Chapter 3
“I hope you don’t mind walking a bit from the lot. Ross told me parking would be tough this time of year, especially as we get close to the restaurant.”
“Oh, I don’t mind at all,” Carol replied as they moved down the sidewalk of Commercial Street. “It’ll do me some good to stretch my legs. Besides, I haven’t had much of a chance to explore Provincetown yet.”
“Honestly, neither have I,” Rick admitted. “I keep myself pretty busy with work and Ruby.”
“I’ve done the same, helping Stacey move into the beach house and then into Dylan’s place.
This is just great, though.” The street was narrow, but what it lacked in space, it made up for in character.
Every house and shop—and sometimes she wasn’t sure which was which—was gorgeously painted.
Cedar shingles mingled with bright white trim.
One building was bright purple with green accents, and the next was painted a cool gray with sharp white shutters.
Even as the sun was sliding down the sky, there was so much brightness and color that it was hard to tell night was coming on.
Pride flags were propped on almost every building.
Music—both live and coming through speakers—pulsed around them.
It was almost dizzying, which was appropriate at the moment.
Carol had been spinning like a top trying to get ready for this date.
She’d stood in front of the mirror in at least four different outfits, trying to decide which would be perfect for a dinner with a wolf she’d just met.
No fashion magazines could help with that.
The most unusual part? She didn’t usually care all that much. Long ago, she’d set aside the idea that people should look their best at all times. Carol was comfortable in her body, flaws and all, and anyone who didn’t like her could kiss her ass.
She snuck a peek at Rick, who was studying the paintings in the front window of an art gallery as they passed by.
He seemed like an easy-going guy, if slightly reserved.
After seven decades on this planet, he likely wouldn’t have noticed if she’d worn a long purple skirt or linen slacks.
There was no need for her to fuss so much.
He was just a man, and they were all the same.
Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Rick was different.
She couldn’t put her finger on exactly how, and it wasn’t just because he was a shifter.
There was something else about him, something that made her feel both incredibly comfortable and infinitely nervous.
Carol felt the silence fall between them as they walked.
It wasn’t tense, but it made her wonder about herself.
Since when had she ever been left without something to say?
“Ahoy!” A female pirate stepped in front of them.
A plastic sword had been threaded through the belt of her short dress, and she had her hand on the hilt.
Her tricorn hat was slightly tipped forward over her face, but it still showed off the layers of makeup she’d painted on her eyes and lips.
Her voluminous black hair was curled away from her face, carefully sprayed into position.
“I’m Pearl Starbuck, and if you don’t come to my show tomorrow night, I’ll make you walk the plank! ”
Carol laughed as she took the flyer Pearl handed her.
The glorious female pirate in front of them was a drag queen.
This town was particularly friendly to the LGBTQ community, and Carol had heard there were plenty of cabaret and drag shows.
“Well, Pearl, we just might do that. I heard you’ve got some hidden treasure. ”
Pearl let out a raucous laugh as she crossed her arms near the skirt of her dress. “X marks the spot, honey!”
Rick ran his fingers over his mouth as he laughed.
This brought Pearl’s attention to him. “Well, well. Aren’t you quite the Long John Silver? I’ll bet you know how to help a woman find her sea legs.” She dragged the tip of her sword along his thigh playfully.
Rick’s face turned a few shades of pink. “I don’t know that I’d say that, but thank you.”
Pearl put an arm around Rick but turned to Carol. “She’s a fine woman, but I really know how to blow the man down.”
Carol couldn’t help but laugh. Every pirate phrase in the book could be raunchy when it was said the right way, and she loved Pearl’s humor. She wasn’t sure how Rick felt about it, though.
He shook his head and laughed again. “You’re lovely, but I think I’m happy with the ship I’m already on.”
Pearl tented her fingers across her chest, her mouth and eyes wide. “What are you saying, sailor?”
Carol stepped closer and looped her arm through Rick’s. “I think he’s saying it’s time to heave-ho.”
“I’m scuppered!” Pearl cried as they walked away. “Don’t forget! Tomorrow night! Tell your friends!”
Rick and Carol were still laughing by the time they reached the end of the block. “I’m pretty sure I’ve never been hit on by a pirate before.”
“I haven’t had to defend my dinner date from a pirate before, either,” Carol replied. “There’s a first time for everything. Oh! It looks like we’re here.” She spotted the sign for Captain’s Quarters. It was an old house perched on the bay, and it was just as charming as everything else around it.
“Ah, our guests of the evening!” Hart was behind the bar but came around as soon as he saw them. He wrapped them in hugs and then stepped back and took a look at them. “Carol, you look absolutely glorious tonight. And Rick, you’re not so bad yourself.”
“Careful. A drag queen nearly stole him away from me on the way here. Too many compliments, and it might go straight to his head,” Carol joked.
“Then I’ll leave them up to you,” Hart promised as he brought them out to their table on the back patio, which was held out of the water with big pilings.
The table for two was draped with a handwoven cloth.
A small vase full of fresh flowers held it down in the middle, and a short candle danced happily next to that.
“Ross has your whole meal planned out for you this evening, but he’s gracious enough to give you your choice of drinks. What can I bring you?”
“A margarita, please. I’ve heard Ross brag a million times about what good margaritas you make, so I can’t resist trying one!” Carol said.
“Just iced tea, unsweetened,” was Rick’s request.
“Coming right up!” Hart headed back to the bar.
That left the two of them completely alone.
Carol noticed that no one else had been seated out on the patio.
Those who dined in the main part of the restaurant seemed to be enjoying themselves, but they didn’t have fresh flowers or candles on the table.
Their current location might be Ross’s idea, but Stacey had been the one who’d gotten this whole thing started.
“I should apologize for my daughter. She must think I’m spending too much time with Barney, or she wouldn’t have shoved you at me last night.
Granted, going out with a nice man to a nice restaurant is better than any of my other experiences lately. ”
“Had some doozies?” Rick asked.
“Oh, sure. I admit I jumped onto a couple of dating apps not too long after Stacey and I moved here. It’s a much more modern way of finding a date than anything I used to do when I was younger, but it’s kind of nice.
It’s sort of like shopping online, but for a man.
But just like online shopping, you don’t always get what you see in the pictures. ”
“I hope they have a generous return window,” Rick commented wryly. “It can’t really be that bad, can it?”
She studied him in the candlelight, betting he was quite the head-turner when he was younger.
He still was, of course. She had to admire the jaw that had remained square and strong over the years.
He wasn’t twenty, but Carol wouldn’t want a man who looked like he could be her grandson.
He didn’t always let it out, but there was quite a sense of humor in there, too.
“Well, let’s see. There was Charlie, a retired history teacher.
Talking to him was more of a lecture than a conversation.
At the end of our date, he had the audacity to quiz me on whaling ships of the eighteen hundreds. You could say I failed.”
Rick sucked air in through his teeth. “Not a great way to make sure someone was listening.”
“No, not really. What about you? Have you ventured into the dating world much?” Carol knew they’d touched on the subject a bit the night before, but most of that conversation had been a blur.
“As you know, it’s not as easy when you’re our age.
When I was still living in Eugene, a few friends had set me up with a woman they knew.
I didn’t think I was really ready to date, but I went to get them off my back.
I feel bad about saying that now because it’s not the right reason to go out with someone. ”
“We would’ve ended up in the same position with Pierce and Stacey if we weren’t out tonight,” Carol commented. “Maybe Ross, too.”
“Fair enough,” he agreed. “So I went, and the woman did nothing but complain the entire time. She didn’t like the table in the restaurant.
She didn’t like the food, but there was nothing wrong with it that I could tell.
I offered to take her to a movie, but she said they don’t make any good movies these days and the popcorn was always stale.
The only thing positive she had to say was about her cat, Sir Stripington.
He was dashing and handsome in his tuxedo, and he was always polite, and he was the only kind of companion a woman could count on.
Perhaps I’m too picky, but I didn’t see her again. ”