Unsure of what might interest Nate, I started listing some of the local tourist spots. "There are several historical homes we could tour. A few small museums aren't too far from here. We could go see The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist."

I felt his eyes on my face as he said, "I didn't realize you were religious."

"Oh, I'm not." I shook my head. "But the place is something to see. It has neo gothic architecture and tons of huge stained-glass windows."

"Sounds fancy." Nate grinned and leaned closer, his arm brushing mine. "What does neo gothic architecture mean?"

A breath of laughter escaped me, lifting the nerves that had settled on my shoulders with his proximity. "It just means lots of pointed arches, tiny detailing, and vaulted ceilings."

"It's kinda cool that you know that."

My cheeks heated under his gaze and I wished they wouldn't. "Growing up here means I've been to these places enough times to guide the walking tours." I pulled to a side street with no other cars so we could decide which direction to go. "So, what do you think?"

He glanced around the area. "I think that sounds nice, but maybe we could just stroll on River Street? Liv and I passed it on the way here, and it looked like fun."

"River Street it is then." I turned the car around and headed that way. "I always enjoy being there. Lots of little shops and restaurants, and usually there's at least one street performer, but there might not be today because of Christmas."

"We saw some the other day!" Nate clapped his hands together with excitement. "It was so neat! An actual one-man-band, and a woman with him that was tap dancing."

"Oh, yeah. They've been performing here for years. I remember seeing them when I was a teenager."

"Wow! What a job choice. Can you imagine?"

The awe in his tone told me he wasn't kidding, and I shrugged. "I guess it would be nice to be your own boss."

"And to spend your time doing something fun that makes people happy." Nate shook his head. "That's something they don't talk enough about on career days at school."

"Street performing?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, or just doing something you enjoy that makes you feel good at the end of the day. That's something I should've thought about."

"You don't feel good after a day of helping people with their physical therapy? That seems like a fulfilling career."

"Yeah." Nate slumped in his seat with a sigh. "It used to be, but lately, it's just emotionally draining. I'm pushing them through something they rarely want to be doing, and at the end of the day, I've spent all my energy staying upbeat for them."

"Well, are you musical?" I parked near River Street. "If we see that guy, we could ask where he gets the shoes with the cymbals attached."

Nate's head fell back with a laugh that made me feel like I'd won a prize. "Unfortunately, no. I can't play any instruments." He brushed his fingers through his hair. "I'm a decent dancer, though. Do you think they'd let me throw a hat out beside theirs?"

"For a third of the one-man-band money?" I sucked air through my teeth. "Maybe you should give the career change a bit more thought."

"You're probably right." He patted my leg as he opened his door. "Thanks for the advice."

Two hours later, we'd chatted and walked the entire half-a-mile length of River Street, and stopped in every antique shop, boutique, and candy store. The only business we skipped were the restaurants.

Even though it was only about sixty degrees and the breeze blowing off the Savannah River was cool, the sun was warm, and we couldn't resist getting ice cream cones full of homemade strawberry ice cream. Sitting on a low brick wall near the edge of the waterfront, we ate our treats and watched the ships floating down the river.

I sent Liv a text asking how things were going and whether she knew how long she might be. I didn't want to rush her. Actually, I'd be fine if she took all night. Spending time with Nate was even better than I'd expected. We got along well, and he was so easy to be around; I felt more relaxed than I ever did in public.

"Have you ever gone on one of those?" Nate asked, pointing his cone toward a huge, three level, white with red trim riverboat. It sat still on the water, closed for the day, but advertising their three-hour riverboat cruise and dinner on a sign that hung above the paddle wheel on the back.

"Yeah, a few times. I've had dinner on that one."

His eyes widened. "That's so cool. What do you do? Just hang out and watch the water?"

"I don't know about now. Years ago, they had performers impersonating a bunch of different singers that put on a show before dinner."

"Oh my gosh. Please tell me there was an Elvis." His hand landed on my knee, and I tried to ignore the tingles that shot through me.

"Yep, Elvis, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong—that guy even played the trumpet. It was a fun show."

"It sounds like it. I want to go on a riverboat cruise one day. Maybe next visit." Nate leaned forward, watching the water pass by. "How cool would it be to work on one of those boats? Awesome shows, great food, out on the water all day."

"It sounds like fun. I'm sure it's still work, though."

"Yeah. That's true." Nate's stomach rumbled, and he sat up, patting his abs. "I'm going to need more than ice cream soon. Do you think Liv would mind if we got dinner?"

"Probably not." I pulled my cell out and saw that she hadn't returned my text. "She must still be busy."

"I texted her a couple times earlier too, and she hasn't replied. I hope it's going well."

"If it's taking this long, that seems like a good sign." I stood and dusted off my pants. "Let's go find something to eat."

Half an hour later, we had two bowls of grilled shrimp resting on a bed of smoked gouda grits sitting in front of us at Southern Grits Cafe, where every meal on the menu included some kind of grits.

When we'd both finished eating, Nate leaned across the table. "Do you think they have dessert grits?"

I chuckled. "I'd be surprised if they didn't. Do you want to ask?"

"Nah. I'm stuffed. Granny probably has some of her desserts left too, and I don't want to miss those."

"Me neither." My cell buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out expecting to see Liv's name on the screen, but it was Granny texting to ask if we knew how much longer we'd be. "Granny wants to know when we'll be home. Has Liv answered you?"

After checking his phone, Nate shook his head. "Nope. And it's been a long time. Do you think we should check on her?"

"Yeah. Surely they've had enough time to talk about work." Slipping my wallet from my pocket, I popped my debit card into the folder with the bill and handed it to the passing waitress.

"Oh, no. I was going to pay." Nate's brow furrowed. "You did all the driving, and I had my own personal tour guide."

I laughed. "That's no big deal. Besides, you helped with all that work around Granny's yard."

"I had fun doing that."

"Me too." I smiled and hoped what he really meant was he enjoyed our time together as much as I did. "All that's left to do is burn what we cut."

"Will you do that tomorrow?"

"In the morning probably, so I can finish before Granny has a big family dinner ready."

The waitress returned with the bill, which I signed and handed back. As Nate and I left the restaurant and strolled along the moonlit water on our way back to my car, my hand itched to reach for his, to touch him, and know if he felt the same as me.

But this was Savannah, where I knew way too many people, and I wasn't ready to be seen. More than that, I wasn't ready to be rejected if he didn't feel this pull between us.

No, we'd collect my sister, go back to Granny's, and I'd spend the rest of the trip trying not to stare at my sister's boyfriend. I'd be the good brother and son everyone expected.

Nothing to see here. Just a typical hetero guy, doing typical hetero stuff.

💜 Thanks for reading!!

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