”

“Thanks for that,” I whispered.

And then what? I wanted to ask but didn’t.

Then and then what? was simple.

I’d go home.

Ramsey would probably go somewhere else to get a drink. Or maybe pick someone else up to actually take home.

I was a single mother who only had two weekends a month free.

Who in their right mind would be interested in that?