by Jules Tyler
Having multiple sets of able hands made things go quickly, and before she knew it, everything was moved in and she was flopping down on her couch next to Stella and Mama Ally, watching the boys wrestle and goof off outside. Jesse wasn’t wrong -- this group of people felt like a family should. It was nice.
“So I see he didn’t scare you off today,” Stella teased as she bumped into Liz’s shoulder with her own.
“Ha, no, not yet, he hasn’t,” Liz giggled as she reached up and touched her lips while she remembered the kiss from earlier.
“He didn’t try any funny business with you, did he? If he did, I can set Mama on him. She doesn’t tolerate funny business, unless both parties are on board with it,” Stella said, trying to make Mama Ally sound scary.
Liz looked over at Mama Ally and giggled at the sweet older woman’s attempts to make her face look scary before shaking her head. “No, there wasn’t any funny business.”
“I have to warn you, Mama can hear it if you lie,” Stella winked at her.
“Well, I mean… He did kiss me today,” Liz admitted sheepishly, looking down at her folded hands. “And he wants to take me out tomorrow night.”
“Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah! We send you two down to get your things and everything explodes without us there to chaperone you?” Stella squealed in excitement.
Liz found herself staring at the women like they were completely off their rockers. What kind of employers got excited about their employees inappropriate behavior with other employees?
“It was just a kiss, nothing major happened. I told him I’d think about it, but I wanted to talk to you about it first. I wanted to make sure, first, that it was okay if we did try this dating thing. I also wanted to see what kind of guy he is. I’m not the kind of girl that goes around hooking up with coworkers, especially not after only knowing them for twenty-four hours. But I don’t think he’s going to let up unless I humor him. Not in a creepy stalker way either, more like a hopeless romantic kind of way,” Liz explained.
Mama Ally smiled at her, “Darlin’, I’ve known that boy for years and I can tell you right now that him asking you on a date tomorrow night speaks volumes about his intentions with you. Sure, he isn’t without faults, but knowing who he is as a person, I can promise you he won’t make you do anything you aren’t comfortable with.”
“Mama’s right. Jesse’s a good guy, through and through. When my ex kidnapped Mama and me earlier this year, Jesse and the boys came to our rescue with Brady. They could’ve gotten hurt, but none of them cared. If Jesse would do that for a total stranger, I can’t imagine what he would do for someone he knows and cares about. Give him a chance,” Stella nudged her gently.
Liz sighed, stood up from the couch, and went to door to holler out at Jesse, “Alright, you big goon, I’ll go out with you tomorrow night. Pick me up at six.”
Jesse released Tyson from the headlock he had him in and looked up at Liz with excitement blazing in his eyes. Again Liz thought she saw a glint of silver in his eyes but after she blinked, it was gone just like it had been before.
“I’ll pick you up at four. I’m gonna take you up to McCall for dinner,” Jesse grinned up at where she stood.
“Ooooooh! Jesse’s got a crush on Liiiiz,” the boys called out in unison like a bunch of schoolyard boys.
“Four is fine,” Liz called before returning to her perch on the couch and looking to Stella and Mama Ally. “Happy now?”
“Sure am,” Stella beamed at her.
“Just think of it this way -- if you don’t like how things go tomorrow, you at least get a free meal from a good looking guy out of it,” Mama said thoughtfully. “But I doubt you’ll have an issue with anything that boy does for you. His mother obviously raised him right.”
Liz blew out a puff of air in exasperation, “If you say so.”
“Well, I do. Don’t you forget, Mama knows best, girl,” Mama admonished her teasingly.
Leaning forward to put her head in her hands, Liz began rubbing her temples with her index fingers. All of this was so much easier said than done, but if Stella and Mama thought it was a good idea, maybe they were worth listening to. At least if she couldn’t completely put faith in herself, she could put faith what they were telling her.
Chapter Ten
Jesse slipped on his nicest black button down shirt and made quick work of fastening the buttons. Brady had let him get off work early so he could get ready for his date with Liz, and he was beginning to get nervous. He knew the truth about what they were but he needed to give Liz time before springing that kind of information on her. Stella had spent several hours sitting on a stump while they chopped wood for the campground stockpile, droning on and on about how he needed to make sure he kept his bear in check tonight and how she really liked Liz so he’d better not fuck things up. As if there wasn’t enough pressure on him to make things work as it was, now he had to worry about Stella’s and Mama’s stamps of approval after tonight’s proceedings as well.
Checking the watch his father had handed down to him for special occasions, Jesse saw it was still only three thirty in the afternoon. He knew better than to go over to Liz’ early to collect her. He had two sisters growing up, and if you tried to leave for anything early, they would freak out on you. While he didn’t see Liz as the kind to be nearly as high maintenance as Jennifer and Jasmine, he didn’t want to rush her. Thinking to himself for a minute about how to pass the time in a more efficient manner, he opted to pull his boots on and go find Liz some wildflowers to make a bouquet. From the looks of the amount of collectables Liz had had in her apartment, Jesse assumed she was a woman of sentiment and this would get him leaps and bounds ahead in her book of approval rather than showing up empty handed.
Once outside, Jesse took a hard left around the backside of his cabin where he knew the best flowers were growing. His favorite were the Castilleja flowers that grew on the hillside behind the house. The red flower was commonly known as the Indian Paintbrush, and the tip looked like it had been dipped in the most vibrant red color you had ever seen. Gathering those along with some of the daisies and other flowers that grew behind his home, he knew he was guaranteed to make Liz smile when he showed up.
As he meandered about, picking up the best ones he could find, he smiled to himself. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he would get this chance. He’d gone so long, thirty six years, without meeting his mate that he assumed it was never going to happen. Meeting Liz had soothed something inside of his bear and ignited a whole different set of problems. Now all he needed to focus on was getting her to feel about him the way he was already feeling about her. Jesse knew the emotions coursing through him would only get stronger from here too. The need to satisfy her and to see to her needs would continue to grow.
After he had gathered enough flowers, he headed to Liz’s, checking his watch to make sure it was time. Walking up to the porch, he saw that the door was hanging open with the screen door shut. It wasn’t too hot outside for early June. Normally these mountains were in the mid-eighties by now, but there was a warm summer’s breeze floating through the camp. It was no surprise to him that Liz liked to let the air drift through the open door.
“Knock, knock,” Jesse called out as he rapped on the door jamb.
“Come on in. I’m just finishing up in here and then I’ll be ready to go,” Liz shouted from the bedroom.
Letting himself in, Jesse went to the kitchen to rummage through cupboards for a vase to put the flowers in. After several minutes of searching, he deduced that she must not have one and opted to grab a tall glass instead. Arranging the flowers in the makeshift vase, he took a step back and appreciated his handy work.
“Alright, I’m ready to go. Let’s do this,” Liz said as she walked out of her room and into the living room, coming to a stop in front of Jesse.
Jesse found himself trying to steady himself against the counter as he took in her appearance. Allowing his eyes to wander, he took in the way her leg
s looked in a pair of blue wedge sandals that made her muscles round out just right. Her matching simple blue sundress fell just above her knees and laid gently around her beautiful curves. The selling point for Jesse though was the way that the neckline held together those big, gorgeous tits. Jesse could stare at her rack all night long, but instead forced himself to keep his eyes moving. Her hair hung in soft curls around her shoulders, and she had some of that war paint shit smeared on her face, but it only made her look that much sexier.
“Holy fucking shit, Liz. You clean up real nice. I mean. Fuck. You’re gorgeous,” Jesse struggled to piece his words together into a suitable sentence to describe how her appearance was affecting him.
Liz’s cheeks flared with a soft pink blush as she looked down at the ground nervously. “Thank you.”
Jesse nudged the vase in her direction. “I’m sorry I didn’t have time to run to town to get you a nicer bouquet of flowers.”
Liz’s eyes drifted to the flowers on the counter, “Oh, thank you. That was awful thoughtful of you. No one’s ever gotten me flowers before.”
“Are you serious? None of your past boyfriends bought you flowers? I thought every man was taught that every woman deserves flowers?” Jesse asked incredulously.
Pursing her lips, Liz shook her head, “Nope. Guess no one thought I was worth the time or effort.”
“Well, that’s bull shit. You deserve flowers all the time!” Jesse exclaimed. “I mean, just look at you! You’re fucking sexy as hell, you can cook, and you’re sweeter than chocolate cream pie. Why the fuck wouldn’t someone buy you flowers?”
Liz shrugged, “Never gave it much thought, I guess.”
“Well, that is just not acceptable,” Jesse said, voice filled with disgust.
“It’s not a big deal, Jesse, really,” Liz assured him.
“It really is, but I’ll let it go for now. Are you ready to go?” Jesse asked, offering her his arm.
Liz looked at his arm a moment before hesitantly taking it. “I am. Lead the way, good sir.”
Chapter Eleven
Liz and Jesse sang along to the radio all the way to Lake Fork before Liz turned down the radio and asked, “So what’s on the agenda for tonight?”
Jesse got a cheesy grin on his face as he looked over at her. “If I told you that, I’d have to kill you.”
“Oh, whatever,” Liz batted at him playfully. “Come on, big guy, tell me where you’re taking me!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you part of the date I have planned. Is that a fair compromise?” Jesse asked.
Liz sighed in defeat as she leaned back in her seat, “I suppose that’s fair.”
“How do you feel about seafood?” Jesse raised an eyebrow as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the song Thomas Rhett was crooning over the radio.
“I love it! I haven’t been able to have decent seafood since I finished my training at school. My culinary school wasn’t too far from the Oregon Coast. I miss having fresh seafood every Friday night,” Liz reminisced, her mouth watering at the thought of crab legs dipped in butter or fresh clam chowder.
“Well then the pressure is on, I guess, because I’m taking you to the best seafood place McCall has to offer. Have you ever been to Steamers?” Jesse asked.
“Considering I’ve never been to McCall? Nope, sure haven’t,” Liz said as they passed the sign that read Welcome to McCall!
“How have you lived in Idaho as long as you have and never taken a trip up to McCall for the weekend?” Jesse asked, sounding truly shocked.
“I don’t know. My parents worked a lot, and I never had a desire to come up this way,” Liz shrugged.
“Well then, you’re in for a treat, because tonight, you’re going to experience McCall through my eyes,” Jesse said excitedly.
“I can’t wait to try it,” Liz smiled at him as he guided the truck to a stop in front of the restaurant. “By the way, you’ll have to thank Brady for me for letting you borrow his truck. I was a little worried you were going to make me ride on the back of your motorcycle dressed like this.”
Jesse winked at her, “I considered it, but didn’t think you’d appreciate the whole world seeing your panties.”
Liz scoffed at him as she opened her door and slid out of the truck onto the pavement, “I’m wearing spanks underneath this, if you must know.”
“No wonder your ass looks so spankable then,” Jesse teased as he held open the restaurant door for her.
Liz’s eyes grew round as she turned and playfully smacked him on the chest, “Don’t be crass. Just because I agreed to go out with you doesn’t mean I’ll be giving it away on the first date.”
“Ah, but you said first date. Does that mean I can count on more dates?” Jesse chuckled as he wrapped her hand in his and guided her to the host stand.
“Maybe if you play your cards right, I’ll consider a second date,” Liz winked at him.
Following the host back to their table, Liz appreciated the section he had seated them in. The table was away from the others, so they were just secluded enough that they could have a conversation without others eavesdropping easily on them and it was quiet enough they wouldn’t have to shout at each other.
Picking up a menu that the host had left on the table, she scanned over it. She shouldn’t be surprised to see the price tags associated with the entrees, but she was.
How the hell do people afford shit like this? I mean, come on, some of these prices are more expensive than the dress I’m wearing!
“Umm, Jesse, we don’t have to eat here. I’m okay with a burger,” Liz said shyly over the top of her menu.
“What’s wrong?” Jesse furrowed his brow in confusion.
“All of these things are super expensive,” Liz squeaked.
“Yeah, so? Liz, it’s okay. I work hard and have put away a lot of my money into a savings account so when I found someone I could care about, I would be able to comfortably take them out on nice dates. Seriously, beautiful, it’s okay,” Jesse urged.
He can’t be serious.
As though Jesse had read her mind, he reached across to where her hand was resting on the table, “I wouldn’t have brought you here if I wasn’t comfortable with spending the money, Elizabeth.”
The use of her full name instead of her nickname sent a wave of goosebumps through her. The way he had said her name was like the smoothest caramel dripping from a spoon.
“If you insist,” Liz smiled, still trying to convince herself that this was okay.
Jesse nodded in appreciation, “Thank you. Oh, and be sure to save room for dessert. There’s a fantastic candy store around the corner from here that has some of the most amazing fudge and caramel apples. You’ll definitely want to have a taste of both.”
Liz smiled as she shook her head at his antics, “You’re too much, Jesse.”
“I know, but I think you like it that way. Now hurry and pick something. I can see our waiter coming, and we’re going to want to get our order in as soon as possible so we can beat the dinner rush. I still have places I want to take you tonight,” Jesse said, a hint of mischief gleaming in his eyes.
“What are you going to get?” Liz asked.
Jesse raised an eyebrow at her, “We’re at a seafood joint, what do you think I’m going to get?”
“Ummm a steak?” Liz giggled at him, glancing down at her menu only to realize steak was actually on the menu.
“While I am definitely a fan of surf’n’turf, no. I’m actually going to get the salmon with a side of oysters and a baked potato,” Jesse chuckled at her.
“Mmm, that does sound delicious. That and a glass of Pinot Noir for me,” Liz smiled as the waiter strut over to their table and set down a couple of glasses of water.
“Alright, a girl that cuts to the chase. She seems like a real keeper, sir,” the waiter said.
“You know what, Danny, is it?” Jesse asked looking up at the waiter for confirmation after reading his name tag. “I think that you�
��re right. I definitely think she’s a keeper.”
Liz’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment at Jesse’s bold statement to their waiter, “Jesse, stop. You’re making me blush.”
“Well, it’s the truth,” Jesse shrugged from the other side of his menu before providing Danny with the order. “We’ll take two orders of the salmon with a side of oysters and baked potatoes with all of the fixins. Oh, and two glasses of Pinot Noir.”
“You guys are too cute. How long have you been dating?” Danny asked genuinely as he wrote down the order in his notepad.
“This is our first date,” Liz murmured as she handed Danny her menu.
“It is? Oh how exciting!” Danny clapped his hands together in excitement. Liz was beginning to like Danny the Waiter less and less. He was making this out to be a much bigger deal than it was. “Alright you two love birds, I’ll be right back with your wine and I’ll get this order in to the kitchen while I’m at it.”