Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
M ercedes was already at the kitchen table when Evan wandered into the room Saturday morning.
They’d decided to have their second official date today.
The bowling had gone well, once Mercedes had realized she didn’t need to be as good as him at it, and in a strange way, it felt kind of nice to do something better than her.
Not that he’d ever lord it over her. He knew too well what it felt like to be a failure at something.
She’d actually listened to his suggestions and had improved from her first few attempts.
He liked to think he’d had something to do with that.
After filling a glass with Mountain Dew and grabbing a Pop Tart, he sat across from her. “Did you choose an activity for today yet?”
Her impish grin melted him. He wanted to do everything for her. She pulled the stack of index cards from a basket on the table and spread them out in front of him. “I added a few activities like you said I could, and I used the same cards, so we can’t tell whose are whose.”
Evan shuffled the cards a few times, then spread them out again. “Pick one.”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “I picked the last time. I think we should take turns. It’s not like we can see what’s on them.”
“Cool. I like that idea.” His hands hovered over the cards comically, and she glared at him. Finally, he swooped in and grabbed one. Like she'd done, he waved it dramatically, then flipped it over. SHOPPING.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I definitely didn’t put this one in here. Why would anyone want to do this on a date?”
She pursed her lips. “I’d never have put bowling on a list of dates, but there it was, and I had fun.”
He heaved a deep sigh, then let his head drop. When he peeked at her again, he said, “Fine. Where are we going shopping? Do you have a place in mind?”
“Is there anything you need?”
“Beer and chips, but I assumed this didn’t mean grocery store. ‘Cause I’m okay with that kind of shopping.”
She laughed. “I have a few things I need at the mall, but we can stop at the grocery store on our way home. That way anything cold won’t go bad.”
He made a face. “The mall? Might as well cut off my manhood right now.”
“No, no, no. I have plans for that part of you later.”
He couldn’t wait. The last few weeks had been incredible.
They hadn’t been intimate every night, but when they had, he’d stayed in her bed until morning.
Waking up with her snuggled against him was wonderful, and it was somewhat of a revelation how much he liked it.
It wasn’t something he’d ever done with a woman.
In the past, he’d had his fun and left. Crappy, but hopefully he’d become a better person.
Because of Mercedes? Because he loved her?
He’d never been that emotionally involved with anyone else before.
Focusing back on the day of shopping, he thought about what he might need at the mall. “I could use a new pair of work boots. And I ripped a pair of jeans I typically wear on the job, so I should probably replace those.”
“Excellent. Let me see what stores are at some of the different locations. We can go to a few places. We’ve got all day.”
All day? While he’d love spending all day with Mercedes, he really didn’t want to spend all day walking around a bunch of stores, especially if he wasn’t buying anything. He was a targeted shopper. In, grab, and go.
“Can we at least get lunch somewhere while we’re out?”
“Yes, of course.” She smiled at him. “I’ll even let you pick the place.”
“What time do you want to leave?” If he was lucky, she’d say later today, and he could find a way to get out of it. But then he’d be a terrible boyfriend. The index cards had been his idea.
“Finish eating. I still need to take a shower and get ready. Maybe an hour or so.”
He gave a thumbs up and munched on his Pop Tart. It gave him time to look over his Level Two book again. He hadn’t made plans to take the test yet, and he wouldn’t until he could get through the book with confidence. Mercedes had helped him immensely in that area.
It was almost an hour later when Mercedes strolled into the living room where he’d been playing some game on his phone. He’d given up on the book after about thirty minutes. It was much easier to go through the manual when Mercedes helped him.
Standing, he said, “Where to first?”
“There are a few things I want to get at the Meadow Glen Mall, then I thought we could hit the shops at Station Landing or Assembly Row.”
He tried to hide his cringe. If he couldn’t get it at Wal-Mart or Home Depot, he didn’t need it. He kept that to himself and held his hand out for her to lead the way.
“How much stuff are you getting? Do we need my truck?”
She made a cute face at him. “Haha. I’m not buying furniture. Although I’d love to get a new couch.”
He’d love to be able to afford to buy her new furniture. “Maybe when I pass my level two test and get my raise, I can get you that couch.”
She planted her hands on her hips and shook her curls. “Well, I’ve assisted you in studying for that exam, so that would be great.”
They took her car, and she drove. At the first stop, she steered him straight to a shoe store. “You said you needed work boots. Can you get any kind, or is there a specific brand you prefer?”
“I really like the Wolverine or Timberland brand. They have to be steel-toed and support my ankles. They aren’t cheap, but if they’re built right, I can use them for a while.”
They walked around the store, and Mercedes checked out the work boots, too. Thankfully, they had a pair of what he liked in his size. After trying them on, he stuck them back in the box and searched for Mercedes. She sat in the next row trying on a pair of boots.
“You need work boots? Are you ready to take that construction job now that you know all about the machinery and equipment?” he teased.
“Maybe I will.” Holding out her foot, she nodded. “These aren’t steel-toed, but I bet they’d be great to walk in this winter when the sidewalks are all slushy with snow.”
He checked out the boots. They were softer than what he had and a rim of plaid flannel surrounded the cuff. He’d get laughed off the jobsite if he ever wore something like that. She, on the other hand, looked adorable.
“I like them. You should get them and wear them when you help me fix stuff in our apartment.”
She lifted her head, her eyes wide and excited. “Yes. That’s exactly what I could use them for. Thank you, Evan. I certainly didn’t need an excuse to get them, but I like that you gave me a good one. I think I’m all set with shoes for now. Did you need anything else?”
He found some thick socks that would be great for the cold days and brought those up to the counter as well. Mercedes had her purchase rung up first, then waited for him by the door, her eyes glancing over a rack of shoes there.
“Where to next?” he asked.
She seemed distracted, and he followed her gaze. Several groups of children, dressed in Halloween costumes, paraded along the corridor of the mall. They skipped into the stores and appeared again after a few moments, giddy with the amount of candy they’d gotten from the store workers.
“Aren’t they adorable?”
He thought she was adorable. “Sure. Especially that creature in the black cape and skeleton mask.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you like kids? I don’t think we’ve ever talked about that before.”
There had never been a reason to talk about it. “Yeah, I guess. I’m not really around them much, so I don’t have experience with children. I don’t dislike them. What about you?”
She tipped her head. “Do I like kids, or do I want to have kids?”
Why had she added the question about having kids? Should he ignore it? No. He’d see if it went anywhere. “Either. Carli and Blake want kids.”
“I know. It was one of the things that broke them up. Carli asked Blake if he was willing to take a chance that they’d have deaf children if they got married. Stupidly, he paused before answering.”
Anger rose inside him, and all the good thoughts he’d had about his brother-in-law petered out. Mercedes patted his arm soothingly.
“Don’t get all hot and bothered. The question kind of blindsided him, and he wasn’t ready for it. He finally realized he wants Carli regardless of any hearing issues their children might have.”
Would he have that problem with anyone he wanted to marry? “Would you be bothered if your children were deaf?”
Mercedes threw him a beautiful smile. “Me? I speak fluent ASL. My best friend speaks fluent ASL and so does her entire family. Having a deaf child wouldn’t even be an issue.”
Even though he wasn’t ready to propose to Mercedes at this point, he felt better having her say it. It made him feel they could move forward in their relationship.
They walked through more of the mall, and he found he didn’t hate it quite as much as he’d thought he would.
He still didn’t like shopping, but he really liked being with this wonderful woman and her vibrant personality.
She chatted about so many different topics that he had a hard time keeping up with her, but he didn’t care.
He could watch her all day and never get bored.
He picked out two pairs of jeans at the Levi’s store, and Mercedes talked him into a new shirt, one that he couldn’t wear to work like a t-shirt or a flannel. Apparently, light blue color really accentuated his eyes. He didn’t care, but he loved that she did.
They ate at a small diner with a view of the park. The food was good; the company was better. They’d known each other for years and had lived together for months now, yet they hadn’t run out of conversation. That was a good sign, right?
“Want to walk down the street and window shop for a bit?” Mercedes asked once they’d eaten.
“Window shop? Do we need windows?” he teased.
She stuck out her tongue. “Look through the windows while not buying anything.”
“I like the not buying anything part. Have to keep my budget in good shape.”
“Like the rest of you.” The look of desire in her eyes had him heating up. Perhaps they should go home and discuss his shape a little more. Before he could suggest it, he spotted a store with sports memorabilia in the window.
“Look.” He wandered over and examined what they had. “Can we go in there?”
Her flirty smile had him wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “What about your budget?”
Oh, yeah, his budget. An idea popped into his head. “I’ll bet we could find something in there your dad might like. We could get it as a Christmas present.”
“Christmas? It’s not even November.”
“My mother always said, if you find a gift for someone that’s perfect, it’s never too early to buy it.”
Her head tilted back in laughter. “Your mother is absolutely right. And you’re a genius for suggesting this. I never know what to get my dad, and I wouldn’t have a clue what kind of baseball stuff to buy him anyway. You’ve chatted about baseball enough; you must know what he’d like.”
“I’m pretty sure we can find something he’ll be excited about.” As they entered the store, Evan got pretty excited about the fact he’d just earned big points with Mercedes.