When Ellie walked home that afternoon, her mind raced. Peter had had an expression she'd never seen on him before. He was so serious. It was an earnestness that she wasn't used to. Other than the day they had met, their conversations were pretty light, and mostly focused on practical work-related things. She was so taken aback that she nearly forgot to answer when he asked her to dinner.

She shook it out of her mind. He was grateful for her help, and probably wasn't used to so much neighborly kindness. It reflected well on him that he wanted to express his gratitude, but that was the end of it.

Ellie's mind traveled on its own to the way Julia had looked at Peter when they'd met at the hardware store. The way Julia talked and carried herself. The way she was able to casually express interest with only a couple lines of conversation.

Ellie stopped in her tracks. What did any of this matter? She was just getting a meal with a friend. Could she even call him that? With a neighbor. She edited her own thoughts. She was glad that they were just going to the diner and not Domenico's, the only nice place in town. Way too date-like. She hurried down the lane so she could finish some work at home and get changed before their dinner.

When Peter came to pick her up, he wore a blue button-down shirt, untucked. He was tall and fit, but leaner than a lot of the more built men in this area. Of course, she had noticed this all before, but Ellie had the good sense then to put it out of her mind. Why couldn't she do that now? C'mon brain, get it together!

"All set?" Peter asked. She nodded. She struggled to make conversation on the ride over, suddenly doubting every small talk topic she could come up with. This hadn't been an issue before. When they were seated at the diner, she finally had the good sense to ask about his horses. His face lit up.

"So, Fancy is about four and a half, she's an American quarter horse, and, well, let me just show you." He pulled out his phone and started flipping through his photos. "See she's got one of those little stars on her forehead. She definitely has a little attitude but I think she just wants to live up to her name. And this is little Jenny," Peter said, smiling broadly. "She's just turned three and she's just the sweetest thing. She's a paint horse." He looked up briefly at Ellie to make sure he wasn't losing her and went on. "When I met them I had just started thinking seriously about starting my own farm or ranch or something, and I just couldn't pass them up. Of course I didn't have anywhere to put them, so my old boss let me put them up in his stables until I could get settled."

"Your boss? I assumed they were with your family." Ellie asked.

"Oh no, they wouldn't have anywhere to put them." He saw the confusion on Ellie's face and explained. "My dad's an accountant. My mom's a teacher."

Ellie laughed in surprise. "Oh, I just assumed!"

Peter smiled, "Yeah, it's not really an industry people get into if they aren't born into it."

"And you know so much about taking care of horses!" Ellie said. "I just figured you had been working with them all your life."

"Well I have, in a way," he responded. "I wanted to learn to ride horses as a kid, and as soon as my parents got me a lesson, I was hooked. I've been riding since then, and then started working part time and summers when I was maybe 14. There's a lot I don't know, though, about having my own place. Which is part of why I'm so—"

He was cut off by the approach of their waiter.

"College girl! You're back!" the waiter called. Ellie got up to give the floppy haired man a hug.

"You're the one who's back! I've been in town for ages. What are you doing here?" she asked.

He sighed for comedic effect. "Well, you know what it's like trying to make it in the big city. I figured waiting tables here was just as good as waiting tables in L.A., for now at least."

"Well you'll be back for Hank and Lisa's wedding! You've got to tell them you're in town. Lisa would have told me if she knew you were here!"

"They're finally getting married? Wow, good for Hank! We all know she's out of his league. I suppose I'll have to stick around for that, then."

"Oh sorry, this is Peter. Peter this is Adam," she said, realizing she'd neglected him.

"The famous Peter Reid!" Adam joked. "You're the talk of the town right now, pal. Everyone's excited to meet the new guy."

"I'm not sure if I've done anything to deserve that sort of excitement," Peter laughed.

"That's what happens when Julia's the first townie to hear news. It's not so important to her that everyone knows the news," Adam stated philosophically, "but rather that everyone knows that she knew the news first." Ellie and Peter smiled.

"Anyway, I should probably do my job now. What can I get you folks?" Adam asked.

They placed their orders, and Adam went off to run into more old friends and wait a table or two along the way.

"He seems fun." Peter offered.

"Definitely fun," Ellie laughed. "He's a really good actor, too, so I'm a bit surprised to see him here. I think we're all betting on him doing well."

"He called you 'college girl.' Where'd you graduate from?"

"Well, 'college girl,' not 'college graduate.'" Ellie said, smiling a little. "I went to Granton Tech for agricultural science. When my Aunt and Uncle passed away, I took a semester off to be with my family and to help with Emerson and Charlotte. I actually went back for a bit, but in the end I dropped out."

"That must have been a hard decision."

"It was and it wasn't." Ellie shrugged. "It was tough parting with friends all of a sudden like that, but I know that if I had stayed I would be so worried about what was happening at home that it wouldn't have been worth it."

"Have you thought about finishing your degree?"

"I've definitely thought about it, but I pretty much know everything I need to run my family's farm. I mean, I liked getting to take other classes, math and history and whatever, but I know where my path is headed, and I have what I need." Ellie didn't mind talking about this, but she wasn't exactly proud of being a dropout. How do you change the subject again?

"What about you?" Ellie asked Peter. "Any higher education to speak of?"

"Yeah, I majored in business at UG. My dad wasn't exactly thrilled with my plans, so he made me promise to get a regular degree first. I think he was hoping I would snap out of it by the time I graduated," Peter said with a laugh.

"Did you ever 'snap out of it' at some point?" Ellie asked, "I mean, even a little?"

Peter shook his head. "Not for a minute. But I'm still glad I went, because even though I didn't change my plans, I definitely wasn't ready for the real world." Peter thought for a moment. "I guess, sometimes I wish I had gotten just a little distracted during school. I was so focused on my goal of graduating and getting into the horse business, that I think I missed out on meeting more people and living a little."

Their meals came, and the conversation took a lighter turn. You can't expect me to write all of it down, can you? I'm just the author, my job is to give you the juicy bits. Anyway, when they went out to the parking lot, it was well into the night. The few streetlights in town and the handful of shops that were still open cast the only light around them. Pat's Bar a few doors down was the only noise, spilling the warm sound of bustling people and music.

"Ellie! Peter!" They heard someone call from the lot outside the bar. Julia walked over to them.

"Hey, you two, getting dinner?" she asked.

"Hey Julia!" Ellie and Julia shared a quick hug. Isn't it funny how we all become closer after a drink or two?

"I was just at Pat's with some friends, you two should join us!"

"Oh, not tonight," Ellie responded. "I've got an early morning."

"C'mon, Ellie, you never come out!" Julia whined playfully before turning her attention to Peter. "What about you? Everyone wants to meet you, Peter!" She rested her hand on his arm for a moment.

"No, sorry, I've got a lot to get to tomorrow, too." Peter answered. "And I'm Ellie's ride, so..."

Shoot, Ellie thought. Should she not have refused so quickly? Peter really ought to make some more friends in town, and now he was stuck with her. She didn't love going to bars, but she certainly could have gone for a little while.

"Suit yourself!" Julia said. "You could always come back after taking Ellie home! Drive safe!"

Julia went back to the bar. They were getting into his truck when Ellie was hit with a sudden mental image of their situation. She was a nosy little girl next door that needed a ride home to her parents place. They weren't that far apart in age, but Peter was a real adult. He had his own place and a real degree and would probably love nothing more than to hit up a bar instead of babysitting his neighbor. Julia, too. She'd had her own place for years. She was independent and confident. And now Peter was stuck driving Ellie home.

After driving quietly for a minute, Ellie finally said, "We can go back if you want, you know it's really not that late."

"No, no it's fine—"

"Or you could go back if you want. I mean, Julia and her friends are really nice, and —"

"I'm sure I'll have plenty of chances to meet everyone in town in good time."

"Still, I should have seen if you wanted to go before answering."

"Ellie. Seriously, I didn't want to!" Peter said insistently, but with a smile. "I was glad you said no right away. I mean it."

Before Ellie could push back again, they pulled up to her door. She hopped out and said goodnight. She knew he was too nice to really think this way, but she couldn't help but worry that Peter didn't really want to spend time with her.