Six Reasons

by Randileigh Kennedy

  There was one animal in particular I spent a lot of time with. Her name was Lucy, and she was an overweight ten-year-old English Bulldog. It was ironic that I liked spending more time with her than I did with most humans. She was abandoned and abused, and although she was skittish around most of the other volunteers, she and I had bonded quite a bit ever since she arrived at the shelter. No one had adopted her because of her age, and I didn’t necessarily blame anyone for it; that had heartache written all over it.

  “Megan?” a deep voice said outside of the glass enclosure I was in. I had just started giving Lucy a bath.

  I looked up to see a very tall, very handsome man with dark hair standing on the other side of the glass.

  “Ben?” I uttered back, surprised to see him. I was more surprised that he recognized me in the first place. Or perhaps I was more in shock that he was even still speaking to me after what had happened the other night outside of the bakery. “Look, about Saturday night,” I began, not sure which part to start apologizing for.

  “Yeah, that was a good party, right? Where did you go? I must’ve missed your graceful exit,” he replied with a smile.

  “I just want to explain, I was…” I shook my head, not even sure of what to say.

  “There’s nothing to apologize for. I didn’t hear anything,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “So this is where you work?”

  “Yes. I mean, no, I just volunteer here when I can,” I answered, handing the spray nozzle over to another girl who stepped in to finish Lucy’s bath. She must’ve picked up on my vibe that I wanted to continue my conversation with this guy. Ben was wearing grey shorts and a soft blue t-shirt, and he looked very relaxed. His broad chest looked hard underneath the soft material of his shirt, and he looked even more handsome than he did on Saturday night in nice clothes. “What are you doing here?” I asked curiously. Did he come here to find me?

  “I’m looking for a dog, obviously,” he said with a smile. He raised one eyebrow, and the dimples in his cheeks were perfectly pronounced. “You guys do give those away here, right?”

  “Something like that,” I said with a smirk. “Any particular kind you’re looking for? Do you have any pets already?”

  “It’s not for me, actually. It’s a gift. What about that one?” he questioned pointing at Lucy.

  “Oh no, you can’t give her as a gift,” I responded with a laugh, shaking my head. “She’s already ten years old, which is pretty much at the tail end of her life expectancy. That would be a horrible gift.”

  “She looks like she’s got plenty of time left,” he replied, eyeing Lucy. He then looked back up at me and straight into my eyes. “I’m not looking for a long-lasting commitment.”

  For a brief moment I thought he was referring to something about me. Maybe about us. Honestly, I was quite intrigued by his comment, because clearly I wasn’t looking for any long-term commitments myself.

  “I think that’s the one I want,” he said, still staring at Lucy as she was being bathed.

  “Oh no, I was being serious,” I said, studying his face. “She probably only has another six months left. Maybe a year at best. If you give her to someone as a gift they’re going to be terribly disappointed in a matter of months. Besides, she's practically my best friend. I’m not sure I’m ready to give her up to a complete stranger.” I smiled at Ben and he stared directly back at me. He had somewhat of a smoldering stare, and suddenly I felt warm and a little nervous.

  “We’re not exactly complete strangers, Megan. I do recall you kissing me outside of Luca’s the other night,” he said with a slight smirk.

  “Yeah, about that night. I’m really sorry,” I repeated, trying to smooth everything over. “That was a little embarrassing. That whole scene was completely unlike me. I’m not crazy, I swear. Although crazy people probably say that,” I continued, rambling.

  He looked at me with curious eyes and I desperately wanted to know what he was thinking in that moment.

  “You seem different today,” he replied with a sly smile.

  “Well I’m not the same girl on a Tuesday morning as I am on a Saturday night,” I answered, staring directly into his eyes. I shrugged, knowing it was the honest truth.

  “I kind of liked the Saturday version of you,” he said softly with a flirtatious grin. “You’re an interesting girl, Megan.”

  “Then why don’t we try this whole thing over again? Saturday night? Dinner?” I said bluntly.

  “I would love to, but unfortunately I already have plans every Saturday night,” he replied with a slight shrug.

  Did I just get blown off? Indefinitely? I wasn’t sure how to react to a comment like that. Was I completely misreading his signals?

  “But you can come with me? If you’d like to, of course,” he continued, sounding a little shy. “I just, I already have this set thing every Saturday night. But you can join me.”

  “Do I get any details?” I asked inquisitively.

  “Does it change your answer?” He raised one of his brows as he said it.

  Something about his gaze in that moment surged through me. He gave me a curious pit in my stomach, and I knew I couldn’t turn down his offer. Whatever that offer was, anyway.

  “Meet me at Luca’s at seven-fifteen on Saturday night. We’ll go from there. Oh, and you’ll want to wear those shoes,” he said, pointing towards the ground.

  “My running shoes?” I smirked. “On a Saturday night?” I couldn’t think of a time I ever wore gym shoes on a date.

  “Seven-fifteen,” he repeated as he turned to leave. “Maybe I can change your mind about letting me have Lucy.”

  I wanted to say something as he walked away, but my mind was blank. Something was different about this guy, and it really appealed to me. He seemed a little shy on Saturday night, but less so now.

  All of the comments from the grand opening party started filing into my brain. He was too sweet for me. I wasn’t good enough for him. I still wasn’t sure what anyone meant by those comments, but I did know one thing: something felt different. And I hated to admit it, but for the first time ever, I actually felt nervous for a date.

  CHAPTER 6

  The rest of the week flew by, which I was grateful for. Mallory and Addie finally called me back and accepted my apologies. I hadn’t heard back from Steve though, which bothered me. I really missed our early morning runs. I had left him several messages, but there was no response from him all week. Perhaps he just needed a little more time.

  Saturday afternoon finally rolled around, and I had butterflies in my stomach. I spent the morning at the animal shelter which took my mind off things for a bit, but now that I was about to get ready for my date this evening, my nerves were a little fired up. Something about Ben seemed a little mysterious, but that could also be simply because I knew so little about him. I was tempted to get his phone number from Mallory this week, just so I could confirm our date was still on. But part of me was too nervous to call, which was completely unlike me. The other part of me was scared he would change his mind.

  I felt a little ridiculous lacing up my running shoes for a date. That was definitely a first for me. I wore tight capris and a form-fitting pink shirt, hoping to still maintain a little bit of my allure, instead of simply looking like I was going for a workout. I grabbed a pair of heels to throw in the back of my car just in case I would have an opportunity to put them on later. It would never feel like a real Saturday night without some three-inch heels to go with my strut.

  I straightened my long dark hair and kept it down, and still applied some make-up to accent my bright green eyes. Assuming a guy looked at my eyes long enough to even notice them, of course. It seemed as though Ben was different from most of the other guys I dated. He seemed more laid back and less superficial, which would be a nice change of pace from all of the other cocky jerks I went out with.

  I pulled into the Luca’s parking lot at ten after seven. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Ben was already there, s
itting behind the wheel of his silver SUV. I parked next to him and he immediately exited his vehicle, coming around to open up my driver’s side door.

  “I’m glad you came,” Ben said sweetly as I climbed out of my car. I swear there was a hint of nervousness in his voice, as if he thought there was a chance I wouldn’t show up.

  “I’m glad you’re giving me a second chance,” I replied, studying him. He was wearing black running pants, a red t-shirt, and a thin unzipped grey sweatshirt. His thick dark hair and perfect jaw line made his face appear fancier than his relaxed athletic physique.

  “I think you’re the one giving me a chance tonight,” he said, opening up his passenger door for me. “I know you’re probably used to guys showing up in nice clothes, taking you somewhere elegant and expensive. And I can do that sometime for you, if that’s what you want. But this is me on a Saturday night. So I just thought you should experience that first. Just so you know what you’re getting into.” He gave me a handsome smile and swiftly shut my door. I was so perplexed as to what he had in store for us tonight. He pulled out of Luca’s parking lot and headed towards downtown.

  “So did you spend some time at the animal shelter today?” he asked politely as we drove.

  “I did, it was great. They had a big adoption event this afternoon, so I helped them prepare for that. They were able to find forty-six homes. It was one of our best events yet,” I replied, still wondering where he was taking me.

  “Did you talk to Lucy? About coming home with me?” he asked, looking over at me as he drove.

  “I thought she wasn’t for you. Didn’t you want to give her to someone?” I asked, prying for more information. “Surely everyone is looking for a dog with only six months left to live for their birthday,” I said sarcastically.

  “Wow, you’re a terrible salesman. Aren’t you supposed to sell people on the idea of giving those pets kind, loving homes?” he said with a chuckle. “Does Lucy know you talk about her imminent death this way?” He smiled, still taking his eyes off the road periodically to look at me. “Why don’t we make a deal? If you have fun tonight, I get the dog.”

  “That depends on what kind of fun you have in mind tonight,” I said snickering. “I’m wearing gym shoes, which seems more like exercising than fun. Are we at the hospital?” I asked, wondering why we were pulling into the visitor parking lot at Mountain Ridge Memorial.

  He smiled at me as he put the SUV in park. “I know, it’s not exactly the most romantic setting for a first date.”

  “Quite the opposite, actually. Short of the county morgue or a beekeeper’s convention, I can’t think of too many other depressing places for a first date,” I said with a slight giggle. I had to admit, he certainly had my attention.

  “I promise you’ll be swept off your feet before the night is over,” he said as we made our way out of the vehicle.

  Don’t get me wrong, I certainly wasn’t looking to be swept off my feet. But I had a long history of some pretty bad dates, and this just seemed like a red flag. Once a guy stole stuff from my house after a first date and then lied about it. Another guy cried in front of me for an hour straight while watching a kid’s movie. Then there was a guy who used a stolen credit card to pay for dinner - that didn’t end well. And then there was a guy with weird googly eyes that drifted around independently, that was an awkward night. Trust me, I had a long list of weird first dates.

  “Where exactly are we going?” I asked as Ben led me through corridors and down hallways inside the hospital. I hadn’t been to the Mountain Ridge Memorial since I fractured my arm in seventh grade, so the building was pretty unfamiliar to me.

  “Do you ever play soccer?” he asked, opening up a large set of doors. Inside was a well-lit gymnasium area with about twenty kids inside. It was a little smaller than a typical gym, but it was still a great space nonetheless.

  “Soccer? At a hospital?” I inquired. None of it made sense to me.

  “All of these kids have parents or siblings who are terminally ill or fighting cancer. They’re stuck at the hospital all the time. Some of them have been here nearly every day for months at a time,” he explained, leading me over to a wall filled with various sports equipment. “So I started up a little sports group. Every Saturday night we meet here for a couple hours to play some games. Just me and the kids. I guess it’s just an opportunity for them to actually be kids for a couple hours. Just a brief escape for them from what they’re all going through.” He stared at me as if he was waiting for a response that I was okay with our activity.

  “You do this all on your own?" I asked, quite impressed. Maybe he was too good of a guy for me after all.

  “Sometimes a family member comes along with the kid. But usually they use the time to be alone with their loved one. So yeah, it’s usually just me and the kids. Greyson comes with me on occasion when he’s not working. These kids are going through a lot, so I just thought it would be a nice distraction for them. Do you know what to do with this?” he asked, throwing a soccer ball at me.

  “I played in a soccer league once when I was six. I can probably figure it out,” I responded, catching the ball. I smiled at him, and a weird sensation ran through me. I felt pretty out of my element, but yet I was excited all at the same time.

  He grabbed a whistle and blew it, and without any further instruction all of the kids lined up in a row in front of us.

  “We have a guest tonight,” Ben said to the kids, motioning in my direction. “This is Ms. Megan. Keep in mind she’s new, so let’s take it easy on her, alright?” He winked at me as he spoke and I’m pretty sure I missed taking a breath.

  The kids all appeared to be around four to sixteen years old, and Ben split them up into two groups. It was really endearing to see how the older kids helped out the younger ones. Within minutes, we had a full-fledged soccer game going. Ben was on one team and I was on another. I watched as the kids ran around together, kicking the ball back and forth. There was so much laughter and joy in the room. I couldn’t imagine these kids were really going through anything as serious as Ben described. The smiles on their faces were heartwarming, and I completely understood why Ben spent all of his Saturday nights here. I longed for this kind of purpose. I knew I was making a difference at the animal shelter, sure. But the happiness on these kids’ faces was immeasurable.

  After about an hour of soccer, we switched to a game of capture the flag. I was actually exerting myself quite a bit, so I was happy to be dressed in my workout clothes. When we finished around nine, Ben high-fived all of the kids as family members came in to pick up the younger children. The older kids made their way up the hospital elevators on their own.

  “That was actually really fun,” I commented as Ben and I took sips from the cold drinking fountain. “I never would’ve guessed we were coming here, or playing soccer for that matter.”

  “Not exactly romantic, I know. But I already missed last Saturday night for Greyson’s grand opening, so I couldn’t miss it again. These kids look forward to it every week. I do too, actually,” he replied, putting back the equipment and shutting off the lights. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starving,” I replied, following him out of the gymnasium area. We made our way out of the hospital and back to his vehicle in the parking lot. “Do you want to grab some burgers? Tacos? Chinese food?” I suggested. I was so hungry at that point that I was up for eating pretty much anything.

  “I have something else in mind,” he responded, opening the car door for me.

  “Always full of surprises,” I said flirtatiously, watching him close my door and walk around the front of his car. His muscles looked so tone underneath his t-shirt and I wanted so badly to touch him.

  “So that’s me on a Saturday night. Probably a lot different than your Saturday nights,” he said as he maneuvered the vehicle out of the hospital parking lot.

  “It was a lot different than what I’m used to, sure. But in a good way,” I replied, staring back at him. “I see why you d
o that every weekend. I would love to come back with you sometime.” All of a sudden I realized he was driving us back to Luca’s. “Are you taking me back to my car? I thought we were going to eat?”

  He smiled and I could tell by his face that he did in fact have something else planned.

  “We are going to eat. The night’s not over yet. You thought you could get rid of me after just a couple hours?” he asked with a raised brow.

  Getting rid of Ben was the furthest thing from my mind at the moment. I didn’t want this night to end anytime soon. It certainly wasn’t like any other first date I’d ever had before. Usually overly sweet nice guys sent me running for the hills and I had to fake a stomach bug less than an hour into the evening. But there was something about Ben that really intrigued me. I actually wanted to get to know him. What was happening to me?

  We pulled back into Luca’s parking lot, and I was further confused because I didn’t really think he was taking me back to my car. I definitely didn’t want the night to end, I knew that much.

  “What are we doing? We can’t eat here, they’re closed already,” I said, raising a speculative brow.

  “Well, then there’s only one thing we can do,” he responded mischievously. “We’ll have to break in.”

  CHAPTER 7

  “We can’t break in here, Mallory would kill us. She would find no humor in that, trust me. I’m sure I can just call her and get a key? She’s usually on standby anyway, waiting for my call when I have a first date in case it goes terribly wrong and I need to be bailed out,” I said, rambling.

  “Relax, we’re not really breaking in. I already have a key,” he responded with a big grin.