41. Langdon
Forty One
Langdon
I ’m in the truck driving to pick her up for our first date and I’m a bundle of freaking nerves. Is it cool to hold her hand while we walk around? Will she think I look ok? I flip down the visor and check my hair.
I’m scared of what Delia will think, that she’ll scrutinize every choice that I make tonight. My stomach churns and I wonder if I’ll be able to eat anything at dinner or if I even should eat at all. I’ve never been this nervous for a date.
I pull into Heath’s driveway and take a few deep breaths. This feels different than all the other times I’ve been with Delia. I chastise myself for being such a pansy and get out of the truck, remembering to grab the flowers I got her on my way here .
Viv had given me the what for when I told her who they were for. I better not break her heart. She’s the best employee she’s had (thanks for that Viv). She’s a sweet girl who deserves a sweet guy. And my personal favorite; if I hurt her she’ll fire me. I assured Viv I had the best intentions and she finally sold me the damn flowers.
Heath swings the door open wide before I can knock.
“Langdon,” he says.
I wave and smile. “Hi Heath.”
“Don’t do anything dumb,” he says while stepping aside. Okay. That’s weird.
Delia steps out around Heath smirking. She looks phenomenal. Tight jean skirt, loose bohemian shirt, and white sneakers. She even did her hair. Unconsciously I run my fingers through mine, hoping I look good enough.
“Gramps, are you being rude? You like Langdon, remember?” Delia says.
Heath gives a little grunt and mumbles something about that was before he (meaning me) wanted to date his granddaughter. Delia snorts out a laugh and pats Heath’s arm before kissing him on the cheek.
“Are those for me?” She nods to the flowers in my hand. I nod back, all my words lodged in my throat.
“They’re really pretty. Thank you. Let me put them in water before we leave.” Delia darts toward the kitchen leaving me and Heath alone.
“Heath,” I start.
“Eh. I remember being your age. Just, don’t do anything stupid with my granddaughter. Got it?” he cuts me off.
“Yes, Sir,” I answer dutifully.
Delia reappears grinning, hooks her arm through mine, and tugs me back to the porch. “Night Gramps,” she calls.
Heath tells her to be home by eleven and stands in the door until we’re buckled in the truck and I’ve started it. I imagine him sitting on the front porch with a stopwatch and a shotgun counting down until eleven.
“Hi, hello, earth to Langdon?” she says.
We bump down the driveway and make a right onto the main road. I snap my head to her. “Hi. Sorry. Didn’t expect Heath to uh, be like that.”
Delia laughs. “He’s not going to do anything.”
I shake my head slowly. “I’m not so sure.”
I take Delia’s hand in mine as we drive.
“So where are we going?” she asks.
“Dinner first but then…how do you feel about haunted hayrides?” I ask. I glance at her, hoping I haven’t fucked this up already. Her eyes are wide and I think I’ve made a mistake.
“I’ve never been on one.”
“What?” I all but shout. “Seriously?”
Delia shrugs. “Seriously. Is it really scary? I’m not good at really scary. And I didn’t bring a jacket. Will it be cold?”
I smile at her. “I brought an extra hoodie if you want it. And no it’s not that scary. Just scary enough so that you’ll be forced to cling to me.”
Delia looks out her window. “I would have done that anyway. ”
I hope and pray that no one’s at The Hammock tonight, as we pull into the parking lot. I don’t want to share her attention with anyone. I don’t want her to worry about classmates watching us or talking at school. I open her door for her and take her hand as she hops out.
“I haven’t been here before.”
“They have the best sandwich melts and shakes.”
She squeezes my hand. “Just so you know, I don’t share shakes. I’m a terrible sharer when it comes to desserts.”
I laugh and open the restaurant door for her.
Delia orders a steak and cheese with all the toppings and a peanut butter cup shake. It sort of blows my mind. Not that she’s the kind of girl who orders a salad, but I just didn’t think she had it in her to take down such a large amount of food. Where does she put it all?
“So tell me about this haunted hayride,” she says between bites. She’s got a tiny smidge of melted cheese stuck to her bottom lip and I cannot resist the urge to wipe it away. I put my gargantuan burger down and swipe my thumb over the cheese. “That’s embarrassing,” she sighs.
“I actually thought it was hot.”
Delia rolls her eyes at me. “The hayride,” she says.
“Right. So you sit on a trailer wagon thing and they drag you through the woods and people jump out and try to scare you and then there’s hot cider and donuts. It’s pretty fun.”
“Do you go every year?”
I look at my plate. “We used to.”
Delia gives me a small, sad smile. “Well, I’m excited. It’s a very good first date idea.”
“Oh yeah? What are bad first date ideas? ”
She puts her steak and cheese down and picks at her fries while thinking it over. “I mean, dinner and a movie—boring. You don’t even really get to talk. Once this kid took me to an airsoft range to shoot—that was awkward. I mean, hello weirdo gun-toting serial killer vibes. Also, ear protection is not exactly cute and again, makes conversation difficult.”
“I did consider dinner and a movie, I’ll be honest, but an airsoft range…nope, never would have dreamed it.”
Delia laughs loudly it makes my stomach flip with excitement.
“Come on you haven’t had a weird or bad first date?”
I shake my head. “Not really. I mean, all my first dates have been…vanilla. Nothing awkward but nothing exciting either. Just kinda unoriginal. I mean, there’s not a ton to do here in town so choices are limited but you know what I mean.”
She nods and takes a huge bite of her sandwich. When she licks her lips, I find myself wishing that I was on them.
“What are you staring at?” she asks.
I blink rapidly out of my daydream and shake my head.