Two
Ryan
The blush that rises on her cheeks is cute. Not gonna lie, I thought about wiping that cream off the corner of her lips with a finger, but we’ve only just met and although you see that shit in the movies, in real life, it is crossing a boundary we’re not ready for.
Being late to this date pissed me off. I’m never late for anything. It was just typical there was a traffic build up and then the barrier for the parking garage wasn’t working.
I should have parked on the street but could have been driving around a while looking for a space. Thinking the parking garage would be quicker was a mistake.
Luckily, Alison doesn’t seem to mind me being late. Jason, my buddy at the station, didn’t do her justice. The guys all know dating apps don’t work for me. I’m uncomfortable with that whole thing. It’s like a cattle market and people are never honest.
When he said he was gonna set me up with someone his wife knew, he’d said she was cute. This woman is more than cute. She’s gorgeous, a little shy, which is understandable.
I’m an outgoing guy. I’ll talk to anyone. I deal with the public a lot in my job. The Chief always puts me in front of the reporters if we ever need to talk to them.
My face is all over the advertising too, which irritates the hell out of me, mostly because the other guys do nothing but give me shit. Call me pretty boy. It’s all good natured. We have each other’s backs. We’re family.
The only thing missing from my life is a significant other. It’s damn hard to meet people these days. Even more so in my line of work, even if women do swoon all over me when they find out I’m a firefighter.
Alison hasn’t. That’s a refreshing change in all honesty. It’s made me like her even more. I love she is a florist. Creative people intrigue me. I can barely draw a stick man so meeting someone who can create things with their hands always impresses me.
I’m doing everything I can to set her at ease, but she still seems a little anxious.
“Was there anything particular that made you want to be a firefighter?” she asks after setting the napkin down. She picks up the spoon and swirls it into the cream, flattening it a little.
“It runs in the family,” I tell her. “Grandfather, dad, brother, two cousins.”
“Wow, that’s a lot.”
I chuckle. “It helps that we all love it.”
“Do you all work at the same firehouse?”
“Grandad retired, dad is an officer now, he doesn’t go out on calls. My brother and one cousin are two towns over, and my other cousin works with me.”
“That must be nice.”
“Yeah, when they’re not being pains in the backside. Do you have family?”
Shit, that sounded awful. I wouldn’t normally blurt out a question like that.
“My grandma and mom live in town. My younger sister is in college in Illinois.”
“No other siblings?”
“Just us girls,” she smiles a little tightly.
Okay, so there is some kind of history with the men in the family. It’s too soon to ask about that for sure.
The food arrives to break up that little bit of tension.
“How busy do you get in the shop? Do you get any spare time? Any hobbies?”
“There are certain times of the year when things ramp up, wedding season especially.”
“So your summer is always booked up.” I take a bite of my sandwich.
“Mostly. We close every Wednesday, though. That’s when I go see my horse.”
“You have a horse?” My eyes widen.
“Yeah, since I was fifteen,” she gives the first real genuine smile since I sat down.
“That’s cool. I’ve never met anyone with a horse before. You have someone who looks after him, her?”
“Her. She’s called Bella. She’s stabled a couple of miles out of town by a family friend.”
“You’re a good rider then?”
“You could say that. I competed with her for a while, but she retired about three years ago.”
“Competed at what?” I ask, loving this. “Showjumping?”
She nods, a little more enthusiastic. “We won a few ribbons, but nothing major.”
“Don’t put yourself down. I imagine it’s a physical sport. Takes a lot of skill.”
“It does.” She takes a small bite of her sandwich. We both each eat a few mouthfuls before she speaks again. “Do you have any hobbies?”
“I’m pretty busy at the fire station and when I’m not working, I run the charity, organizing fundraisers, food drives, car washes,” I laugh.
“Another cliché,” she grins.
“Yeah. I’m a hiker.” I shrug with another smirk. “But I also like to play darts. We have a team at The Anchor. Do you know the pub?” she nods and has some more hot chocolate. “Our team is called the One Eighty Legends. That is our truck number, and a lot of the old-timers are on the team. It’s not creative. You should come and watch one night. It’s always a good time.”
She ducks her head. Something about her demeanor seems off. Is she still nervous? I don’t want her to feel bad about this date. It’s going well and I like her. I’m definitely attracted to her.
She has curves, which is a huge turn on for me. Her sweater dress is tight around her breasts, which I’ve done a valiant job of not staring at, to be honest. I’m definitely a boob guy.
It would be nice to see her again. This date is not over yet.
“How is your sandwich?” I ask.
“It’s lovely. A good choice. And we both know I’m enjoying the hot chocolate.” She looks up at me without raising her head.
She has long, dark eyelashes that match her brown hair. Her make-up is minimal, if she is even wearing any. A natural beauty, the kind of woman I like. I’m not big into high maintenance women.
Given my schedule, sometimes I have to be spontaneous, and that doesn’t involve waiting around for a woman to put on her make-up and do her hair, just for a walk, or a quick coffee.
What she said and how she said it sounded a little flirty. Maybe I’m reading her mood wrong. She just needs to loosen up the nerves.
“So, tell me three things about yourself. At least one of them needs to be something funny or embarrassing.”
“No pressure,” she laughs.
“It’s fun,” I settle back, wiping my mouth with my napkin. I could go for a chocolate muffin. I’ll wait till she’s finished her sandwich. I’ve also almost finished my hot chocolate.
“Okay. But how about we alternate? I say one and you say one, so I’m not just reeling stuff off.”
“Good idea. You go first.”
Her lips rub together, and her eyes move to the right as she thinks.
“And it can’t be related to your job. Come on, it can’t be that hard,” I say with a wink.
She stares at me, her lips parted. I’m not dense. I can see how that affected her. It was unintentional, but it sounded a little flirty.
Clearing her throat, she let out a breath. “Okay. First one… I have a tortoise.”
“A what?” I sit back, then laugh when she grins. “Is that made up?”
“Nope. He’s actually my grandma’s, but when she goes away, he comes to stay with me. His name is Lurch, and he’s a leopard tortoise.”
Alison picks up her phone and scrolls for a moment, then holds it out to me. There is a photo of a tortoise which is a little bigger than a football. He’s got lettuce in his mouth, and it looks like he’s smiling at the camera.
“Wow, he’s huge. He just wanders around your house?”
“Yeah, he is big. He has his own space at Grams, inside and out. Mostly he stays inside, but that is more about creature comfort. He should spend more time outside. He’s incredibly sweet and friendly. We’ve taught him some tricks, too. You wouldn’t think that of a tortoise, but they are fun. He’s forty-three years old,” she laughs. “They can live to over a hundred.”
“So there better be some younger generations to pass him on to,” I shake my head. “You’ve surprised me twice today. An expert showjumper and owner of a tortoise, called Lurch .”
“Grams was a big fan of the Addams Family. And he does kind of lurch when he walks. Like a zombie. Although when lettuce is on offer, he can move his little ass. Anyway, now it’s your turn.”
Resting her elbows on the table, she leans a little closer, waiting to hear what I have to say.
Thank God she’s loosening up. I can see this going beyond one date. I want it to. Sometimes, you just get a feeling about someone and I’m getting that now.
This is a woman I want to know more about.