Dating the Best Man

by Gail Sattler

  At that moment the server appeared with their meals.

  Hunger had deserted her. She wondered if Cory might want to eat most of her meal, since he was already digging into his own with fervor.

  But then, watching him eat with such enjoyment did make her wonder what she was missing. As well, she wasn’t going to do herself any favors by letting herself get weak with hunger.

  Slowly she dipped a fry into the ketchup and nibbled it.

  “Aren’t they great?” Cory said between bites. “They use some kind of seasoning I’ve never tasted in any other place.”

  “Yes, they are good.” As she ate more, her appetite returned and before she knew it she’d eaten her entire meal.

  They’d barely had time to start a conversation when the server appeared with the bill.

  Cory immediately gave the server a credit card. “We should go. There’s a line. Are you ready to do that shopping?”

  This time her world remained stable. She actually felt herself starting to smile. “Yes. I am. Thank you for dinner. First we can buy a stamp so you can mail that card to your mother, then we can shop till we drop.”

  * * *

  Cory truly hated to shop. He really didn’t understand the alleged joy of spending time in a store without having something specific to buy. When he went to the mall he followed his plan, and the only browsing he did was go to different stores for the same product to check the pricing.

  Except for Christmas shopping when he got stuck in line, the longest he’d ever been inside a mall was twenty minutes.

  Today they’d already been in the mall for half an hour, and he didn’t feel like screaming and running for the door. He wouldn’t call it fun, but he didn’t mind Daphne’s explorations of her shopping list. In fact, it was quite amusing. If he could control himself and not start laughing, the afternoon would be successful.

  “What do you think of this one? Does it look too sissy?” She held up another tiny T-shirt. But it wasn’t for a child.

  The Missy that Daphne had mentioned earlier wasn’t a little girl. Missy was a little dog.

  “You really are asking the wrong person. I think they all look ridiculous. Dogs have fur coats. They don’t need clothing.”

  “That’s not the point,” she grumbled, folding the pink dog shirt, complete with lace collar and sparkly stones glued onto it, and tucked it into her shopping basket.

  Cory shook his head. He really didn’t see any point to dressing dogs in people clothing. “I fail to see how a shirt for a dog is an appropriate Mother’s Day gift.”

  “It’s not. The pattern and the yarn are the present, because that’s something fun for my mother to do. The shirt is just because it’s cute.”

  When she’d mentioned buying yarn and a pattern, he hadn’t thought anything of it. When he found out Missy was a dog he thought she was kidding, that it was some kind of knitting joke he didn’t get. Obviously it was no joke; she really had picked out yarn and a pattern to knit a sweater for a dog. Since he’d already voiced his opinion on the T-shirt, Cory thought it best not to share his thoughts on knitting a sweater for an animal. Especially in the summer.

  “Is that it for your list? If so, I need to go to the hardware store for some duct tape.”

  She looked up at him and grinned. She actually grinned. He felt his heart start to beat faster. “Duct tape? The handyman’s secret weapon? All a man needs to fix anything is duct tape and WD-40. If it shouldn’t move, and it does, use duct tape. If it needs to move and it doesn’t, spray it.”

  Cory shook his head. “That’s not true.” He let his voice trail off. She’d been joking. “I just need duct tape.” Although, at the moment he couldn’t remember what exactly he needed it for, only that he did.

  She was still smiling. This smiling Daphne was the woman who had captured his heart when she’d seen him out at a party with Rick, her brother, a year ago.

  She was everything he’d dreamed of in the perfect woman. Well, not really perfect, but perfect for him. Kind. Generous. A sense of humor. Always willing to help others… As a fellow believer, she had a gentle way about her that had won him over the first time he’d met her. She was a little timid, but she looked small and delicate. And any reasons for her timidity were explained ten-fold by what happened with her ex-boyfriend.

  Cory wanted to help protect her, but he didn’t know what to do. He had no idea what it would feel like to have someone overpower him. One person tried that, once, unsuccessfully, and it had been a life-changing event for both of them—one he could never allow to happen again.

  Mentally, Cory shook his head. He refused to let his past mistakes haunt him when his future now had the potential to be promising—both personally and professionally.

  “Cory? Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

  Daphne’s words brought Cory’s mind back to where it should have been. He shook his head to clear it and then turned to her. “Sorry. I was thinking about something else for a minute.” He almost asked they could to go the hardware store now, but stopped before the words came out. Once they were done shopping she would want to go home, and that would be the end of their time together. “I can get the duct tape later. Was there something else you wanted to look at?”

  Her cheeks turned the most adorable shade of pink. “I need to buy some new jeans. I’ve lost weight and everything I own is too loose.”

  “No,” he said, speaking before he thought fully of what he was saying. “You don’t need new clothes. You’ve gotten too skinny. You need to put the weight back on.” If in a month they went to the beach, he would probably be able to count her ribs when she wore her bathing suit.

  For a second her mouth dropped open. But instead of speaking, the light went out of her eyes and her head lowered so he couldn’t see her face.

  He wanted to kick himself. Not only were his words not uplifting or encouraging, they could have been taken as critical. It probably wasn’t even politically correct to tell a woman she was too skinny, even if she was. But that wasn’t the point. He needed to lift her up, not say something that could be taken as critical.

  “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out the way I meant. I meant that you’ve been under a lot of stress and it’s taken a toll on you. Even before this happened you could have had five or ten pounds more on you, but now you’re even—” he caught himself just in time before he said worse “—thinner. When you didn’t have anything to spare to begin with.”

  She didn’t raise her head, so he reached out to rest his hands on her shoulders. Her bony shoulders. “I—”

  Before he could finish his sentence she gasped, jerked away from his touch and stared up at him with big, wide eyes, like a deer just before he hit it with his truck on the highway in the middle of the night.

  Too late, he realized what he’d done. He’d scared her.

  Quickly he hid his hands behind his back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I would never hurt you or force you to do something against your will.”

  Daphne sucked in a deep breath then stared at him. “I know that. I’m the one who should be sorry. I don’t know why I did that. I’ve been going to counseling. I thought I was supposed to be over this by now. I didn’t mean to spoil the evening. I think I should go home.”

  “No, don’t go. How about if we just go sit on one of the benches in the mall and talk? And relax.” Cory forced himself to breathe while she considered his request.

  Finally the stiffness left her. “You’re right. I have to stop running and face these moments and prove that nothing is going to happen. Let’s pay for this stuff and we can go sit down.”

  They didn’t talk much as they made their way to the cashier and then found a bench. But as they walked side by side, being in the crowd made him aware of just how tiny she was in comparison to the average person.

  When they were finally sitting, he turned to Daphne, being very careful not to touch her, not even to let his leg brush her knee. “I have an idea. I can’t blame you for bei
ng cautious, so how about if we do something about that. When I do information sessions at the campgrounds in the summer I warn people about the wild animals, and what to do if they come face to face with one. I usually start off with a joke about what if I and someone else came face to face with a bear. The joke is that I don’t have to outrun the bear, I only have to outrun the other person. Get it?”

  He waited for her to process his joke. When her eyes widened, he knew she got it. “I understand what you’re saying about a bear, but this isn’t the same situation.”

  “Not really, but the concept is that you don’t have to overcome an attacker. You only have to know how to escape.”

  “I suppose that makes sense. But that’s easier said than done.”

  Cory nodded. “I know. So let’s start with the most basic. Just like the bear joke, running is really the best defense. Usually all that means is to build stamina. We can start with some good brisk walks, work up to jogging, and then work on running for speed for short distances. Then we can work on agility.”

  She gave him a small smile, which was a great sight. “I guess I can do that. Already I have to nearly jog just to keep up to you when you’re walking.”

  He smiled back. “There you go. We can start with that. We won’t jog or run until you can do a fast walk and not get out of breath, and we can do that at the park. I hear tomorrow is going to be good weather.”

  She nodded. “Okay. That sounds good.” She inhaled deeply and then checked her watch. “Let’s get that duct tape you need and then I need to call it a day.”

  “I can get the tape another time. Let’s just go.”

  He tried to walk slowly through the mall so they could spend more time together, but too soon, they reached the door.

  Since she was obviously still nervous about being alone, Cory turned with her instead of going to his pickup truck, which was on the other side of the lot.

  “What are you doing?” she asked when he stepped off the curb beside her.

  “I’m going to walk you to your car.”

  “You don’t need to do that.”

  He shook his head. “Probably not, but I just want to make sure everything is okay.” He’d barely finished his words and they were already at her car. “How did you get a parking spot so close to the door?”

  “Just lucky I guess. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll text when I’m ready. Probably around ten?”

  “Sure.”

  He stood, watching as she slipped into the car, started it and drove away so quickly he didn’t know how she had time to do up her seat belt.

  She hadn’t even really said goodbye. Come to think of it, she’d obviously been nervous. Since she couldn’t be nervous of a potential attack when he was with her, it hit him like a baseball bat between the eyes that she was probably still a little afraid of him.

  That wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted her to be comfortable with him. He wanted a relationship, which couldn’t happen if she was scared or nervous in any way.

  He turned and headed to his truck.

  He didn’t know if it would be the right thing, but he had an idea about what he could do.

  Tomorrow, he’d find out if it would work.

  Chapter 4

  Daphne turned into the parking lot for the park and didn’t know whether to cringe or smile. Cory had told her his truck would be hard to miss, and he was right.

  The monstrous vehicle loomed above all else, just as he did. Big, black, with a moose face painted on the side, his 4x4 crew cab, with the big tough-treaded tires, stood taller than every other vehicle around it. Maybe even in the whole lot. And there he was, as imposing as his truck, standing beside it, leaning against the driver’s door, waiting for her.

  They’d talked about choosing between walking around the field that would be full of people or walking down the trail, which was wasn’t as well traveled, meaning they wouldn’t be in sight of another person every minute. He’d told her to think about it and let him know when she got there.

  Knowing he was so understanding of her fears almost made her cry. She didn’t want that. She’d already put him enough awkward situations without adding tears—besides, she’d already done that, too.

  During the group therapy sessions she’d attended, things some of the other ladies shared had changed her perspective of being alone and of being with a man in a deserted location.

  Only one lady in the group had been attacked by a man she hadn’t known. Everyone else had been a victim or, like herself, a near-victim, of date rape, where they’d known the man who had attacked them.

  Daphne wasn’t sure if these confessions opened her eyes to the reality of things she’d never before considered or opened the door to unrealistic fear.

  Over and over she’d told herself that Rick trusted Cory, and therefore she also needed to. He was safe.

  Yet now, looking at him as surely David had faced Goliath, she didn’t feel quite so confident. While it was true that David had taken Goliath to the ground with one small stone, people didn’t think further along the chain of events. David’s small stone hadn’t killed Goliath. David had killed Goliath with Goliath’s own sword.

  There was no sword here. Her only means of self-defense was her purse. And if she clobbered Cory with it, it would probably wreck her cell phone.

  She pulled into a spot a few spaces away from his truck, turned off the engine and got out. He waved, but didn’t approach her. Instead he waited for her to come to him.

  As she had, Cory had dressed casually. The weather wasn’t quite warm enough for shorts, so he also wore sweatpants. Although, the only reason she’d chosen the sweatpants was that her jeans were too loose. She couldn’t run if her pants were ready to fall down. The sweatpants tied around her waist with a drawstring, which was safe.

  Approaching him, she cleared her throat and patted her pocket. “I decided to go on the trail. I brought my camera.”

  Cory’s eyebrows rose. “I think it would better if we walked around the perimeter of the fields. The trail is a more scenic walk, but it’s a gravel path, which makes the ground is uneven. I wanted to walk at a fast pace, not a leisurely walk. If that’s what you really want we can, but I was thinking of exercise, not a nature stroll. I don’t think we’re going to be in any position to take pictures.”

  “Oh.” She stopped to think, realizing he would probably be bored on the trail. “You’re with nature stuff every day and probably want to spend your time with people.”

  “Not really. I enjoy being out in nature, nothing will change that. I was only thinking of what would be more level ground.”

  She didn’t know how fast he wanted her to go, but regardless, he would be disappointed. “I’m not in very good shape for running. I don’t know if I ever was.”

  “That doesn’t matter. We’re going to start slowly and comfortably, and this is the place we’re going to do it. The plan is to work up to some endurance.”

  “I guess.” As she came to his side, he turned and began walking to the park, so she continued alongside him.

  When they got to entrance, he stopped. “Let’s start with a fast walk rather than a run. That’s going to be enough of a challenge since you sit behind a desk all day.” He grinned. “I know what it’s like in the winter, when sometimes I’m deskbound for a week at a time.”

  A week. She’d been deskbound, as he called it, for about four years. “But all summer long you probably walk up and down the trails every day.”

  “Something like that.”

  Remembering how hard it had been to keep up with him at the mall, when he was walking his normal pace, she still wasn’t sure this was a great idea, but it was a start.

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  At first they made small talk as they walked, but it was an embarrassingly short amount of time before she couldn’t walk at the speed and talk at the same time. Then, even more humiliating, it didn’t take much longer and she was gasping for air and sweating so much she thought her glass
es would slip off her face.

  Cory slowed his pace, looked down and smiled at her. “We’re going to slow down for a while, but we can’t stop. When your heart rate levels out, let me know, and we’ll pick up the pace again.”

  For this, she could choke out a reply. “No. I can’t.”

  His brow knotted. “Okay. But we’re not stopping. We’ll just slow down.”

  True to his word, he slowed, but his pace was still faster than comfortable, and she didn’t think she could speak without gasping. To keep from embarrassing herself, she kept silent.

  The third time around the field, he slowed to a pace comfortable for her. At least comfortable enough to talk. “Are we done, or do you want to go around one more time?”

  He checked his watch. “I think we’re done for the day. We just need to get something to drink.” But he didn’t turn toward the concessions. He kept walking past the food stands and headed toward the parking lot.

  She followed him in silence, this time not because she couldn’t talk, but because she didn’t know what to say.

  “I brought drinks,” he said as they approached his truck. “Not because I’m too cheap to pay for them at the concession stand—even though they are outrageously priced. I brought drinks with electrolytes that we need after exercising. Especially you, because you worked up a sweat.”

  She didn’t like a man telling her she was sweaty, but it was the truth.

  He aimed his remote at the truck to unlock it, then opened the door, reached in and then handed her a bottled blue drink. “Drink this, then we can go back to the park and have an early dinner.”

  “I hate to tell you this, but I’m not hungry.” Yet, as the words came out of her mouth, a sensation of hunger came over her, as if just thinking about it made it happen. “Wait. I changed my mind.”

  He smiled. “I thought you might. We’ve been walking for nearly an hour, and you’ve been keeping up a good pace.”

  Maybe for herself, yes, but from what she’d seen, it had been a normal walk for Cory. Daphne didn’t want to consider what he would think would be a fast pace for him, with his long legs. Today, when she’d been ready to drop, he hadn’t even worked up a sweat. He’d probably even been bored, since she was unable to talk.