Tiffany chuckled as she realized how boring her life had become in recent years. “Honestly? I rest. The kids wear me out during the week, so in the evenings I unwind with a good book or a TV show, and on weekends, I might add in a walk or a run, but I haven’t done anything exciting since I quit nannying.”
“Did you like being a nanny?”
What Tiffany liked was the way he held her eyes as if he really was interested in her answers. “I did though it had its challenges like any job.”
“Oh, yeah? Like what? Besides working with kids, I mean, because you’re doing that now.”
“So much.” Tiffany lifted her cup and took a drink. “First, I lived with the family, so I never had time of my own. Even on my nights off, the kids would invariably knock on my door. It was fun getting to see them grow, but I did miss having my own life.”
Israel nodded and lifted his cup. “I can see that. That would be tough.”
Tiffany paused as the waitress arrived and placed their food before them. She thanked the woman before continuing. “It was, but it was also really rewarding to be there for their big events like birthdays and the like. It made me feel like I was part of a bigger family, and that was definitely nice.”
She glanced at their plates of food before lifting her eyes to Israel’s, hoping her next words wouldn’t scare him off. “Do you pray? I like to, before I eat.”
His lips pulled into a wide grin. “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
As he reached across the table and grabbed her hand, Tiffany felt a tingle shoot down her arm. Had she finally found someone she could risk opening up her heart to?
9
Israel
Israel could not remember a time he’d had a better weekend. After the dinner on Friday with Tiffany, they’d set up a church date on Sunday. As he was still new to the area, he’d agreed to try her church and found it refreshing. The pastor seemed biblically sound, and he’d taken copious notes over the sermon.
After church, they’d gone on a walk through downtown, sharing more stories and goals for their lives. Though he knew it was too early to make any declarative statements, he enjoyed spending time with Tiffany. He was not one to believe in love at first sight, but he did believe one could have a feeling they had met the right person early on, especially if they prayed about it, and while he wasn’t there yet, he could imagine a life with Tiffany. They were aligned in both the areas he believed were important - faith and family.
“How was your weekend, boss?” Dustin asked as Israel entered the maintenance office. His teasing tone caused Israel to pause and consider his words before answering.
“It was fine. Why do you ask?” But as he crossed to his desk, the reason for Dustin’s question became clear. Sitting right in the middle was a coffee cup and he could see black writing on the white cup from where he stood.
“Yeah, it seems like you have another admirer who may not know about your budding workplace romance.”
Israel shook his head as he picked up the cup and read the scrawled note. “Haven’t seen you in a few days. Just wanted to remind you that coffee is available. As am I.”
“Did you give her some indication you were interested?” Dustin asked, reading the cup over Israel’s shoulder.
“No, I’ve only been in the coffee shop once, and I barely spoke to her. She was definitely flirty though.”
Dustin chuckled and shook his head as he returned to his smaller desk. “Yeah, I’ve heard. So, what are you going to do about it?”
Israel hated confrontation. He would step in to diffuse situations and he would stand up for what he thought was right, but pursuing a situation that would lead to a confrontation made him uncomfortable to say the least. “Do you think I have to say anything? If I don’t respond, she’ll get the message, right?”
Dustin folded his hands across his chest as he leaned against his desk. “She might, or she might decide that you’re playing hard to get and come on even stronger.”
Israel sighed and sank down into his chair. “What would you do?”
“That’s a hard question to answer.” Dustin unfolded his arms and ran a hand across the back of his neck. “Thankfully my wife and child on the way have kind of kept me from having to deal with flirtatious women though I’m kind of jealous of the free coffee.”
“Don’t be. It carries a load of guilt.” Israel ran a hand across his chin, knowing what he had to do but dreading it anyway. “I guess I’ll have to tell her that I’m seeing Tiffany and sending me coffees is no longer appropriate.”
Dustin whistled, his forehead wrinkling as one brow lifted. “Seeing Tiffany? As in exclusively?”
“That’s the only way I roll, my friend. I never saw the appeal of dating more than one woman at a time. Besides, in order to give a relationship my all, I can’t have my feelings split between women. That’s not fair to either party.”
Dustin scratched at his chin as he nodded. “You know, I never thought about it like that, but it makes sense. I’m kind of old school like you anyway. I tried dating in high school - you know a different girl every week, but it was hard, and when I called one girl by the wrong name, I could tell it really hurt her feelings which made me feel like scum. I decided after that I would only date one woman at a time regardless of what she did. At first, I thought it would be boring, but I found I was able to focus better on the woman I was seeing and it was actually more fun.”
“I think we feel that way because God made us to be with one person. We give a little piece of ourselves to everyone we’re with - more if we are intimate with them - and if we date too many people, we have little left to give to the woman we marry.”
“Makes sense. So, do you think Tiffany could be the one?” Dustin asked, shifting the conversation back to his original question.
Fingers of heat licked up Israel’s neck. Was she the one? He didn’t know for sure, but he was definitely developing feelings for her. “It’s too early to say that for sure, but I like being with her. We had dinner on Friday and then went to her church on Sunday.”
Dustin crossed to his chair, filling the air with a long squeaking sound as he sat and leaned back. “Two dates in one weekend? Sounds pretty serious to me.”
“Yeah,” another sigh spilled from Israel’s lips as he lifted the coffee, “I guess I better go take care of this.”
His footsteps were heavy as he shuffled out of the office and toward the coffee shop, and while he practiced what he would say in his head, nothing seemed right. Sofia greeted him with a wide smile when he entered.
“Hey, sugar, did you get my present?” Her shirt displayed less cleavage today, but her hip was still cocked suggestively with her question.
“I did and thank you, but I’m going to have to ask you not to send any more free coffees to me.”
Sofia’s smile slipped, and tiny wrinkles of confusion erupted on her forehead. “Why not?”
Israel shifted uncomfortably. “I’m kind of seeing someone currently, and I don’t feel right taking them. I don’t want to lead you on or give her the impression of something between us that’s not there.”
For a moment, Sofia’s face was expressionless, but then she chuckled and shook her head. “Is that all? You don’t have anything to worry about, Sugar. I give drinks out to more than just you. It’s just my way of giving back around here, and since you’re new, I thought I’d show you just what a great place this is, but if you don’t want free coffee, I’ll happily give them to others.”
Her words sounded as if she understood and accepted his position, but there was a false brightness in her tone that made him wonder if she really did or if this was all an act. He didn’t want to call her out on it though as he guessed that might make the situation worse, so he decided to play along and hope that his gut feeling wasn’t right. “Thank you, I appreciate it. Have a good day.”
“Oh, I will. You too.”
Israel nodded though he still felt uneasy about the whole exchange. Howev
er, there was little he could do about it, so he attempted to push it from his mind and return to his previous joyful feeling about the weekend and Tiffany in particular. In fact, a stop by the child care room just to say hello might be exactly what he needed.
Tiffany was reading to the kids when he reached the door. He didn’t want to interrupt her, but she glanced up and smiled before lifting a finger to tell him to wait a moment. As she finished the story, Israel listened to her melodic voice and realized he could envision her reading to their children in the future. Wait, he needed to take a step back. He couldn’t really be thinking about marriage after just two dates, could he? But he knew it was possible. His own parents had gotten married just a few months after they began dating, but that was a different time and in Mexico.
“Hey, I was just going to come find you,” Tiffany said, startling him out of his thoughts.
“You were? Did you need something? Is the sink clogged again?” He scanned the room behind her, looking for any obvious issues.
Tiffany laughed and placed a hand on his arm. “No, silly, I just wanted to come see you and wish you good morning.”
Israel returned her smile and covered her hand with his other. “I guess great minds do think alike. I won’t keep you long, but do you feel like doing something tonight?”
She nodded. “Do you golf?”
“Golf?” He shook his head. “I can’t say that I do.”
Her smile widened. “Good, then I know exactly what we’re doing tonight. I’ll send you the details later.” She looked down as a little girl tugged on her pants. “I gotta go. See you tonight though.”
“Looking forward to it.” Israel watched as she scooped up the little girl and swung her through the air, eliciting squeals and giggles from her before she set the girl back down. Yes, she would definitely make a great mom one day. That was for sure.
10
Tiffany
“So, where are you going tonight?” Holly asked as she slid into the seat across from Tiffany. As owner of the restaurant, she didn’t have long to chat, but at least she managed a few minutes with Tiffany whenever she came in.
“Glow golf at the mall.” Tiffany smiled as she remembered their encounter that morning. She’d been thinking about Israel since their church date the day before and just when she was about to make up an excuse to go see him, he’d appeared at the childcare room door with a smile and a friendly greeting. She tried not to take it as a sign - after all, they were in that fun honeymoon stage of dating where you could never get enough of the other person - but it was interesting that he’d appeared just as she was about to go find him.
“A date in the dark, huh?” Holly wiggled her eyebrows suggestively though she knew that Tiffany would do nothing inappropriate, even in the dark.
“Haha, very funny. It’s glow-lighted so it’s not exactly all dark, but even if it was--”
“I know, I know,” Holly leaned back and held up her hands, “you wouldn’t do anything.”
“We haven’t even kissed yet.” Though Tiffany had played the moment over and over in her head. What would it be like to kiss him? Israel was clean-shaven, so she had no doubt that his cheeks would be soft, and if the smouldering looks that came out of his eyes hinted at his kissing ability, she couldn’t fathom it not being mind-blowing.
“I bet tonight will be the night then. What will this be? Your second date?”
“Third, if you count church and the walk after.” Tiffany still had trouble grasping that she’d gone from no dates to now three in four days.
“Three dates. Is this getting serious?” Holly’s brow lifted in question.
Tiffany pressed her lips together as she thought. “I don’t know, but he seems really nice. I guess I’ll know more after tonight.” She glanced at her watch. “Speaking of which, I need to get out of here if I want to clean up before he arrives.”
“Okay, have fun.”
Tiffany had no doubt she would do just that. She waved goodbye to Holly and headed home to take a quick shower and freshen up. They had set the date for eight o-clock and Tiffany had eaten a light dinner with Holly, so by ten till eight, she was ready and waiting.
As expected, the doorbell rang five minutes later. She smiled as she opened the door. Israel had told her once that he’d picked up a mantra in the military - arriving early is on time, arriving on time is late, and arriving late is grounds for reprimand. It made sense when you thought about it, and she certainly appreciated that he showed he valued her time as well by showing up early.
“I’m going to warn you now that I’m not a good golfer,” he said with a crooked smile. “I’ve tried once or twice, but there’s a reason I never took up the sport.”
“Don’t worry. I’m no Tiger Woods either.” She joined him on the step and locked the door behind her before grabbing his hand. “Besides, it’s glow golf which means it will be dark and hard to see. How good can we be expected to be?”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
He opened the truck door for her, helping her up, and twenty minutes later, they were pulling into the mall parking lot. The mall had once been a bustling center of activity with a plethora of stores, a movie theater, restaurants, and more, but with the increased ability to purchase items online, many of the stores had gone out of business. Now, the large structure was mostly empty, housing only the golf course, the movie theater, and a few restaurants that operated at minimal capacity mainly for the employees of the golf course and movie theater.
“It’s so sad to see it like this,” Tiffany said as they approached the entrance. “When I was young, this place was always busy. I remember begging my father to let me come and just walk around when I was in high school. Now, I’m not sure if the local high schoolers ever come here.”
“What happened to it?” Israel asked, holding the door open for her.
She shrugged. “Amazon and other online businesses. Why drive to a mall when you can just get what you need delivered to your door? That’s why only the ‘experience’ type things have lasted. You can get a sweater dropped at your doorstep, but watching someone play glow golf just doesn’t have the same appeal.”
The sense of sadness grew more palpable as they walked to the golf center. With all the storefronts closed, it looked more like a ghost town and less like a mall.
“Maybe, there’s something we can do to help the local businesses come back,” Israel said, glancing around. “I’ll talk about it with Chance.”
“Really?” Tiffany hadn’t thought she could like Israel more, but his offer to help bring businesses back that he’d never even known touched her heart. He really did seem to have a heart for others - something Connor definitely hadn’t had.
“Of course. He took over the resort to help veterans. Maybe we can incorporate that into the mall somehow. It’s worth exploring anyway.”
“Yes, it is.” Tiffany wanted to kiss him right then and there, but they had reached the glow golf course. A young high-school aged teen greeted them as they entered.
“Welcome to Glow Golf, have you been here before?” From his monotone voice and expressionless face, Tiffany guessed he’d asked that question a lot.
“I have, but it’s been a while,” Tiffany said, thinking back to the few times she’d been in high school.
“Well, I’m not sure much has changed, but I’ll go over the rules for you anyway. At the first station, you grab your clubs, balls, and score cards if you want to keep score.” He pointed to an area to the left. “The most important rule is that the balls must stay on the greens. Throwing balls is not allowed, but I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that.”
Tiffany chuckled, knowing that rule existed mainly for the little kids who didn’t always know better and the rowdy teenagers who did but didn’t care.
“Second, only one person on the green at a time, and you can’t jump ahead of anyone just because they’re slow. The last hole will take your ball, signaling you are finished. Are there any questions?”
Tiffany felt sorry for the poor kid. It was obvious he felt ridiculous pointing out the rules to them, but it was part of his job. His boss had probably drilled it into his head that everyone got the same spiel no matter how old or responsible they looked.
“I think we’ve got it, right, Israel?”
A tiny smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure we’re clear. Thank you.”
The teen looked relieved as he motioned for them to go to the first station.
“I do not envy his job,” Israel said as he pulled a club from the container.
“Me either. Can you imagine having to give that speech thirty or more times every day?” Tiffany shook her head as she grabbed a bright orange ball.
“I can’t imagine giving it more than once.” Israel plucked a neon yellow ball up and glanced at the score cards. “Are we keeping score?”
“Nah, I thought we’d keep it more fun.” Tiffany smiled as she saw his shoulders relax in relief.
The glow course was separated from the outside area with walls, making it feel a little like a dark tunnel as Tiffany set her ball down and tried to see where the hole was on the other side of the small green.
“They should really touch up the paint on this,” she said, glancing around. “I can hardly see where I’m supposed to hit.”
“Me either, but maybe that’s what makes it fun.” He squeezed her hand and flashed a wink, sending a trembling sensation down to her toes.
“I guess we’ll see.” The flirtatious tone of her voice surprised her, but Israel simply motioned for her to begin. She craned her neck and squinted, finally picking out the hole behind the large impeding structure of an elephant that she wasn’t sure she was supposed to aim for or avoid. There was a ramp at the base of the elephant’s feet, so she took a chance and tapped her ball in that direction. It rolled up the ramp and disappeared in the darkness, but a second later, there was a soft thump, and then it rolled into view again. A trick ramp. This was going to be more challenging than she remembered.
Her First Love Page 5
