“We can leave,” Tucker informed me.

“Nope. Food has already been ordered. We can eat first, unless you think people will continue to just show up and demand a trip down memory lane with you all evening. In which case, maybe they’ll allow us to take our food to go?” I knew it wasn’t exactly the type of place that would enjoy being treated as a fast-food establishment, but I was really trying. I hadn’t run away when I realized this is where he brought everyone. It wasn’t special. More importantly, it sucked to know that our first date hadn’t been special, or that I had not been worthy of any kind of forethought before he took me out. If I had been, common sense should have ruled this place out in his mind.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t have brought you here. In hindsight, it was a bad idea, but I honestly thought you would enjoy the atmosphere.” He took a sip of his drink and then set it down before leaning forward in order to be closer to me. “I truly am sorry, Mina. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable about being out to dinner with me. It wasn’t about who else I’ve been here with. I really just chose it because the river is a calming place, and I thought after the past couple of days, you could use a little serenity while enjoying your dinner.”

“Thank you for that.” I could be polite, even if I didn’t really feel it, right?

It didn’t take long for our food to arrive and it was just as delicious as I always knew it would be. It was the perfect blend of elegance and southern charm. I refused the wine that had been brought out, because let’s face it, that had already been ruined. It was tainted by the fact that so many women before had obviously enjoyed the same kind of wine with the man sitting across from me. We spoke very little as we ate, and I found myself wishing that it had been the same type of companionable silence that we’d enjoyed on the ride here. It wasn’t though, and if I was being honest, this date - our first official one - had turned out to be a veritable disaster.

“Would you care for anything off the dessert menu?” Our server was polite, if not brusk about it. I shook my head, but Tucker seemed to have other ideas about how the night should go.

“Are you sure? They have the best…” I tuned him out and turned to face the river. You couldn’t tell in the moment that the river was probably a muddy, ugly brown color. At night, it simply seemed to be a deep blue, maybe black with hints of silvery light reflecting from its surface, thanks in part to the lighting of the restaurant and to the moon that hung low overhead as if it had been placed there simply to add to the ambiance.