3. Elsie #2
While I enjoyed hearing Wren’s story, I felt guilty eavesdropping on them, so I decided to skip dinner and headed back to my room.
I crawled into bed and thought about Wyatt on that beach.
I could almost picture the smile on his face when he reached the water for the first time.
It was a thought that had me smiling as I drifted off to sleep.
The next few days were filled with various chores around the clubhouse and lots of studying. By the time the weekend rolled around, I was ready for a break. Even more so, I was ready for my date with Ben.
Knowing the brothers would never let me live it down, I chose not to have him come to the clubhouse and made plans to meet at the restaurant instead.
I had no clue what to wear, but Lacy was kind enough to help me piece something together.
She even helped me with my hair and makeup, and her face lit up when she saw the final product.
“You look incredible! Your guy is gonna flip when he sees you in that dress.”
“You really think it’s okay?” I tugged at the hem. “It’s a little short.”
“It’s not too short. It’s perfect.”
“What about the necklace?”
“It’s good. I like it.”
Lacy and I couldn’t have been more different.
I was tall and curvy. She was short and thin.
She was a club girl, and I was not, far from it.
But we did have one thing in common—something that made us closer than either of us could’ve imagined.
We’d both suffered from a tragic past—one that left us both with no family.
Lacy’s mother and little sister were killed in a tragic car accident, and with her father out of the picture, she was left to fend for herself.
I understood her pain, and she understood mine.
That meant something to us both and was one of the many reasons we spent so much time together. Lacy grabbed my purse from my dresser and offered it to me with a bright smile.
“Now, stop worrying and go have yourself a great time with your hot fella.”
“Thanks, Lace.”
I gave her a quick hug, then rushed down the hall towards the parking lot. I was just about to reach the back door when I heard Q shout, “Whoa! Where are you running off to dressed like that?”
“I’ve got a date!” I was running late, so I continued out the door as I answered, “I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“A date with who?”
Before I could answer, the door closed behind me.
I continued out to my car and got inside.
I started the engine, and as I started to back out, I spotted Wyatt standing next to his bike.
His eyes were fixed on me, and his expression wasn’t a good one.
He stood there watching as I drove through the gate.
Even though it seemed odd, I figured Wyatt was just being Wyatt, and I continued out onto the road and headed towards town.
When I pulled up at the restaurant, I was pleased to see that it didn’t look very crowded. I parked, then got out and started for the front door. I was about to head inside when I heard, “Elsie! Hold up!”
I turned and found Ben walking towards me.
I couldn’t help but smile when I saw that he was wearing khakis and a crisp white button down with loafers--which was quite different than the brothers’ jeans and leather vests.
I gave him a warm smile as I said, “Hey, Ben. I’m sorry I’m running a little late. ”
“Don’t worry about it. As far as I’m concerned, you’re right on time.” His eyes skirted over me as he said, “You are totally worth the wait... You look incredible.”
“Thank you. You look really nice, too.”
“Glad you think so.” He reached down and took my hand in his, then led me up to the front door. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“I’m starving.”
“Great.”
He held the door open for me and waited as I stepped inside.
It was a small, family-owned Italian restaurant with worn leather seating and quaint little lanterns glowing at each table, making it feel warm and inviting.
It was the perfect place for a first date.
The hostess led us to one of the small booths in the back, and once we were seated, she took our drink orders and offered us each a menu.
“I’ll go get your drinks while you two take a moment to decide what you want to eat. ”
“Sounds good. Thanks.” Ben studied his menu a moment, then asked, “So, whatcha thinking?”
“I’m not sure. The lasagna is really good here, but I think I’m leaning towards the chicken marsala.”
“You can’t go wrong with either.”
“Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same. What about you? What are you having?”
“I’m not sure. I’m still mulling it over.” His face was still buried in his menu when he said, “You know, I’m kind of surprised that you came.”
“Really? Why’s that?”
“I don’t know. Just a feeling, I guess.” He glanced up at me as he confessed, “I’m really glad you decided to come, though.”
“It’s still early. You might change your mind about that.”
“I highly doubt it.” He looked around the room, then said, “You’re the most beautiful woman here. No way I couldn’t be happy about spending time with you.”
“You’re very sweet.”
“Just being honest.”
He gave me a wink, then studied his menu for a moment longer. Once he decided on an entrée, he motioned the waitress over and gave her our order. As soon as she was gone, Ben rested his elbows on the table and leaned towards me. “So, tell me a little about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything. I mean, I know you go to school at PC, and you’re taking Spanish two. I’m pretty sure I overheard you say you were in the business program.”
“I am. I’m hoping to graduate at the end of this semester.”
“That’s great. Any idea what you will do after you graduate?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out.” I took a sip of my soda, then told him, “I’m hoping something will come up between now and then.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, but if you don’t, my uncle runs the real estate office in Oak Harbor. He also has some rental properties that he needs help managing. Maybe he could find something for you.”
While I had no interest in real estate, I thought it was sweet of him to offer his uncle’s help. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You should. He does really well for himself.”
The waitress came over and placed our food on the table, and my mouth started to water when I saw the plate full of chicken marsala. “It looks wonderful.”
“Wow.” Ben glanced over at my plate and then back to his own. “I think I might’ve made a mistake.”
“I’d be more than happy to let you have a taste or two.”
“A taste or two? Hmm.” He gave me a playful wink as he flirted, “I gotta say, I like the sound of that.”
“The marsala, Ben.” I gave him a stern look. “And only the marsala.”
“Okay, okay. Understood,” he chuckled.
We continued on with our small talk as we ate, and it was nice.
Ben was not only handsome, but the perfect gentleman.
Sadly, I didn’t feel the slightest spark as I sat there across from him.
It didn’t seem fair. He was so open and easy to talk to.
He told me all about his sister and the crazy adventures they’d had when they were kids.
And even shared a few funny stories about his roommates and frat brothers.
The more he spoke, the more comfortable we both became. I told him about Lacy and the other girls, and then, he asked a question I’d hoped he wouldn’t ask. “So, what about your family? Are you guys close?”
“We were.” My throat tightened as I told him, “They both died a few months before my eighteenth birthday.”
“Oh, damn. I’m sorry, Elsie. I had no idea.”
“It’s fine. There’s no way you could’ve known, and it was a long time ago.”
“Still. That had to be hard.” His eyes were filled with sadness as he asked, “Did you have anyone to help you get through it? A brother or a sister?”
“Afraid not.” I didn’t like the shift in our lighthearted mood, so I decided not to tell him about Brantley. Instead, I told him, “I was lucky enough to meet some wonderful people who helped me get back on my feet.”
“That’s great. I’m really glad to hear that.” A soft smile crossed his face as he said, “Maybe I can meet these wonderful people some time.”
“Maybe so.” In hopes of getting our night back on track, I leaned back in my chair and cocked my brow. “Enough about me. I want to know more about you... How ‘bout you tell me something you wouldn’t typically share on a first date.”
“Hmmm. That’s a tough one.” He thought for a moment, then said, “I guess I’d have to go with the fact that I like chick flicks, especially sappy ones where there’s a twist in the end, and the guy and girl end up together.”
“Awe. He’s a romantic.”
“What can I say?” He chuckled with a shrug. “I like a happy ending.”
I liked happy endings, too, but I didn’t see one in our future—at least, not like the one you’d find in movies. It would take a lot more than a surprise twist for me to land the man of my dreams—it would take a miracle, and unfortunately, miracles were in short supply in stories like mine.