Kentucky on the Rocks

by Gwendolyn Grace

  Aidan grinned and made an appointment to come back on Wednesday to do the install. That was two whole days from now, and it was all I thought about. Well, that and whether Derek missed me at all.

  Ugh.

  ****

  “Nat! I just . . . I can’t even,” I whined into the phone. “You know how much I detest writing romance pieces. I mean, I actually feel sick to my stomach right now.”

  “Give me a break, Josette. I told you that I needed something for the ‘Saison de L’Amour’ promos we’ve been doing. Plus people love that shit. And we’ve committed. No, you’ve committed to doing it.”

  I stayed silent for a while as I stared up at the ceiling, and then let out a long sigh.

  “Nat, I only remember agreeing to this after several glasses of wine, which I don’t think should be held against me. Plus it was before things ended with Derek. The last thing I want to do is write a sappy article about tips for five fantasy rendezvous when my love life has been completely shot to hell.”

  “Josette, remember when you said that you wanted me to be honest with you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I think this will be good for you. Lose yourself in the idea of romance and allow yourself to believe that there are good men out there just waiting to be yours.”

  “Just so you know, that doesn’t make me feel better at all, Nat.”

  “Just so you know, grumpy britches, I do need that article done by the deadline.”

  “Fine. Your optimism is very annoying, you know that?”

  “Love you, too, brat.”

  I was about a quarter of the way into the first date, and I must have rolled my eyes more than I ever had in my life. I was totally making up a rendezvous assignment for a first date, a suggestion that I had never experienced. I imagined myself meeting up with a cute guy and what we would do on our first date. Would we lock eyes from across the room, and would there be sparks? I thought what I’d written sounded completely pathetic and so much like what I would never admit that my heart really wanted.

  At 11 a.m., I pulled open the door to see Aidan’s gorgeous and smiling face.

  “Mornin’, Ms. Lewis. I hope you don’t mind that I’m a little early. I finished up another job ahead of schedule and figured I’d head over here.”

  “Oh, not at all. Come in.” I smiled at him as he walked by me, and I caught a whiff of his scent. He smelled like sunshine and fabric softener. He walked to the box in the closet and set down all of his tools. There was confidence in the way he carried himself and how he approached his task with complete focus. He made a few trips back and forth to his truck and got to work. I observed his movements for a moment before I decided to leave him to it and went to my office to work on the article.

  I was marking corrections and making notes when I heard Aidan call from somewhere in the house.

  “Ms. Lewis?”

  “Yeah?” I yelled back as I got up from my seat and went to find him. He was still in front of the main control box, which was completely disassembled with wires everywhere.

  “I just put the new box in and I ran all the wires, but I can’t test it yet because the system at the main office is down.” I raised an eyebrow in surprise, but he quickly continued. “Just the test mode, not the live mode. That will run perfectly fine to the police and fire department.”

  “Oh,” I said with relief. “I was going to ask how people in real emergencies would get help.”

  “No, just test mode. We can activate live mode if you don’t mind a few fire trucks and cops in your driveway.” He chuckled.

  “It’s okay, I believe you.” I looked down at all his stuff and wondered what to say next. “How long will it be down?”

  “Don’t know. Maybe an hour or two. I can come back.”

  “No, no. It’s fine. Stay. Would you like to join me for lunch? I was about to make myself a sandwich.” His lips turned up into a smile and his green eyes glowed a little.

  “That would be nice. Thanks.”

  He followed me into the kitchen and sat down at my tiny kitchenette table while I made two sandwiches. I piled on the turkey, Swiss cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes and handed him a plate and offered some potato chips.

  “I have iced tea. Would you like some?” I asked over my shoulder as I poured myself a glass.

  “Yes. Please,” Aidan mumbled around a mouth full of sandwich. I set down a glass in front of him, then joined him on the opposite chair. He took a huge gulp of his tea and immediately made a face of disgust.

  “Blech.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Is this unsweet tea?”

  “Yeah? Is something wrong with it?”

  “You mean besides the fact that it’s unsweet?”

  “Oh.” I laughed. “I can get you some sugar.” I started to stand.

  “No, no, it’s fine.” He waved his hand at me to sit back down. “Sugar doesn’t melt very well in cold water anyway.”

  “Oh, right. Sorry. I only make unsweet tea, and I forget that people here drink it sweet.”

  “Here? Where are you from?”

  “San Diego, California.”

  “California? How the hell did you end up in Kentucky?” he asked, looking amused as he leaned forward in his chair as he finished off the last of his sandwich.

  “I followed someone out here.”

  “A guy?”

  “Yeah, but it didn’t work out,” I said as I stood. I gathered our plates and put them in the sink. “So I’m moving back home as soon as I can get this place sold.”

  Aidan slowly nodded as his face tightened. “What’s the reason for the alarm system? Is this guy dangerous? Are you afraid he’ll harm you?”

  “No, nothing like that. Derek is way too nonchalant about everything in his life, even me. I doubt he’ll ever show up here again.” I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince him or myself of this. “The Realtor said that a good alarm system would increase the appeal of the condo, and since I’ll be here by myself now I just want to feel as safe as I can.”

  “Right. I’ll make sure you’re safe, don’t worry.” The way those words sounded coming from his mouth did something to my heart. I knew it was his job and probably something he said to all of his customers, but I allowed myself to imagine he said it for me. Aidan held my gaze as he brought the glass of unsweet tea to his lips, took a sip, then immediately grimaced.

  “Uck. I forgot.” He shook his head with his face still scrunched up, and I threw my head back and laughed.

  Chapter Three

  The test system at the main office never did come back up, so Aidan scheduled another morning appointment with me the next day. This time I took a little extra time getting dressed. Instead of shorts and a T-shirt like yesterday, I put on skinny jeans and a tighter-fitting top. I also put on just a little mascara and lip gloss. I didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard to impress him, because I wasn’t, right?

  Aidan showed up on time wearing a crisp blue long-sleeved button-down with his name and company logo stitched on the left breast pocket. He grinned at me as I let him in but not before I saw how his gaze traveled quickly down my body. Before I could completely step out of his way, our shoulders brushed lightly, and I couldn’t resist the faint shiver that ran down my spine at the contact.

  He set up his laptop and logged into the company’s website. It took him awhile, but he was able to successfully test the system. He then set to work on installing all of the sensors on the windows in the areas I designated. I was sitting in my office when he came in.

  I was in midscoff as I was reading my own article, completely unaware that he was watching me.

  “What’s that face for?” Aidan asked as he set down his equipment box and began rifling through it for the materials he needed.

  “Oh, nothing. It’s just something I read that was ridiculous.”

  “By the look on your face it must have been pretty amusing.”

  “Yeah, it’s an article I’m w
riting.”

  “An article? You’re a writer?”

  I nodded.

  “What’s the article about?” he asked.

  “A silly dating article.”

  “Why is it silly?”

  “It just is.” I shrugged.

  “What’s so bad about it?” He walked to stand beside me, looking genuinely interested in the answer. When I looked up at him he was close enough that I could faintly smell him. It was the same clean scent of sunshine and freshly washed clothes. The scruff on his jaw was visible today, which meant that he probably wasn’t an everyday shaver like Derek.

  “No. Forget it. It’s stupid,” I said as I saved the article and closed the document. He studied me for a moment with his brows furrowed, but he didn’t speak. “It’s just that fantasy dates are unrealistic.”

  “Isn’t that why it’s called fantasy?” he replied, cocking his head to one side in confusion.

  “Well, um . . . yes . . . but I think that it sets unfair expectations. It encourages poor girls all over the world to expect that first dates are romantic, or the first time they kiss sparks will fly. The existence of soulmates and all that crap.”

  “You don’t believe in that?”

  “Clearly not. Don’t tell me you do?” He shrugged but didn’t reply as he went back to installing the sensors. I stared at him as he worked. I thought about the way Natalie described her kiss with Sam after their first date all those years ago as we sat across from each other on our dorm room beds. She claimed that her heart was beating wildly in her chest. I thought she was being super dramatic, but then again she always did have a flair for theatrics. I had to suppress a gag when she started talking about how time seemed to stop as his lips got closer to hers, and that sparks flew when their lips finally met.

  Yep. Pure crap.

  My stomach began to growl, and I decided that it was time for lunch and I needed to get out of this house.

  “Aidan? Do you have any other appointments this afternoon?”

  “Um, no.” He sounded hesitant.

  “I’ve been stuck in this house all week. Can I take you to lunch to a place that actually offers sweet tea?” I asked, and he squinted his eyes at me and shook his head.

  “No, but I can take you to lunch.” He grinned. “Let me just finish up these sensors and we can go.”

  I smiled back at him and went to my room to get ready. I brushed my hair, freshened my makeup, and put on a spritz of perfume. When I emerged, Aidan was already holding the front door open.

  “Ready?” he asked, and I nodded while walking past him. He led the way in his company vehicle, and I followed behind in my car.

  ****

  “So tell me more about this article you have to write and why you detest it so much,” Aidan said after the waitress had taken our order. He had chosen a restaurant not too far from my house, nothing fancy, but the place smelled delicious. I’d ordered a club sandwich, and he went with a burger.

  “Why are you so interested?” I asked, sipping my water.

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged and looked away bashfully. “Just am, I guess.” It was hard to ignore the faint color that stained his cheeks. I barely knew Aidan, but I liked him. He made me feel comfortable.

  “Fine,” I answered and leaned back in my booth. “The premise is five romantic rendezvous and not just your average go-to-dinner-and-a-movie dates, but things that are sure to kick-start a relationship.” I rattled off the objective of the article the way Natalie wrote it to me in an e-mail.

  “Five dates? That’s kind of a lot.”

  “Well, apparently there is a reader challenge to follow the article’s advice and report their success back to us at the end, in order to win a contest that the magazine is running.”

  “What’s the prize?”

  “A trip to Paris. The romantic ‘City of Lights.’” I said the last words using quotation fingers.

  “So what makes you dislike writing this article so much? It’s just five dates. Anybody can come up with five dates.”

  “I feel like I’m not the same girl who signed on for the article. What I really want to write about is how Prince Charming doesn’t exist, only regular guys who are capable of imperfections, and a perfect date doesn’t provide a shield against heartbreak.”

  “Hmm,” Aidan answered as he nodded, but his expression was guarded, and that’s when I realized that I said too much and was letting my internal misery show to this complete stranger. Yeah, I’m pretty sure I looked crazy to him. “Tell me about the dates. Are they ridiculously expensive to pull off with private jets and stuff like that? Is that the type of stuff that would consist of a perfect date?”

  “I haven’t gotten that far into the article. I’ve only written one outing.”

  “What was it?”

  “I thought it made sense to start with a get-to-know-you date. Take a walk together and have dinner thing.” Aidan eyed me thoughtfully.

  “How would you feel about experiencing all five dates?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “What if we created the dates in your article. All five.”

  “Create all five dates?” I repeated.

  “Yeah. Why not? How can you form an opinion if you haven’t experienced it? We don’t know each other any better than a couple following your article’s advice for their own dates.”

  “Why do you even want to do this with me?”

  “Josette, it took me two days to complete a job that should only have taken three or four hours. Why do you think that is?” Stunned, I stared at him for a while considering his words. Was he interested in me?

  The waitress dropped off our food and we both thanked her before she walked away. The interruption gave me more time to process what Aidan was suggesting.

  “One date. If you don’t want to go out with me anymore after that, it’s fine.” His grin was charming, but I could still see the hope on his face.

  “Aidan. I . . . I don’t know what to say. This all feels odd.”

  “I have a suggestion. Just say yes that you’ll meet me for a walk in the park and dinner tomorrow night.” He winked as he slid his hand across the table and brushed my knuckles with his fingers. The touch was so light and felt so good that I instantly wanted him to do it again, but I knew I had to be sensible here.

  “Aidan, I want to be very upfront with you. I just got out of a six-year relationship, and I’m selling my condo and moving back to California soon. I don’t think it’s a good idea to start something new right now.”

  “It’s just five dates, not the rest of your life. I’ll leave it up to you if you want to continue after each one,” he replied, not looking in the least bit discouraged. I thought about how the only thing I had to look forward to was an empty house and an unfinished article. Aidan could be a welcome distraction.

  “Fine, I’ll do it,” I said and couldn’t help returning his wide smile.

  “Good. I’ll need all the details for these dates so I can get everything right.”

  Aidan and I exchanged numbers after lunch, then parted ways at the restaurant. I refused to even acknowledge to myself that I pretty much floated all the way to my car with a stupid smile on my face.

  Chapter Four

  Rendezvous #1: Go for a stroll in the park.

  First dates are nerve-racking. To eliminate anxiety, keep it simple. Walking and talking is a great way to get to know each other, and when conversation falters just a bit, you can enjoy the scenery and people-watch together . . .

  The next night I met Aidan at the park. In my article, I suggested that couples meet in a neutral location for their first date, just to avoid being stuck in an awkward situation such as wanting to leave if things weren’t clicking between them. Aidan insisted that all the details be as accurate as possible. He looked even better in jeans and a black T-shirt, a different contrast from his light blue company-issued button-down and khaki pants.

  Unbeknownst to me, L
ouisville also had a Central Park. It was a far cry from New York City but it was an impressive idea, and he gained points for creativity.

  We followed one of the paths that lead to the Amphitheater. There was a group there performing a Shakespearean play to a large crowd. It was late in the afternoon and families were out walking and riding bicycles. Aidan and I strolled together in comfortable silence. It was nearing the end of May and the temperature was perfect for walking.

  “Okay, when does the get-to-know-you portion of the night begin?” Aidan asked, and I glanced up at him as I considered where to start. I didn’t want to get into anything about Derek, and it was hard to think of anything about me that didn’t involve him.

  “What do you want to know? You already know where I’m from and what I do for a living,” I replied.

  “How long have you lived in Louisville?”

  “Two years.”

  “What were you doing before you moved out here?”

  “I graduated from UCSD with a degree in journalism and took a job with the local newspaper as an editor’s assistant, and I hated it.” I looked up to see that he was staring down at me and listening intently. “I thought I was going to be a journalist, but I ended up becoming an errand girl with no real shot of actually writing articles. There were so many people in line ahead of me that it would be years before I even got close to writing anything. My friend Natalie started an online magazine, so I started working for her full time. ”

  “Oh right. I’ve heard a little about the rise of those kinds of independent news and information sites.”

  “Yeah, it’s a tough business to maintain success in. Natalie was lucky to do so well with getting her name out there. Our reader interest is growing daily, and story ideas from the staff are going strong.”

  “That’s amazing.” He smiled at me. “So you like this better than working for a traditional print publication?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “It works for now. I think one day I may try to write a story of my own.”

  “What kind of story? Does it involve romance?” he teased.