Shiver by CM Foss

up like a woman possessed. I just wanted to get out of there. As I swung open the door to walk to my truck, I bumped straight into the solid chest of my current nemesis. Ethan’s hands came up to cup my shoulders, and after just a tiny, traitorous second, I pulled away.
    “Yeah, so. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I walked around him before he had a chance to say anything, whistling to Charlie it was time to head home and get ready for my… date.

    I pulled into the parking lot of the Tavern at seven thirty that night. I’d meant it when I said that our options were limited. It was pretty much the only place to go that was casual and within a five-mile radius. Fortunately for me, not so much for the small-town gossip train, the parking lot was relatively empty. I’d like to say that I got all dressed up for my date, but it was cold and I lived in bumfuck. So I was wearing my typical jeans, boots, and a cute black V-neck sweater. I did, however, fix my hair and makeup.
    I walked in the back way to the pub, which allowed me to locate Lawrence and look like less of a dork. I saw him sitting at a small round table in the back corner, sipping on a beer and people-watching. He looked very at ease sitting by himself. I thought that was a good trait. He was also wearing jeans, boots, and a sweater, but I could see the collar and cuffs of a white button-down shirt poking out. He looked… sexy. At some other time, say a few months ago, I’d have been drooling.
    He stood as I approached the table, smiling and giving me the slightly awkward half-hug, half-cheek-kiss thing. He pulled out my chair for me to sit; a total Southern gentleman. The waitress came up and brought me my glass of wine without my even asking.
    “Thanks, Tina.” I grinned at her, settling into my seat.
    “No problem.” She winked. “Let me know when you guys are ready to order.”
    “Well.” Lawrence slid his menu across the table. “I heard this is the place to get a burger. Sound good to you?” He raised a brow questioningly.
    “Yeah, it’s basically the only thing to eat here.” I shrugged.
    “Hey, I’m standing right here.” Tina put a hand on her bony hip. I grinned at her, knowing she was joking because she only worked here to make extra money to support her riding habit and wouldn’t eat anything but the burger either. She’d lived in town most of her life, doing odd jobs and foxhunting her horses. She was somewhere in her forties, and you could tell that life hadn’t always been kind. Still, she was cheerful and funny, and I admired her for that.
    “Two burgers it is. Everything on them?” she asked.
    I looked over at Lawrence, and we both nodded and thanked her. Once she left, a moment of awkward silence hung over us. I cleared my throat and wriggled in my seat, picking up my glass of wine to take a sip. Lawrence looked over at me with a knowing look and held up his beer to toast me.
    “Here’s to new friends.”
    I clinked his bottle and smiled in relief. Safe to say first dates were not my forte, especially when I was uncertain about whether I wanted to date the person in the first place. But I could be a pretty good friend.
    We kicked back and started chatting about the horses, particularly their breeding and the hopes that Brooks Thoroughbred had for each individual one. Maybe I shouldn’t have been, but I was surprised to hear that Ethan had talked up my training skills. I supposed it only benefitted him, but it was still nice to hear. I learned that Lawrence’s father owned and ran their family farm, and that Lawrence enjoyed the horses but had a dream to do something with them on his own eventually. I could understand living under the shadow of a family business, but I had to point out the opportunities he had compared to so many others.
    Our burgers came and we dug in. I was starving after a long day of forgetting to eat, and I noticed Lawrence watching me a little wide-eyed as I polished off my food.
    “Oh, did you think I