4. Drink And Chat

4

DRINK AND CHAT

K elly did one more turn in the mirror and checked her butt out in her jeans.

They were more fitted to her body, a green shirt tucked in, gray pumps on her feet.

She’d been looking forward to this date ever since she walked out of Marshall Printing with Michael’s cell phone number and his promise to text her a time and place.

He didn’t do it until Friday morning and she was losing hope and figured she’d set herself up with another loser.

She was glad to be proven wrong on that point.

When her buzzer went off, she walked over and hit the button. “Hello.”

“It’s Michael.”

“I was hoping it was you and not the creep in the building next door walking by and running his hand over all the buzzers at once.”

There was a sound like a cough or a snort. Probably not a laugh. “That has to be annoying.”

“And then some. But you get some characters. I’ll be right down.”

She put her gray jacket on, then grabbed her purse to toss over her shoulder, gave her hair one more tousle with her fingers, and walked out the door.

She dashed down the flight of stairs. Being on the second floor wasn’t ideal, as she heard noises above her and below her at times. But she liked where she lived and her apartment was modern.

Michael was standing by the glass door but off to the side. He had on a pair of jeans and button-down shirt. No jacket. She almost commented on it, but he was a big boy.

It was almost sixty out today and the sun was still out, as it was barely five.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey right back at you.” He grunted. “You know, you make a lot of funny noises.”

“I’ve heard that before,” he said.

“I bet other times they aren’t so funny.”

Kelly winked and he squinted at her. “Could have heard that a time or two also.”

A flush went through her body. She liked to flirt, but she had to work extra hard here.

He didn’t seem put off by it though.

They moved over to his SUV. She noticed the booster seat in the back but nothing more. The inside was pretty clean.

Cleaner than her car.

“Are you a neat freak? I should know that going in.”

“I don’t think so,” he said. “Why?”

“I expected your car to be messier with a child.”

“We don’t leave trash or anything in it. I’m sure there is a toy back there somewhere. Are you one of those people who always has a drink or snack in their car?”

“Guilty,” she said. “I might have a few half-finished water bottles in there.”

“Why half finished?” he asked.

“Sometimes I forget they have something in them and bring another.”

“Do you think you are going to get stranded or something on your fifteen-minute drive to work and die of thirst?”

She started to laugh. “My father says the same thing to me. It drives him nuts. I’ve always been this way. Sometimes I get in the car and I’m thirsty and it’s right at my fingertips. I thought parents were like that with their kids. Always prepared.”

“Not quite,” he said. “Ty grabs water himself if he wants and takes it out of the car also. If we are in the car and he’s hungry or thirsty, depending on where we are going or what is going on, he waits or I stop to get him something. I’m not rigid enough to plan every minute.”

“Thank God for that,” she said. “Many might say I don’t plan a lot at all, but I don’t think that is true.”

“Considering you need a bottle of water for a fifteen-minute commute, I’d say you plan more than you think.”

“Did you just make a joke?” she asked. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Not a joke as much as a statement.”

“I’ll think of it as a little joke,” she said. “You know, wiggling something out of your pinky toe.”

“Are you always this chipper? Should I know that going in?”

She laughed. “Come on now. That was a joke. Admit it.”

“Maybe a little one,” he said.

“I’m getting to you,” she said, pointing at him.

“Could be,” he said.

But he didn’t add any more and they drove the next few minutes with the music playing.

Something seemed off or maybe he didn’t want to be on this date.

Oh well, she wouldn’t throw the towel in just yet. It wasn’t going to kill them to have that drink and chat.

And since they had to work together at times, she was going to make sure it at least didn’t end awkwardly.

He parked at a restaurant she’d never been to before. It looked nice though on the outside.

“Have you been here before?” she asked.

“A few times,” he said. “They’ve got good food and the tables aren’t all crammed together.”

Awww. He was being considerate so that they had some privacy to talk. That meant more to her than if he was being chipper and peppy right now. That would have felt forced. This might be more of his personality.

“That sounds good,” she said. “I’m not a fussy eater, but I am spoiled working above the restaurant and pub. I like to go down and get food once a week. I told myself if I didn’t limit it to once a week, then I’d do it all the time, and even at a discount, it adds up, not only to my wallet. Can’t have the hips expanding.”

“You’ve got some nice hips on you too,” he said.

“You know, Michael, I think you’ve got a great personality in there somewhere. You’re just shy with it.”

“No one has ever said I was shy,” he said.

“Then you’re slow,” she said. “And slow isn’t a bad thing. Maybe I’ve been too fast in life and that hasn’t worked either. I don’t know. I’ve tried it all and nothing seems to work.”

“Tried it all?” he asked. “Then why are you with me tonight?”

They got out and he opened the restaurant door for her to go in front of him. She wasn’t sure the last time she was on a date and a guy had the manners to hold a door for her. Pretty sad state of affairs.

“Not everything,” she said. “When we get in I’ll tell you something that not many know if you can keep a secret.”

“I can,” he said.

She wasn’t sure why she was going to share this with him, but maybe he’d open up more and she’d get a better idea of what he was looking for or what was going on in his life.

Maybe he only wanted to date a woman for sex and no commitment. That wasn’t what she was looking for.

They took their seats in the back at a booth. There were walls up and though she could hear voices they were more muffled than anything.

“So, I’m thirty-one and still single. I’d like not to be single and have been trying for a long time to find someone. Dating apps, which suck. Mixers at events. Not much there either.”

“You’d be the hottest thing and everyone would come flocking to you at something like that.”

Her train of thought flew out the window faster than tumbleweeds in the desert during a sandstorm.

“Why, thank you. And not to sound cocky, but that was the case. I’m not all about looks, don’t get me wrong.”

“Looks play a part in things. You can have an intellectual draw to someone. You can have fun with them too and have a lot in common, but if you aren’t attracted to them on a physical level, it doesn’t go any further than friendship.”

“I’m so glad to hear someone else say that. I feel shallow when I do. Looks aren’t everything because a hot guy could be good in the sack, but you don’t spend all your time there. Usually that is the least amount of time spent together.”

“Then you’re with the wrong person.”

“I want to ask if that is a joke again, but I can tell by your eyes maybe not.” She fanned her hand in front of her face. “Okay now. You’re getting the upper hand here and I hadn’t expected that to happen.”

“I’m not trying to.”

They paused to place their drink orders and decided on the salad bar over appetizers once they picked their dinners. This was supposed to be a drink, but it was turning into dinner. She felt bad because he lost and was paying, but she’d put half in like she always did on a first date.

“Which is better in my eyes. You’re being you. I like that in a person.”

They went to the salad station and their drinks were there when they returned to their table. She’d gotten a glass of wine and he’d ordered a Fierce beer. Many restaurants in the area carried the beer.

“Tell me this secret you have,” he said.

“I’ve got a lot,” she said, laughing, and then wished she hadn’t when he glanced up at her. “Not bad. But don’t we all have them?”

“I suppose,” he said.

“Okay, this one will give you an idea of my mindset. Two years ago I got accepted for a reality show for singles trying to find love blind.”

“You were on TV?” he asked.

“No. I don’t think I was ever shown. There were fifteen single women and fifteen single men. You spend a week going on blind dates with everyone. The first two days you go through them all and then narrow down anyone you might like to keep dating. Or if you’re bored you can keep talking to them all, but no one does that. At the end of the week, you get proposed to if you fall in love, then spend a week together on a vacation, then another month or so living together while you plan your wedding.”

“Married in like six weeks?” he asked. “That’s nuts.”

“It is. But when you get to the altar, one of you could change your mind and say you’re not ready. It happens more than those saying yes. But my point is, out of a potential fifteen couples, only four couples matched and moved on and just two married. I spent two days talking to everyone and not one person drew me in enough for a second date.”

“All you did was talk?” he asked.

“Yes. Just sitting in rooms with walls around you. It was comfortable and all, but you talk like people used to do years ago on a home phone.”

“I guess that sounds more reasonable,” he said.

“I had narrowed the fifteen down to three people after two days that I would give another date to. I didn’t feel much for them, but sometimes people are just nervous at first. I’m sure I came off that way.”

“It happens.”

“I don’t think you get nervous over much,” she said as he sat there confidently across from her sipping his beer and watching her intently as she talked.

She wasn’t sure why that description came to her mind other than no other man had done that with her before. Gave her undivided attention.

“I’ve gotten nervous over things in life. But going on a date isn’t one of them.”

“There are more important things out there,” she said. “I know.”

“There are,” he said. “Continue. You go on these blind dates and narrow it down to three.”

“I’ve got my three. After the second date, it was down to one. We had two more dates and I wasn’t feeling it any more than friendship. Maybe it was true what you said that you need to see the person and I wasn’t opening myself up enough or not. I don’t know.”

“That’s why you didn’t end up on TV?”

“Yes. I didn’t tell anyone I was doing the show. If I ended up finding a match, then I’d figure out the next step. But we don’t have our phones or anything during that time. I just took a week’s vacation and would figure out the rest if it happened. I mean, the most that would have happened was a second week away with the person and then we’d come back here to live and I could still work.”

“Makes sense.”

“There were a lot of us that didn’t end up being seen on TV as we were edited out. There could have been a time I was caught in the background, but it didn’t happen. I guess I lucked out in a way.”

“Everyone on the show was from the Charlotte area?” he asked, frowning. “You said you’d come back and live here together and could still work.”

“Yes, they were. Or within a few hours. It was easy enough to catch up with some of the people on the show after. Most of us flew in and out at the same time. I went on a few dates with people who didn’t make it for a second date on my list, but they sought me out after we met in person.”

“I bet they did,” he said, smirking.

“That’s a smile,” she said, pointing at him.

“It might be. What happened?”

“I might have been physically attracted, but there was no substance to them to add to it. Both need to be there.”

“So in summary, you’re telling me this for two reasons. One, you’re looking for something that could turn into a serious commitment, not just casual.”

“Yes. If it’s not you, then it’s not. But I want that known going in. This is just a drink. Well, dinner too. But it’s best to know some of the facts.”

“And second, that you’re attracted to me and find I’ve got substance or you wouldn’t have even told me what you had and would have enjoyed dinner, then kept it nice and we would have gone on our way.”

Kelly liked that he knew enough about her to figure that out.

“You’re right on both counts,” she said. “I’m very attracted to you. You’re nice on the eyes. But that isn’t all. I know enough about you that you’ve got a child and are pretty much raising him on his own. That shows loyalty, character and strength. You’re related to my boss’s wife and I adore Alex. No way you’d be running her business if you didn’t have a good head on your shoulders.”

He turned his head back and forth. “It’s on there pretty tight.”

“It is,” she said. “Yet something is bothering you today because I can see it in your eyes.”