He laughed. “Well, hygiene isn’t exactly my first priority when I hike, but I make do.”
I threw my palms up. “Hey, I never said you had a problem with hygiene. You actually smell pretty good, so you must be doing something right.”
“You’re sniffing me now?” There was a teasing lilt to his voice.
I felt my face heat even though we were only joking around. “I’m not trying to but you just…have a nice scent.” He made a show of sniffing his armpits, and I laughed out loud. “Okay, let’s not go that far.”
“I’d like to know what I smell like.” He glanced at me with an amused look on his face. “Tell me.”
Running a hand over my ponytail, I glanced away and waited until we passed a lady watching us with interest. I shrugged. “You smell fresh, like pine trees.”
“Oh, good. That must mean the bar soap really works.”
I laughed. “We’re going off on all kinds of tangents here, but that’s okay. See how asking a weird question lightens the mood and gets people talking?”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, and I learned something new about you.”
“What’s that?”
“You like my man-scent.” He regarded me with a look of amusement.
I flushed. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
“I’ll try not to, but I’ll probably think about it when I go home.” He was dead serious, but then he chuckled, and I realized he was pulling my leg.
“All right, let’s move on to the next question.” I glanced at the paper in my hand. “Do cats have regrets?”
He smiled, and I noticed a dimple on one side of his mouth. It happened so fast, and then it disappeared. I stopped next to a pretzel stand so I could get a better look. “Wait, a second. Do that again. You have a dimple.”
“Yes, I have one on my chin.”
“No, not there. You have one next to your mouth as well.”
He frowned. “No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. I just saw it. You smiled, and there it was all of a sudden.”
He shook his head. “No. You just thought you saw a dimple.” He used both index fingers to point to himself. “No dimples near my mouth.”
I started walking again. “Next time I see it, I’ll point it out.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Oh, I don’t need luck. I’m pretty good at noticing details.”
“Well, if you’re hoping to see it again, I guess we’ll have to spend more time together, won’t we?” He seemed pleased with himself after making that comment.
“Looks like it.” I shoved him lightly on the shoulder, but he didn’t even budge. He was pretty solid. “Back to the cat question. Do you think cats have regrets?”
“Of course they do.”
“What? I would have said no. Animals don’t have feelings like that.”
He put an arm around my shoulders and drew me to the side as a kid whizzed by wearing those sneakers with wheels on the bottom. The contact made me a little woozy for a second, but I blinked and got a hold of myself. It was just Colin. No need to get overexcited.
He kept his arm around me for a few more seconds and then pulled it away after the kid was long gone. “Animals definitely have feelings. They may not be the same as humans, but they feel eagerness, fear, sadness.”
“You’re right. I wasn’t thinking it through when I said they didn’t.”
“Also, I’m pretty sure a cat feels regret when a mouse escapes.”
I pointed a finger at him and grinned. “How did you get so smart?”
He shrugged. “Smart is a relative word. I’m smart when it comes to science, but less so in other areas, though sometimes I think my brain is clogged with ridiculous facts.”
“Oh, this should be interesting. Share one of those ridiculous facts, please.”
“You don’t want to hear that…it might bore you.”
“Let me be the judge of that.”
“Fine. Did you know that the French use pink toilet paper?”
I stopped walking, and my eyes widened. “Shut up.” I nudged him on the shoulder. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m not joking. Pink is their color of choice.”
“That is something.” I nodded my head thoughtfully. “Now, I want to go to France just to try out the restrooms and use the pink toilet paper.”
“Because, apparently, you really like pink.” He glanced at my hair and blouse, smirking, and before I had a chance to reply, he took my hand and squeezed it. He let go immediately as if realizing what he’d just done. “Sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. That was actually a really sweet gesture. I think you’re getting the hang of this.”
We continued walking, and I studied him for a few minutes. He’d relaxed quite a bit since our discussion at Coffee Queen, and I was starting to see more of his personality. Surprisingly, he had a sense of humor. We were gelling pretty well, and I guess I didn’t expect that, but I was enjoying the moment anyway, not wanting to be anywhere else. There was a bench nearby, and I motioned for us to sit down. “I want to hear another one of your ridiculous facts.”
He put his arm around the back of the bench. “Actually, I’d like to hear another one of those weird questions.”
I glanced at a hat store directly across from us where a sales lady, wearing a gray suit, straightened a beanie hat on one of the displays. “Okay.” I looked at my list. “How do you feel about putting pineapple on your pizza?”
He clutched his chin and crossed a foot over his knee. “Love it. It’s one of my favorite toppings.”
“No way. I didn’t expect that.” I stared at him in disbelief for a long moment, and he stared back with the slightest smile. “You seem like the kind of guy who would enjoy,” I waited a few seconds to make my point, “mushrooms.”
He burst out laughing. “Well, that’s a given. Mushrooms are number one.” He cocked his head to the side. “If you don’t like mushrooms, I’m not sure we can be friends.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I love them.”
“Whew.” He swiped a hand across his forehead. “I was starting to get worried there for a moment.”
“Would you be sad if we couldn’t be friends?”
He touched the place over his heart. “I’d be crushed.” He said it playfully like he wasn’t really serious.
“I don’t think you’d be crushed,” I said, joking back.
His expression grew solemn, and he made that heart-stopping eye contact that made me stop everything I was doing and direct all my attention to him. “What about you? How would you feel if we couldn’t be friends?”
I didn’t expect him to ask, so the question threw me off guard. “I… Well, I…” I shifted on the bench and glanced at the hat store again. The sales lady paced the small space as if bored. “I think I would be sad, actually. I’m having a lot of fun with you right now. You’re pretty cool when you lighten up.”
“Glad to have your seal of approval.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to make it sound like you needed it.”
He leaned closer, so close that my pulse picked up, and I sucked in a breath, thinking he might kiss me. I wasn’t sure if I should scoot away or stay completely still. In a split-second, I made a decision and didn’t move a muscle. He was so close I felt his warm breath on my face, and then he plucked something off my hair and leaned back.
“You had a piece of lint in your hair.”
I was strangely disappointed that he hadn’t tried to kiss me. It was stupid, and I figured it meant I must be feeling lonely. Still, it took me a few seconds to calm my beating heart. I needed a distraction. Anything. “Hey, let’s check out the hats.”
He glanced in the direction I now pointed. “You like hats?”
“Sure, doesn’t everyone?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think I’ve ever worn a hat, to be honest.”
“Well, we need to fix that right now.”
He followed me into the
store, and the sales lady perked up. She smiled at us, reminding me of a movie star from the Golden age of Hollywood with her steady gaze and smooth, confident way about her. “Are you looking for anything in particular?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. “I’m Laura, the owner of this store.”
I smiled back at her. “We’re just browsing but thank you.” I glanced at her again. “You look a lot like Lauren Bacall. Has anyone ever told you that?”
She gave me a knowing smile. “I get that all the time, and it’s a nice compliment. Thank you.” She clasped her hands in front of her. “Take your time, and let me know if you need my assistance.”
“I will.” I linked my arm through Colin’s and pulled him over to a green crochet hat with huge bug eyes popping up at the top. It had long strings that tied around the chin. I put it on and glanced at him for his reaction. “What do you think? Does it make me appear sophisticated?”
He nodded slowly as if putting a great deal of thought into it. “Very.” I glanced at a mirror nearby. “Hmmm… I like it but it’s not quite what I’m looking for.” I placed it back on the display.
“What about this one?” he asked, picking up a bright yellow basket-like hat with flowers and birds and vines on the top. He was trying very hard not to laugh, and I had to give him credit for trying because it was the most outlandish-looking thing I’d ever seen.
“Wow. Just wow. That’s really…special.”
“I think it will look great on you.” He plopped it on top of my head and pushed it down a little. He placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face the mirror. “You look—”
“Like a bird lady.”
He snickered. “Maybe just a little, but I was going to say festive.”
“And what holiday are we celebrating here? Clown day?”
He put a hand over his mouth to smother a smile. “What about Easter? I could give you a basket to match the one on your head.”
I took the hat off and placed it back on the shelf. “If I ever get to the place where I choose something like this, please be kind to me. It means I’ve lost my marbles and don’t know any better.” I glanced at the sales lady. “No offense. Someone will probably find great joy wearing this hat.”
She smiled. “No offense taken. Everyone wants to put that hat on for some reason, but no one ever walks out of the store with it. I’m thinking of keeping it for myself one day.”
“Well, I’ll hide it behind this stand so no one else takes it.”
A brown fur hat caught my eye, and I lifted it from the shelf. I stood on my tippy-toes and put it on Colin’s head. It covered his forehead, and it had flaps that fell over his ears and neck as well. “This is so you.”
He glanced at the mirror, and his eyes widened. “Tell you what, I’ll wear this out of the store if you wear the basket hat.”
“You’re not really going to wear that thing.”
“Because you won’t wear the basket hat.”
“Exactly.”
“I have an idea,” he said. “I’ll pick out a hat for you, and you pick out a hat for me.”
“You mean, like, for real?”
“Yeah. I’ll buy them both, so money isn’t an issue, but we both have to wear them out of the store.”
I stared at him for a long moment. Who was this guy and what did he do with Colin? I hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. “Deal. But I’ll buy your hat and you can buy mine.”
“No, really. It was my idea, so I’m funding this adventure.”
“Uh, no. I’m not going to let you buy two hats.”
“But I want to.”
“We’ll see,” I said, turning to get a look at the other options. There was no way I was letting him purchase both hats. I scanned the room until my eyes fell on a black fedora. It had a black band that gave it a slick appearance, and I knew instantly that was the one. “Colin, over here.” I waved him over and placed the hat on his head. “This is perfect. You look so…cool.”
One side of his lip curled up. “What are you trying to say? I’m not cool without the hat?”
“I meant cooler…emphasis on the er.”
He peered into a nearby mirror and nodded. “I like it.”
I grasped both of his arms and smiled from ear-to-ear. “This would be perfect for your next date. If you wear this, you’ll blow her away.”
Instead of looking excited like I thought he would, his eyes flickered with annoyance, and he shrugged out of my grasp. “I’m only wearing this hat with you.”
“What? No. This should become a part of your normal ensemble.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Part of the fun is wearing our hats together.”
I glanced at Laura, and she lifted an eyebrow, watching the two of us go back and forth. “I think you should listen to the gentleman,” she said. “He seems to know what he wants.” She gave me a pointed look, and my stomach dipped.
“Okay, we’ll only put the hats on when we’re together.” I cleared my throat, glancing at Colin. “That means we won’t get to use these as often, but if that’s what you want…”
He completely ignored what I said and brought over a purple bell-shaped hat with a purple band and a fabric decal that had been fashioned into a flower. It had a classy look, and I liked it immediately. “This looks like your style,” he said. He fit the hat on top of my head and pulled it down just a bit. “It’s lovely.” He gave me that stunning eye contact again, and it melted my insides to the point where I had to take in a quick breath.
“That is what we call a cloche hat,” Laura said. “They were very popular in the nineteen twenties. They’re still very popular. In fact, I think they’re ruling the hat world right now.”
Glancing in the mirror, I checked out the way it sat on my head. “I’ve got to have it. Seriously…I’ve been looking for this hat my entire life.”
“And to think,” Laura said with a smirk, “all it took was a handsome gentleman to find it for you.”
I glanced at Colin, and he stood with his hands in his pockets, smiling at me, clearly pleased that he’d found something I liked. Warmth flooded through me. He really was a nice guy. No, not just nice—kind. He seemed to find genuine pleasure in making me happy. “I think you’re right,” I said. “Ring these up. Actually, ring up the fedora. I’m paying for that one.”
“Too late,” Laura said. “He paid while you weren’t looking.”
“But…we weren’t sure…we didn’t know which hats we were getting.”
“He gave me enough to cover any of the choices in this store.”
“Keep the change,” Colin said.
She smiled at him. “Thank you, Mr…?”
“Fitzgerald.”
“Thank you, Mr. Fitzgerald. You are a very kind man.”
It was like God wanted to drill that detail into my head. He’s kind, he’s kind, he’s kind. Before I had a chance to say anything else, she started to wrap the hats in white paper.
“Oh, no,” Colin said. “We’re wearing these out of the store.”
“Of course.” She put the paper away and cut the tags off, handing the hats to us.
Colin put on his fedora and I put on the cloche. He offered his arm, and I took it as we walked out of the hat store like two old friends.
Chapter 7
Abby
The following day I stayed home because there wasn’t a temp job available. I wasn’t exactly sad about that since it gave me time to do something I loved—paint. I worked all morning and early afternoon and then decided it was time to take a break. A walk would do me good.
I put my earbuds in and connected them to my phone. After walking out and locking the door, I pulled up my Pandora app and selected a mix of Christian music. Walking down the driveway of my home, I breathed in the fresh air. My house was small but charming, and I lived in a nice neighborhood of older homes that were built before tract homes became a thing in this town. Each was unique in its own right, and there were plenty of trees and wildlife arou
nd to give the neighborhood a winsome feeling.
The song, Glorious Day, by Kristian Stanfill came on, and I stepped in time to the lively beat of the music. My spirits soared because the song had one of those melodies that lifted you up and made you want to shout. I sang as I walked down the street, taking in my surroundings. No one was around, but if they had been, that wouldn’t have stopped me since I wasn’t the type to embarrass easily.
I knew the lyrics like the back of my hand, but, today, as I sang along, something stirred in my heart. The lyrics were like a prayer to the Lord, sung directly to Him, and they spoke of a man or woman being called out of the darkness into the daylight. The imagery was of a past life of sin, much like a tomb, and after hearing God’s calling, running out of that grave with so much hope and worship and thankfulness that you wanted to jump up and down.
The words spoke of God’s mercy and salvation and freedom. At that moment, I was cut to the quick because I’d been avoiding God lately, and this song reminded me of everything the Lord had done for me.
Back in high school, a friend invited me to church. I’d never been the “churchy” type, but the pastor spoke so clearly and his messages had so much truth, I was hooked right from the start. And then one day he shared a message about Christ’s death on the cross, and how He rose again and was calling all of us to put our faith in Him. That day, I’d bowed the knee—not only physically but in my heart—and I’d given Jesus my life. He healed that shattered part of me, the part that yearned for love and affection from a father who remained emotionally distant, and a mother who had moved halfway across the country to pursue her career. When my parents divorced, I chose to stay with my father because my mother and I didn’t get along, and I sensed that she didn’t really want me, anyway. My mom was wrapped up in her career and didn’t have time for an awkward teenager who wasn’t even sure who she was or what she wanted in life.
My dad got remarried to a woman named Sharon, and she was cold and distant for the most part. When Dad wasn’t around, and sometimes when he was, she cut me down with her words and her sharp criticisms. I was never good enough—nothing like her angelic adult daughter, Rayna, who was a Harvard graduate.
Blind Date with a Billionaire Professor (Blind Date Disasters) Page 7