“Yes. And no.”
Her mom appeared, looking concerned. “Well, what is it?”
Candace sat down on her bed as her mom came into the room. “I’ve got a date with a cute guy from work tonight and I can’t decide what to wear.”
“Who is this boy and what is he like?” her mom asked, going into her best grilling mode.
“Mom, please. I’ll tell you all about him later, but right now I need your help. He’s going to be here to pick me up in less than an hour.”
Her mom sighed and kicked her shoes off. “Okay, where are you going?”
“I don’t know. That’s part of the problem. Dinner, I think, but I don’t know where.”
“You’re not giving me a lot to work with here.”
“I know, that’s why I need help,” Candace said, letting herself fall backwards until she was sprawled across the bed.
Her mom walked over to the closet. “This guy, how tall is he?”
“At least six feet.”
“Okay, so you can get by with heels and not end up taller than him. Most guys say they don’t have a problem with that, but most of them are lying. What kind of job does he have at the park?”
“He’s one of the costumed characters. Mostly he’s dressed up like the Lone Ranger or Zorro or Robin Hood. He’s really good at it too, he can totally stay in character.”
“Okay, so he’s got a bit of a taste for the theatrical. You’ll want a little drama and contrast in what you wear, then.”
Candace sat up and stared at her mom. She would never have thought of these things on her own. She didn’t think Tamara would have, either.
“Where’s that black skirt we got you last year? You know, the one you never wear?”
“You mean, the skirt I got to wear to cousin Alice’s funeral?”
“Yes, that one.”
“All the way to the left. But I don’t think —”
“Found it,” her mother interrupted.
She tossed the skirt and Candace caught it. Next her mother bent over and inspected her shoes. “These are all you have?” she asked after a minute.
“Yes,” Candace said, feeling inexplicably embarrassed. Her mother turned and looked at her for a moment.
“Put the skirt on. I’ll be right back.”
Her mom headed toward her bedroom, and Candace slipped on the skirt. It was straight and form fitting. It was also shorter than Candace remembered, ending several inches above her knees. In a minute her mother returned, arms full.
“Try on this,” she instructed, handing Candace a teal shirt.
It took Candace a minute to figure out how to put it on. It turned out the shirt was a wrap-around. Once it was on she was surprised to find that it fit really well. She was also surprised that it was lower cut than anything she owned.
“And these,” her mom said, handing her a pair of her shoes. “We wear the same size, so they should fit.”
They were black strappy sandals with two-inch heels. Candace slipped them on and was surprised at how comfortable they were. Her mom nodded. “Those are great shoes. They look great and you can stand all night in them if you have to. Now, pull your hair back in a small black barrette, and let’s see what that looks like.”
Candace did as her mother said and then stared at herself in her full-length mirror. Her mom came to stand beside her and nodded as though satisfied.
“Well?” she asked.
“Wow,” was all Candace could say.
“You do clean up very nicely. What’s nice about this look is you won’t be out of place if he takes you somewhere upscale. If he takes you somewhere more casual, you’ll be comfortable and he’ll be priding himself on having the most dazzling girl in the place.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
She kissed Candace on the cheek. “Don’t say I never did anything for you. Don’t forget some lipstick.”
“I won’t.”
“And don’t let him paw at you. Just because you look stunning isn’t an excuse for him to be ill-mannered.”
“I’ll remember that,” Candace said, blushing at the thought.
“Take your cell phone. If you need anything, or he gets weird or tries anything, or even if he’s just boring you to death, you call and we’ll come get you.”
Candace turned and hugged her mom. Sometimes she got frustrated because she felt like her parents were harder on her than they should be, but she could always count on them to come through when she needed them. “I will,” she promised.
“Okay. Then knock him dead.”
Her phone rang. Candace picked it up as her mom left the room. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Tam.”
“Tamara! I’m going on a date.”
“So I heard. You need help with clothes?”
“Not anymore. My mom totally came through. You should see me; I look hot.”
“Cool. Send me a picture. Since you’re good, I gotta run. Having dinner with the folks tonight.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Don’t forget the picture.”
“I won’t.”
As soon as they hung up, Candace turned her phone around and took a picture of herself. For once she actually managed to take a decent one. She usually cut off half her face when she tried. She sent it to Tamara, hoping she would love the look as much as Candace did.
She stared again at herself in the mirror. “I can’t believe I never realized how cute this skirt is,” she said, twirling.
After fixing her makeup and transferring her things to her small black purse that she usually took to church, she headed downstairs to wait. Her father looked up from his magazine, eyes narrowed.
“What do you think, Daddy?” she asked.
“Turn.”
She did a slow twirl. “Well?”
“Very nice.”
“You think he’ll like it?”
“I’ll think he’s a blind fool if he doesn’t. I also think I’ll slap him walleyed if he stares.”
“Daddy, you wouldn’t!”
“Care to test that theory?”
“No, just be nice, please.”
“I’m always nice,” he said. He reached into his pocket and dug out his wallet. “I know you haven’t had a chance to cash your paycheck yet, and I don’t want you going out with some strange guy without money. Just in case.” He pulled several bills out of his wallet. “This is a loan only. I expect to be paid back.”
She took the money from him and slipped it into her purse. “I will,” she promised.
“Now be careful, and call if you need us.”
“I will.”
At exactly six thirty the doorbell rang, and Candace ran to get it. Kurt stood there wearing khaki Dockers and a black button-down shirt. His eyes widened when he saw her, and she couldn’t help but smile like an idiot.
“Wow, you look great,” he said.
“Thank you,” she answered. “You look very nice too.”
His eyes widened more, and she felt a hand descend on her shoulder. She stiffened slightly.
“Young man, make sure she’s home before midnight,” her father said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Dad, this is Kurt. Kurt this is my father, Mr. Thompson.” She didn’t know what else to say. She turned and kissed her father on the cheek. “See you later, Dad.”
He didn’t look at her but continued to stare at Kurt in a way that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Her dad could be scary when he wanted to.
A minute later she was in Kurt’s car, and they were pulling away from the house. When they had turned off her street, Kurt seemed to relax.
“What does your father do for a living?” he asked.
“He’s an attorney,” Candace said.
“I believe it.”
“So, where are we going?” Candace asked.
“This little Italian restaurant called Rigatoni’s. I hear they have great food. Have you ever been there?”
“Once or twice,” Candace s
aid with a smile. Once or twice a month was more like it. She settled back into her seat. For some reason it made her more relaxed to think that she would at least have the home-court advantage, so to speak. It meant she could focus the majority of her attention on Kurt and on making sure she didn’t say something lame.
9
“Welcome back, Candace,” the waiter said with a smile.
“Thank you, Anton.”
“Do you know what you’d like?”
Of course she knew what she was going to order, but Kurt had never been there before. “I think we’re going to need a couple of minutes,” she said.
“Very well. I’ll be back with your bread.”
Kurt was looking at her with raised eyebrows. “Once or twice?”
She shrugged. “It’s one of my favorite restaurants.”
“Then I guess I picked well,” he said.
“Yes, you did.” She smiled.
When Anton returned, Candace ordered the chicken fettuccine alfredo, and Kurt ordered the classic spaghetti with meat sauce. When the waiter had departed, Kurt leaned closer.
“So, tell me about yourself.”
“Well, I’m an only child. My dad’s a lawyer. My mom’s an environmental activist. I’m working as a cotton candy operator, as you know, and it is my first job ever. Next year I’m going to be a senior, and I’m really looking forward to that. I like roller coasters, cookie dough ice cream, Italian food — obviously — and movies.”
“So then, this would be a perfect date if after dinner we went to a movie where we ate cookie dough ice cream and then took a quick spin on one of the rides in the Thrill Zone?”
She laughed. “Maybe all but the last part. It’s funny. Working at The Zone makes me less inclined to spend my downtime there.”
He smiled. “I get that. I used to spend every weekend at that place until I started working there. Now unless I’m there to work, I’m not there.”
“I guess that happens to everyone.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised. Quite a lot of refs spend their free time there too. It’s like some weird obsession with them. Fans first, employees second. I feel kind of sorry for them.”
“I don’t know where they find the time,” Candace said. “I’ve had barely any free time since I started working there. There’s no way I could keep it up year round with school and everything.”
He nodded.
“So, what about you? Where do you go to high school?” she asked.
“I don’t.”
Her eyes widened. “So, you’re in college?”
“Nope. No school for me. I actually dropped out of high school the middle of last year.”
She laughed, but quickly stopped when he didn’t join her. “Oh, you’re serious?”
He nodded. “I couldn’t stand school so I figured, why bother?”
“Oh.” Candace wasn’t sure what to say next. Fortunately, the appearance of some familiar faces kept her from having to come up with something. She waved and Kurt turned to look. Coming through the door were Tamara and her parents. The three of them looked shocked and waved back. They were quickly escorted to a table but Tamara broke off from her parents. Candace stood up quickly and hugged her. She wished she could thank her for saving her from further embarrassing herself, but that would have to come later.
“Kurt, this is my best friend, Tamara. Tamara, this is Kurt,” Candace said, making the introductions.
“How do you do?” Kurt asked, shaking her hand.
“Well, thank you,” Tamara said. “Well, don’t let me interrupt. I can see my parents are waiting for me.”
She turned away from Kurt and whispered “Call me later” to Candace before joining her parents.
“Wow, how weird was that?” Candace asked.
“Pretty strange,” Kurt admitted. “So, where were we?”
“You were telling me how you came to be Robin Hood,” she said, making something up to avoid talking about school.
“Now, that’s a funny story,” he said, his eyes lighting up.
As he began telling her the story, she couldn’t help but think about what she had just found out. How on earth could he be a high-school dropout? She didn’t have any overly ambitious plans for herself, but she knew that she was going to college, and she was certainly going to graduate from high school. She always figured that once she got to college she would have the opportunity to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. She wondered what Kurt could possibly have in mind for his. She shook her head, trying not to think about it.
Their food arrived, and they both ate hungrily, making small talk. Afterward Candace got up to use the restroom. A moment later Tamara joined her. “He is even better looking out of his costume,” her friend said.
“He is handsome, isn’t he?” Candace asked wistfully.
“Sounds like he’s pretty funny too. I’ve heard you laughing a lot.”
“Have I?” Candace asked, surprised.
“Girl, what is wrong with you? You’re acting all weird.”
“What if he’s not perfect?”
“What guy is?” Tamara asked.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“So, what’s wrong with him?”
“He dropped out of high school.”
Even Tamara seemed slightly taken aback. “To do what?” she asked finally.
“I don’t know. I don’t think he knows.”
“Well, some guys just take a little longer to figure out what they want from life. It’s probably just a phase. Sooner or later he’ll figure it all out.”
“You think?”
“Sure. He’ll surprise everybody and decide to become a brain surgeon or something.”
“Okay. From slacker to surgeon. That’s a bit of a leap, even for you.”
“Call me a hopeless romantic. Everything else cool?”
“Yeah, he’s very sweet.”
“Great, then get back out there and strut your stuff.”
“Thanks.”
“By the way, your mom? Great taste.”
“Who knew?” Candace said.
“I know. I might have to call her next time I have a big date.” Candace laughed. “Come on, Tam, you’ve got designers willing to help you out with that.”
“True. Call me later.”
“Will do.”
When Candace returned to the table, Kurt was staring at the bill and frowning. “Can I help pay?” Candace asked timidly, worried that the bill might be higher than he had expected.
“No, I’ve taken care of it,” he said, snapping the bill folder shut and placing it on the table. “Shall we go get some ice cream?”
They went next door to get Baskin-Robbins, and then sat outside to eat their cones. It was a nice night — not too warm — and the moon was out and shining brightly. Fortunately the ice cream was hard so that none of it dripped onto her outfit.
Afterward he drove her home and walked her up to her door. “I had a nice time,” she told him, standing on the porch and holding her house key. “Thank you.”
“Did you have a nice enough time to want to do this again?” he asked.
“I would like that a lot,” she said.
“Great. I’ll see you at work tomorrow?”
“You bet,” she answered.
He was standing very close to her, and she was looking up into his gorgeous eyes. Suddenly he bent down and kissed her gently on the lips. It lasted for only a second, and then he was gone and halfway to his car. She leaned against the door for support and touched her hand to her lips. It had been so sudden that she had a hard time believing it had actually happened.
She went inside. She poked her head into her parents’ bedroom and said goodnight before retreating to her own room. She changed into her pajamas and then called Tamara.
“So did he kiss you?” Tamara asked by way of greeting.
“Yes.”
“Tell.”
“It was real quick. He kissed me soft on the lips and then ran to hi
s car.”
Tamara laughed. “He was probably worried that your dad was taking aim at him with a shotgun.”
“Please.”
“Have you met your father? He can be scary.”
“I guess. So are we still on for tomorrow?”
“You better believe it. I’m picking you up at eight, and we’re going to tear up the town.”
“Sounds like a plan. I better get some sleep then. See you in the morning.”
“Night.”
She remembered that Josh wanted to hear about her evening, so she sat down at her computer. She started a new email message and typed in the address: [email protected]. In the subject line she typed Date with Kurt.
Josh, things went really well tonight. He took me to Rigatoni’s. It was really funny because my best friend Tamara was there eating with her parents. It’s the first time she’s seen Kurt out of costume. Actually, it was the first time I’ve seen Kurt out of costume. I took your advice and tried to just be myself. We had lots of fun, and he even kissed me good night. The kiss was really quick (I think he was worried that my father might be watching through the window) but it was awesome.
More later. Candace
P.S. Did you know he dropped out of high school? That’s a little weird. Oh well. Nobody’s perfect. TTFN.
Candace began to get ready for bed. A couple of minutes later her email alert sounded. She hurried over to her computer and saw that Josh had emailed her back.
Candy, glad things went well. Funny that your friend was at the restaurant. Kurt emailed me a while ago and said how hot you looked. Send a pic if you have it. Josh
Candace grabbed her phone and sent the picture she had taken to his email address. Then she replied to his message.
Josh, I just sent the picture. Let me know if you get it. It’s a little weird, both of us talking to you. You’re not telling him what I’m saying are you? Candy
A minute later he replied.
Got your pic. He didn’t do you justice. Wow! And don’t worry. I’m on your side. Sure, you’re both my friends, but I like you best.:)
It was nearly one a.m. by the time she and Josh said good night. Candace fell into bed and whispered “Thank you, God” before she fell asleep.
The Summer of Cotton Candy Page 7