by Terry Towers
“Thank you.”
“Do you know when you’ll be home?”
With a shrug, I smiled. “Not sure, Dad. I don’t even know where we’re going. He’s been keeping it a surprise.”
“No one likes a smart ass, Mom,” he said, returning my smile.
Stepping into the room, I asked him the question I’d been avoiding. “Are you okay with this? He may be your teacher in a couple of weeks and if everything goes well with try-outs, he’ll also be your coach.”
His eyes flashed with a devilish gleam. “An easy in with the football team and a guaranteed A in math. Who would complain about that?”
I knew he was joking, but I needed to get something straight. Planting my hands on my hips, I hit him with my mom stare. “I’m not sure if anything will become of this, but I want your word you won’t use this to your advantage.”
“Mom, I’d never do that,” he said rolling his eyes at me. “I’ve been getting straight A’s since I was in kindergarten. Just don’t break his heart to badly if I’m in his class. I don’t need him taking his heartbreak out on me.”
“No guarantees.” Giving him a wink, I spun on my heels and left his room feeling much better about going out with Cole tonight, hearing him call out to me to have a good night.
Just as I reached the living room, a set of headlights turned into my short, two car driveway and parked up next to my vehicle. I frowned as I looked down at my silver analogue watch. He was twenty minutes early. I wasn’t going to have time to make sure my makeup was perfect. But considering most of the days at the football camp he’d seen me with minimal makeup, it shouldn’t be an issue. I just wanted this night to be perfect, it had been a while since I’d been on a date. And even longer since I’d been on a date with a man whose smile could make my heart skip a beat and send my stomach aflutter. Though, weren’t the ones with the sexy grin and smooth demeanor the ones who were the most dangerous?
My hands felt clammy. This was nerve wracking. While I waited for him to come to the door, I gave myself a final examination in the mirror that doubled as a coat-closet door. Being that it was the middle of August, the heat was unbelievable. Even with it being close to seven o’clock, the weather didn’t give any indication that it was going to cool off anytime soon.
I’d opted for a classic black sundress. The bodice dipped low, but my push-up bra made my girls look like a million bucks. The shoulder straps did a crisscross at my back leaving an opening that dipped down my lower back. I had a bit of a belly, but I was lucky enough to have avoided the dreaded back fat—at least for now. Ten more pounds and I suspected that would no longer be the case. The skirt was pleated with the hem falling just above the knee.
My fake blue eyes stared back at me from the mirror, highlighted with perfectly applied black cat-eye makeup. If he was going to take me to the local diner, I would be seriously overdressed. Though from the very few clues he’d given me via text message throughout the day, it didn’t appear that he was.
I watched him with a smile on my lips as he walked up the front steps and then hesitated at the door, his fist poised. Was he as nervous as I was? I seriously doubted it, but I didn’t imagine that hesitation before he knocked. He was always so calm, cool and collected. There were times where I’d intentionally said things to him, hoping to see him flush, but was almost always disappointed. Though when I did manage to break through the cool exterior, it was magic to see.
Taking the four steps it took to get the to the door, I opened it before he could knock a second time. It might come off as a little eager, but whatever. I was confident that we were past the silliness that came with going on a date with someone you just met. It’s not like we discussed anything overly personal after the first day we met. We tended to keep topics light and playful. Perhaps now we can get to know each other on a deeper level. I was very curious to find out what happened between him and his ex-wife. I’d been tempted to Google his name several times, but refrained, opting to get to know him organically. It took all my willpower to keep from looking him up, I’d even typed his name in the search a few times but deleted it before hitting the enter button. Google took too much of the mystery out of dating.
The moment Cole laid eyes on me, he gave me a low whistle, making no attempt to cover the fact that his eyes were drinking in every inch of me—from the top of my head, to my bare toes, with a brief stop at my breasts, and then back up again to meet my gaze. “You look… amazing,” he finally said
I felt my cheeks grow warm and if I were to look into a mirror, I was confident that there’d be a bright rosy glow coloring them, overpowering the wine-colored blush I’d applied.
“You don’t look too shabby yourself,” I replied, drinking in the look of him in a black, button-down shirt and dark trousers. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dressed up before. In fact, I’m glad I dressed as I did, otherwise I’d be looking like a scrub.”
Laughing, he offered his arm to me. “I doubt that would be the case. And I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone refer to themselves as a scrub before.”
“I said that I would have been, not that I currently do.” Smiling I stepped out onto the front porch, closed the door behind me and accepted his arm. The bubbly teenaged enthusiasm rushed through me again. The summer night couldn’t have been more perfect, the sky was clear with stars shimmering down on us. There was warmth still in the air with just a teasing hint of autumn that had yet to come.
“No. No, you do not.” He guided me to the passenger side of his black Escalade and opened the door.
Wow, a high school teacher’s pay must be a hell of a lot better than I would have guessed. It was quite an immaculate vehicle. As I slipped inside, I was hit by the pleasing new-vehicle smell. “Such a gentleman,” I teased, looked up at him through the open door.
“Bringing my A-game tonight, Ma’am.” He nodded and closed the door.
As I waited for him to take his place behind the wheel, my eyes scanned the interior of the vehicle looking for hints of who he was beyond what I already knew from our chats while the kids practiced. There was quite literally nothing, it was as though he’d just drove it off the lot this afternoon.
“Your SUV is gorgeous. It looks brand new. Just buy it?” I asked as he seated himself beside me and started it up.
“Yeah. As a matter of fact I did. A few days ago, in fact. I’m just getting used to it. Everything is so different from my last vehicle.”
Shifting the vehicle into reverse, he backed out onto the street.
“What was your last vehicle?”
He huffed and shrugged. “Just a car. I’ve made lots of changes since the divorce.”
“As people normally do.”
“Pretty much. It’s a time to readjust your priorities and decide what really matters in life.”
“How is Alexander taking all the changes?”
“He doesn’t seem to care either way. He’s a very driven kid. He puts his focus on himself and his goals, he has for years if I were to be honest with you. What his mother and I do doesn’t seem to matter to him much.”
“You’re coaching his team though. How does he feel about that?”
“Hmm. I’ve never inquired. He wasn’t a big fan of his last coach, so I think he feels I’m an improvement.” He grinned as he looked over at me briefly. “I’m not too sure if he’s going to like me being his math teacher though. He doesn’t know this yet, but I requested he be in my class. Keep an eye on the little prick and all that.”
Laughing, I gave my head a shake. “Little prick, huh?”
“He can be. And I’m concerned that his teachers might let him slide by because of who he is.”
Who he is? Because he’s really good at football? I gave him a peculiar look, but he didn’t seem to notice.
He didn’t seem interested in going into further detail and I didn’t push it. The conversation died off, so I looked out the window to try and get a feel for where we were. I was still attempting to get my
footing in this new, big city, but it seemed to me as though we were heading to what would be considered Boston’s theatre district. Fun. The excitement within me rose.
“Where are you taking me anyhow?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
Chapter 6
Cole
She looked damned good. I’d be lying if I said my dick didn’t get excited seeing her. I swore I was going to take things slow with her, but what I really wanted was to take her home, tear her clothes from her body and indulge in her. But I wasn’t that man anymore. I vowed I’d do this right. Besides, after being in a marriage where my wife was having more sex than me, going without was hardly new for me. Spending the past couple of months with her, becoming her friend, made her valuable. Much more valuable to me then some woman I met off the street. I’d miss her friendship if I fucked this up.
I did have one major hurdle to jump over tonight. And that was keeping my identity to myself. No credit cards, just cash. If I saw a fan who got that look on their face that told me they knew who I was, we’d hustle on out of there before I could be made.
I’d tell her the full truth of who I was eventually, but not today. I wanted to stay under the cloak of anonymity for just a little while longer. It was nice being treated like an average person. Cole Grant, the regular joe. The thought made me chuckle, I hadn’t been a quote unquote regular person since high school and even then, I had been a local celebrity.
When it came to planning the date, I’ll admit I cheated somewhat. My agent had some thoughts and ideas for me. He made me reservations for an upscale fondue restaurant, booking a secluded booth away from prying eyes. I also had tickets to the Blue Man Group. Again, in a booth. All under his name so there wouldn’t be anyone recognizing me. It was perfect, despite feeling a little bit deceitful, but I told myself it was for the best, for now. She seemed like a reasonable and level-headed person, she’d understand when I told her everything.
The restaurant came into view so after searching for a few moments, I found a parking lot with availability and turned in. Luck was on our side, it would be a two-minute walk at the most to the restaurant. I’d noticed she was wearing rather high heels. Close to four inches, if I were to guess. If she’d been my ex-wife, it would have been a non-issue, that woman was the high-maintenance kind that lived in high heels, but I’d noticed the uneasiness in London’s step when I escorted her to the vehicle. Those heels were outside her comfort zone and I doubted she’d be able to get far walking in them.
“The fondue place?” she asked as I hopped out of the vehicle.
“Have you ever been there?” Without waiting for a reply, I closed my door and made my way around the front of the vehicle and opened her door for her.
“No. Never.” She looked down at herself and I caught a glimpse of unease in her expression before she smiled up at me and slid out, taking care not to rub the back of her dress against the side of the Escalade. “I’ve always wondered about this place.” With her feet on the ground, she fussed with the hem and bodice of her dress a moment before looking back up at me. “I heard they had a waitlist that went on for months.”
“I had a friend make the reservations for me.”
“Oh?” I could see the unasked questions in her eyes but didn’t encourage her to ask them.
“Anyhow, I haven’t been here before either so I’m anxious to see if all the hype is well-deserved.” Closing the door once she was out of the way, I took her hand and upon locking the vehicle, led her down the sidewalk, slowing my pace so she could easily keep up.
“Would you believe I’ve never had fondue?”
“That a fact?” Reaching the crosswalk, we lucked out and the crosswalk light was green. Giving her hand a tug, I led her across. She stumbled a little as she hurried her pace to keep up with my long strides. Bracing her from a fall, I pretended not to notice she’d fumbled while I slowed my pace even more to what I would consider a snail’s pace to help her along.
As we approached the front door, the doorman pulled the door open for us and with a reserved smile, ushered us in. “Welcome to Melting Spot. I hope you enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you,” London replied with a smile, excitement in her eyes as she proceeded through the doorway and into the restaurant with me in tow.
~*~ TT ~*~
London
My first thought was ohmygod I’m going to eat at the Melting Spot, my second thought was that this is going to no doubt be a hefty bill. Oh well, you only live once, I supposed. I’d be happy to pay my share. The first date was always the most awkward when it came to who paid the bill.
We approached a black pedestal with a woman in her early twenties standing behind it. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and makeup applied with refinement. “Hello. Do you have a reservation?” She gave me a precursory glance before turning her full attention to Cole.
“Yes. It’s under Kenneth Aspen.”
She glanced down at the computer screen and then back up at us. “Please follow me. The booth is ready and waiting for you.”
Was it me or did the hostess’ hips have a little extra sway to them? Looking up at Cole, I was satisfied to see he didn’t even seem to notice. His eyes were busy scanning the dimly-lit restaurant featuring mahogany wood-panel walls, as the hostess guided us to the back.
We turned a corner and came to a secluded corner booth, with a double-paned frosted glass wall that kept the booth from the view of the other restaurant patrons. The glass contained red rose petals between the panes, a beautiful and romantic touch.
Looking down at the table, there was a red votive candle lit with a bouquet of a dozen red roses sitting next to it. A warmth flowed through me. This was so special. I couldn’t remember the last time someone put so much forethought into a date with me and he’d done it in just one day. Sure, the restaurant must have packages in place to make this possible, but that was beside the point. Coming here to eat was more than enough, the above and beyond just made me feel extra special.
Sitting down in the circular booth, I slid in and scooted over to have him sit next to me. Grabbing the roses from the table, I brought them up to my nose and inhaled deeply. The flowers were so deliciously fragrant. With reluctance, I placed them on the seat next to me and gave my attention back to the hostess.
“Have you dined with us before?” the hostess asked. I shook my head and looked up at Cole who shook his head as well. Good, we could experience this as a first together.
“Wonderful, I’ll send your server right along and she’ll explain the process. But in the meantime…” She passed both Cole and myself a menu and promptly disappeared around the corner.
Looking down at the menu, it didn’t seem to make much sense to me. My brows furrowed, where were the prices?
“What’s wrong?”
“The prices? The menu doesn’t make much sense.”
He studied it for a moment. “I think it’s a matter of making selections from each section. See…” He leaned into me and pointed to a price at the bottom. “We eat as a couple for a combined price, varying on our selections.”
“Hmm. Then you lead the way on this one.” His closeness was intoxicating. I leaned into him, inching just a little closer until our thighs touched. His eyes shifted from the menu and he looked down at me, a smile beginning to tug at the corner of his mouth. His lips were so close, mere inches away. I waited on bated breath for him to kiss me.
“Welcome. I’ll be your server for the night.”
Damn it! Cockblocked by the staff. I sighed inwardly, pulling back from him and looking up at the young woman before us.
“So, you said this is your first time for both of you, correct?”
“It is,” Cole confirmed.
“Well then, let me explain the menu.”
Her explanation took close to five minutes but was on track with Cole’s explanation and after what seemed like an eternity, we made our selections. It was a unique and fun experience ord
ering, but I was dying to be alone again with him.
“That seemed so much harder than it had to be,” I commented, with a grin gracing my lips.
“I think you have to come here a number of times to really get the hang of it. Next time it’ll be much easier.”
“Next time? You’re already thinking there will be a next time, huh? The date has barely started, you’re going to have to ramp up the charm if you think you’re going to get a second date.”
He hesitated on replying, but then finally grinned. “I never said with each other. Now who’s the one being presumptuous?”
Rolling my eyes, I gave his arm a little nudge with my elbow. “You’ve put so much thought into this. I’m flattered. I really am.”
“Honestly, I’ve been considering asking you on a date for some time now. It never seemed to be the right moment and then when the training sessions ended, and it became a bit of a now or never situation.”
“Was it that important to you?” I said the words before I gave them any thought and immediately regretted them, but there was nothing left to do but wait for a reply.
He looked down at me, his expression unreadable. There was a hesitation before he replied, with each second that passed, I became more anxious. “As a matter of fact, it really was.” He leaned down, his lips drawing closer and closer to mine. He was going to kiss me and every ounce of my being needed for it to happen.
The click-clacking of heels on tiled floor sounded seconds before a voice interrupted our moment. “Here we go. You two are in for a wonderful evening.”
Dammit. I didn’t even know the server, but was really disliking her.
Chapter 7
London
“The dinner would have been more than enough. Seeing the Blue Man Group wasn’t necessary.” The show they’d put on was over-the-top wonderful. This had to be the best date I’d ever been on.
“Are you complaining?” Cole asked looking down at me with an amused twinkle in his eyes.
