14. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Beth
L ater that night, after Chase was in bed, I texted Doug and thanked him again for a great date. He asked if Chase was asleep. A few seconds after I texted back, yes with a smile emoji, my phone rang.
Doug.
I smiled as I answered, appreciating him wanting to talk rather than text. It felt more personal.
“I thought it’d be easier to talk,” he said instead of hello.
I agreed, plus I got to hear his deep sexy voice.
“I had a great time, too. Are you still interested in a second date?” He sounded unsure of himself.
“I am.” I hoped he could hear me smiling, even if he couldn’t see it.
“Good, because I’d love to take you out to dinner.” I blushed at the tone in his voice.
“As long as I can find a babysitter, most nights are open for me. Though finding a babysitter who can stay a little later is easier on weekends.”
There was silence from his end. Was I too forward, assuming I might need a late babysitter? Did he think I wanted to spend the night with him? I didn’t. Well, I did, but I didn’t want to rush things.
“I, I just meant-” I stuttered as I rushed to explain.
A soft laugh came over the line. “Is this weekend too soon?”
More than a few butterflies did somersaults in my belly. “Let me make some calls. Is Friday or Saturday better for you?”
I couldn’t believe how easy this was. Doug’s schedule was chaotic, and I had to work around finding a babysitter, so I’d expected it to be harder to find a day that worked for both of us.
It won’t always be this easy. I didn’t even know if it’d be this easy this weekend, I still had to find a babysitter.
“My weekend is open, so either one works for me.”
Immediately after hanging up, I texted my favorite sitter, Nina, and asked if she was available either Friday or Saturday night.
#
I was giddy when Nina said she was available Friday night. I wasted no time telling Doug, and we scheduled our date before hanging up.
I saw him every day during the week when he picked up coffee. Some days he ordered for the office, some he didn’t.
He’s coming in to see me.
It made me smile. A lot. Which didn’t go unnoticed.
I had a goofy grin on my face all day Friday. At least, that’s what Mary told me, and I had no reason to doubt her. I was like a giddy schoolgirl and couldn’t stop thinking about my date. When I’d asked Doug where we were going, he said it was a surprise and told me I should dress up, “but not formal,” he’d added. Fancy but not formal, I could do that. I tried to guess where it might be, but soon gave up. He probably wasn’t taking me anywhere in Weatherford, and I didn’t know Fort Worth or Dallas well enough to figure it out.
Mary shooed me out the door as soon as I clocked out, calling out as I reached the door, “Have fun tonight, and call me in the morning.”
After showering and putting on a green long sleeve dress that showed off my assets, and played down my muffin top, I did my hair and makeup. I rarely fussed with my hair, usually opting for a bun since it had to be up for work, and I liked it out of my face when I was chasing Chase around. In the end, I left it down. I did my eyes a little darker than normal, which meant adding mascara to the liner I usually wore and brushing some glittery shadow on my lids. I finished the look with red lipstick, hoping it didn’t scream, “I’m desperate.”
Nina arrived a few minutes before five, and a cheerful Chase immediately dragged her to the backyard. He wanted to show off his new water dinosaurs (sharks), who were in his kiddie pool. It was a warm fall day, so I was letting him swim until dinner.
“Chase, I’ll be home after you’re in bed, so can I get my goodnight kiss now?”
“Okay.” He got up, wiped his hands on his wet shorts, and then wrapped his arms around me. For a half a second I thought about telling him not to hug me, but kids grew up so fast and before long he wouldn’t want to hug his mom goodbye. I’m not missing out on a single hug . Dirty hands and wet shorts be damned.
“Be good for Miss Nina, okay?”
“I promise.”
I squeezed him, and sent him back to play. I asked Nina if I had Chase sized handprints on my back, grateful when she said no. Out of habit, I reminded her of the house rules. Not that I had many; no boys or friends over, no drinking or drugs, and keep the doors locked. Then I went back inside to wait for Doug.
Doug handed me a bouquet of yellow roses and white daisies when he picked me up.
“Is it okay if I take them with us instead of putting them in water?”
“Of course, but we have plenty of time.”
“It’s not that, I’m afraid Chase won’t want to let us leave if he sees you.” I explained, feeling guilty. Doug and I dating wasn’t a secret from the adults in my life, but I hadn’t told Chase yet. And the last thing I wanted to do was explain it to him, in front of Doug.
“Ah, that makes sense.” Doug nodded as he scanned the room. “We should go then.” He stepped back and held out his arm.
“Thanks for understanding.” I locked the door before putting my free hand in the crook of his offered elbow.
When I asked him where he was taking me, he smiled and said, “Dallas.”
Which hardly answered my question. I didn’t want to be a pain, but now my interest was piqued. I asked again, but made a joke of it.
“Is it some kind of top-secret location that you can’t tell me? Or you could, but then you’d have to kill me?”
He laughed. “I can tell you without having to kill you.” He looked over and flashed me a dazzling smile. “It’s this great little family-owned Italian place I discovered while on a job in Dallas. It looks like a hole in the wall from the outside, but the inside is nice, and the food is fabulous.”
“Sounds delicious.” I loved pasta. “What’s your favorite dish?”
“Shrimp Scampi. It sounds simple, but theirs is the best I’ve ever had.”
He told me about a few other dishes he’d tried from their authentic Italian menu. Just hearing him talk about it had my mouth watering. Please don’t let my stomach growl. I’d been so excited for tonight I’d forgotten to eat lunch.
Doug was once again the perfect gentleman, opening my door and helping me out of his truck. Putting his hand on my lower back protectively, possessively, as we walked across the parking lot. It lingered there as we approached the hostess.
Apparently, he came here often enough that the hostess recognized him. She greeted him with a huge smile, which quickly faded as she realized he was on a date.
Doug’s description was spot on, the outside wasn’t much to look at, but the inside was clean and decorated in an old-world Italian motif. At least, I thought it was. I’d never been to Italy so I could have been wrong. It didn’t matter; I liked it.
After we sat, I asked Doug how often he came here.
“I come about twice a month, more if I’m in Dallas for work,” He paused and reached across the table for my hand, “I’ve never brought a date here.”
His confession—I was the first—made me feel special. That’s why the hostess looked disappointed .
“I think the hostess likes you.” I wasn’t planning on saying anything, but the way he was rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb had me a little scatter-brained and I blurted it out.
“Really? I’ve never noticed.” He turned to look at her.
I found that hard to believe, given the sad puppy-dog look she kept sending his way. Maybe she’d been too subtle for him to realize she was flirting. I wasn’t worried about it. he only had eyes for me.
Everything on the menu looked so good it was hard to decide. After much deliberation, I ordered the special, sea scallop Alfredo, earning me a “good choice,” from Doug. Doug ordered the shrimp scampi, saying he couldn’t resist, and suggested the fried ravioli with their homemade marinara sauce as an appetizer.
When our server asked if we wanted anything to drink, I asked him to suggest a wine that paired well with my meal. Doug did the same.
The entire meal was to die for. I was tempted to lick the bowl after we finished the ravioli; the marinara was that good. When our meals came, I tried his scampi, and he tried my Alfredo. Both were mouth-wateringly delicious, though I liked mine better. His scampi had a bit more zing than I liked.
Our server asked if we wanted to see the dessert menu as he cleared our dishes.
“I’m so stuffed I couldn’t possibly eat another bite.” I leaned back. “I may regret it later, but I’m going to pass. Thank you.”
“Would you like another glass of wine?” Doug asked.
“No, thank you.”
Doug settled our bill, left a generous cash tip for our server, and walked me back to his truck.
“What time do you need to be home?”
“I told Nina I’d be home by midnight.”
We looked at the clock on his dashboard. It was just past eight-thirty; the drive home was about ninety minutes.
“Any objections to taking a walk?”
Object? I’d be thrilled. “None at all.”