11. Mabel

Mabel

I watched Joshua run off, trying to figure out what had just happened. Had he come over on purpose? Or was his invitation a spur of the moment kind of thing? And most importantly, were we two acquaintances getting pizza or was I about to go on my first date in years?

I needed a second opinion, so after I got Esmerelda inside the house and got her some breakfast I found my phone and called my friend Renee.

“Hey, can you talk?” I asked when she answered.

“Yeah, hold on, Rob is home sick from work today, let me go into another room so we can have some privacy.”

“Is he okay?” I asked, remembering that Rob had suffered a massive heart attack shortly before he met Renee.

“He’s fine. It’s just a man cold but you’d think he was dying.”

I laughed as I heard Rob protesting in the background that it wasn’t a man cold, he was really sick. I could practically hear Renee rolling her eyes at her husband.

“You know how they get. They’re such big babies. If men had to give birth it would kill them. I told you about how when April had the baby, my son Jonathon got sick to his stomach from all the gore and was carrying on as if he’d pushed that thing out himself.”

“Oh God.”

“Okay, I’m alone now,” Renee said. “What’s up?”

“I think I have a date?” I said, my voice raising in question at the end.

“You’re not sure?”

I told her the whole story, from meeting Joshua after Esmerelda’s adventure in the dog park to Joshua jogging to my house this morning and inviting me to dinner.

“That sounds like a date to me,” Renee reassured me once I’d finished.

“I don’t know if this is a good idea. He thinks I’m weird. I can tell. You should have seen his face when I told him I read tarot cards.”

There was a slight pause before Renee responded.

“You know I love you, Mabel, and I wouldn’t say you are weird. But you are definitely a little different than most people. You have a lot of unusual interests and an enthusiasm for life that a lot of adults don’t have. The way you look at the world is very unique, but I think it’s awesome, personally.”

“My ex didn’t think it was awesome,” I reminded her.

“Your ex was an asshole,” she replied. “He didn’t appreciate the things that are unique about you, and it’s been nice since the divorce to see you come into your own and embrace your power. If this guy Joshua doesn’t know what to make of you, that’s one thing, but if he’s the kind of guy who’s going to expect you to change yourself to meet his needs, then you need to run the other way.”

“I think it’s too early to tell.”

“Well, if you want my advice, don’t overthink it. Just go have pizza with the man. There’s clearly an attraction between you, and if nothing else, you can use him to pop your divorce cherry.”

“Renee!” I laughed.

“There’s nothing better than having sex with someone who thinks you’re hot and likes you just the way you are.”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure that’s true with Joshua,” I replied.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Renee said. “Spend time with him and see what happens. Maybe he’ll be a friend, maybe more, but you’ll never know unless you explore it.”

“Okay, you’re right. I’m going to meet him for dinner and go from there,” I decided.

“Good job. Call me tomorrow and let me know how it goes. Oh, and Mabel?”

“Yeah.”

“As my kids always say, no glove no love.”

I burst out laughing. “Renee!”

“I’m just saying, dating is new to you. Be careful unless you want to end up with a little sister or brother for Esmerelda.”

“I’ll be careful, thanks for talking me down.”

I spent the rest of the day alternating between telling myself this was just a friendly dinner and worrying that it was a date. I hadn’t dated anyone in over twelve years, and I was totally out of practice. Should I dress up or something?

In the end, I decided to wear something cute and casual like I usually did. I’d stand out if I dressed up to go to Starlight Pi anyway.

At six o’clock I walked into the restaurant, Esmerelda in the bag on my shoulder. I saw Joshua right away. He was wearing jeans that hugged his thighs like a dream, and a neatly pressed white button down that he’d left untucked. When he saw me, he pulled me into a quick hug. He smelled really good.

“You look nice,” he said.

As usual I was wearing a dress that cut in at my waist and stopped just above my knees. I’d carefully chosen a dress that highlighted my cleavage and fit me like a glove, this one a deep red that went great with my complexion. I’d paired it with black cowboy boots, several rings, and a line of silver bracelets.

“Thank you.”

We ended up being seated in the same booth as we’d had last time. Once I’d gotten Esmerelda settled and we’d placed our drinks order with the server, I decided to take the bull by the horns.

“Um, I just need to know. Is this a date? I’m sorry to ask, but honestly I wasn’t clear, and I haven’t dated in so long I wasn’t sure how this even works if it is a date. Or maybe you just wanted to have dinner as friends and I’m being weird?”

As usual when I was nervous, my words rushed out in whoosh.

“I mean it’s fine if it’s not a date, I won’t be offended, I just… I didn’t know.”

Joshua’s lips quirked, something that I noticed happened a lot. I wasn’t sure if it meant I amused him or he was trying not to tell me that I was nuts.

“It’s a date, Mabel,” he said firmly. “If that’s okay?”

I stared at him for a long, heated moment, glad that I’d clarified what was happening.

“It’s okay,” I nodded.

My sense of relief was quickly replaced by a sense of anxiety about what happened after dinner. Would he want to kiss me? Would he expect sex? Should I have shaved my legs or something? Oh my God, was I wearing nice enough underwear?

I guess my turmoil was showing on my face because Joshua reached across the table and placed one of his big hands over both of mine, stopping my shredding of the napkin that I hadn’t realized I was doing.

“Let’s just have dinner and see how things go, okay?” he said, his eyes surprisingly tender.

I wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of tender looks.

“There’s no pressure. We can just keep getting to know each other and take things as slow as we want. I have no preconceived expectations for tonight, I promise.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry if I’m being a weirdo, I haven’t dated since my divorce and I’m out of practice.”

“You’re not a weirdo,” he reassured me. “And if it makes you feel better, I haven’t dated in a while either, so I was a little nervous about asking you out. I guess that’s why it wasn’t obvious this was a date.”

I wondered if he was normally one of those small town heartbreaker guys, but it felt rude to bring up, so instead I asked, “How come you haven’t dated in a while? I know you’ve got a lot of admirers here in Starlight Bay.”

It was true. Apparently several people had seen us having pizza together last week. When I was out and about in town this week, total strangers had felt compelled to stop me and comment on how hot Joshua was.

“I took over the Veterinary Hospital two years ago,” he said. “My mentor James started the clinic. I did my internship with him and after I got my DVM he hired me on as a full-time doctor. When it was time to retire I decided to buy him out rather than have to work with a new boss. But being a staff doctor is much different than being the owner. There’s paperwork. So much paperwork. No one ever mentioned all the damned paperwork.”

I nodded. “Running your own business is tough. I worked for my ex-husband and his father at their law firm for years and I was astounded by everything that went on behind the scenes that as a regular employee you have no idea needed to happen. Just doing the payroll is a ton of work, let alone everything else.”

Joshua smiled. “Yeah, so anyway, it hasn’t left me a lot of time for anything besides work.”

“You need to have some balance though,” I said. “Something you do for fun.”

Our eyes met and held and I bit my lip to keep from suggesting that doing me would be fun. I knew myself well enough that I was all talk and if he agreed I would probably chicken out later.

I’d never been one to fall into bed quickly with someone, even back before I married. I’d waited nearly two months to sleep with my ex-husband when we started dating, which in retrospect was possibly a sign. Neither of us had a lot of interest in a physical relationship even when the relationship was new.

The server came over to the table to bring us our pizza, and we let go of each other’s hands so we could dig in.

Our conversation last week was mostly surface level but as our date went on, we started actually getting to know each other. It was nice. Once we finished our pizza, we sat talking for another hour, ignoring the curious looks of the other patrons who seemed very curious about how the town’s most handsome vet was eating pizza with the same woman two weeks in a row.

“Well, I guess I should be getting home,” I said reluctantly. “Esmerelda is snoring over here.”

“She’s really a good girl. I’ll get the check.”

“Oh no,” I protested. “That’s not fair. You paid last week. Let me get it this time.”

Joshua shook his head. “I know neither of us have dated for a while, but where I come from, if you ask a woman out on a date, you pay.”

I studied him for a few seconds before acquiescing. “Then I guess I’ll ask you for our next date so I can pay.”

I expected him to argue, but instead he just gave me an indulgent smile and told me that he’d walk me and Esmerelda home.