Coffee in Common

by Dee Mann

"See, what did I tell you? He probably already forgot about the whole thing." She stood up to return to her office. "Why don't you leave early? That ad can wait until Monday morning. If you stay until five-thirty you'll never be ready by six-thirty. Go home now. Have a nice hot bath and relax for a while." Her eyes bright, she grinned and added, "And when you're walking in front of him tonight, make sure your cute little backside puts on a good show for the boy! I have a feeling he's going to earn it."

  2:40 PM

  As the elevator descended, Jillian surveyed her nails, then pulled a small mirror from her purse for a peek at her hair.

  Maybe I'll lose the clear polish and add some color. And I could put my hair up. But maybe he'd it better down. Or maybe…

  The door opening interrupted her thoughts. She stepped out and started across the lobby, mentally rummaging through her closet, searching for something she and Liz might have forgotten earlier. One by one, she dismissed each outfit, even the skirt and blouse combination mentioned last night.

  No, they're nice, but nowhere near special enough. I need something fabulous…something simple but elegant. I want him to drool when he first sees me.

  Her soft giggle turned some heads.

  He said to wear something a little dressy. That's guy talk for ‘don't wear pants.' So he wants to see me in a dress. Hmmm.

  Once outside the building, she glanced at her watch.

  Plenty of time. Thank you, Cathy.

  She cut across the Common and Public Gardens to Newbury Street and spent nearly forty minutes hopping in and out of boutiques.

  She had found a really hot red scoop-neck dress with an open back and criss-cross straps in the second store. When she tried it on, she almost blushed at how much cleavage showed. She loved the way it clung to her hips, but it was right on the cusp of being slutty, so she kept it in mind and continued her search.

  As she strolled down the street toward the next shop she heard a familiar female voice call, "Jillian! Hey, Jillian!"

  She was surprised to see Marissa scoop up a small boy and hurry to catch up with her.

  "Hi! Are you cutting classes today? And who is this handsome guy?" She reached over and tried to pat him on the cheek but he squirmed around to avoid her hand.

  "This is my nephew Christian. Mary and Frank are at the D-O-C-T-O-R, so Chris and I are having a fun afternoon."

  "Is everything okay?"

  Marissa grinned and patted her lower abdomen. "Oh sure. Three month ultrasound."

  "Ooo, that's wonderful! Give her my congratulations!"

  "I will. Now what are you doing out of work? Did you take the day off? I can't blame you after what happened last night."

  Jillian gave her a quick update.

  "That's unbelievable! And you still don't know where you're going?"

  "Nope. He wants to surprise me. But I have a feeling it'll be pretty special, which is why I'm looking for a new dress."

  Just then, her cell phone rang. She fished it out of her purse, flipped it open, and checked the caller ID.

  "Oh shi…" She remembered Chris. "…ah, shoot. I forgot."

  "Hey, Jills. How's it going?"

  "Hi Patrick. I'm fine."

  "I am so glad to be back in Boston. I've been craving stuffed calamari for a week now. How about I pick you up after work and we can find someplace in the North End for calamari, pasta, and a couple of bottles of wine. Then, when we're feeling good, we can go wherever you like. What time should I pick you up? Or did you want to go home first to change or something?"

  "Patrick, I'm sorry, but I didn't know you were getting home tonight and I've already made other plans."

  "So cancel them. Besides, you made plans with me two weeks ago."

  "I know, but they weren't for any particular night. I made plans with my girlfriends and I can't let them down."

  Damn, I hate lying, but how can I tell him I'm canceling to see another guy.

  Patrick let her know he was not happy about being stood up. When he finally rang off, she found herself hoping he'd never call back, even if things didn't go well with Paul tonight.

  As she closed the phone she heard, "Juggling two boyfriends, I see. This is a new side to you. Who's Patrick?"

  Jillian wrinkled her nose. "I met him at a party two months ago. He's a sales-rep for some drug company. Used to play basketball in college. After about fifteen minutes of mostly meaningless small-talk, he claimed to be, and this is a quote, ‘completely smitten. I've never experienced love at first sight before. It's amazing. You're amazing. '"

  Marissa giggled. "You're kidding. He didn't really say that."

  "I swear. But he was tall and good looking and dressed well, so I let it go and gave him my cell number, a mistake, by the way, from which I learned a valuable lesson – only give a new guy your regular phone number. It's much easier to control when you talk to him.

  "Anyway, we went out a few times, but it turns out his love at first sight was more like lust at any opportunity. He was always charming, and attentive, and he took me to some nice places, but he was always, ummm, putting on a full-court press to get me to come home with him.

  "I was sort of tempted after our third date 'cause, you know, it's kind of been a long time since the last time, and I thought maybe he'd relax and stop trying to close the deal all the time if I let him, but it just…I don't know…it just didn't feel right sleeping with him when that seemed to be the only reason he was seeing me. You know what I mean?"

  "Oh yah. But…you're still seeing him?"

  "Not really. Two weeks ago, he told me he had to attend a training session in Chicago and wouldn't be back for a fortnight. He actually said fortnight, mind you. Honestly, I was relieved. He's just too pushy. I've been half-hoping he'd lose interest by the time he returned." She held up the phone. "Evidently he hasn't."

  Marissa grimaced. "Yah, I hate guys like that. They think they're doing you a favor by trying to get you naked. Northeastern's full of guys like that. Maybe you'll get lucky and he won't call again."

  "I wish. No, I'll have to tell him goodbye eventually, but I didn't want to get into it now."

  "Absolutely. Why get yourself upset before a big date. Hey, want some company shopping?"

  Marissa stroked her nephew's hair and stage whispered, "Want to help Jillian find a new dress so she can be all pretty for her date tonight?"

  Chris just snuggled closer and held on tighter, drawing laughs from the girls as they continued on with the search for the perfect dress.

  By four o'clock, Jillian was about to give up and go back for the red one when, right in the only window of a tiny little walk-down shop, she spotted a black, silk, v-neck with spaghetti ties. When she tried it on, she knew this was the one. The silk clung to her in all the right places, as if it had been custom made for her. The neck dipped just low enough to entice, as did the half-open back, and the hem fluttered two inches above her knees.

  As she walked out of the dressing room, Marissa whistled. "Oh girl, you look sooo great in that. You have to get it." Then she held one side of Chris's head to her chest, covered his other ear with her free hand. "Of course, you know that when Paul sees you in that dress all he's gonna want to do is take it off you."

  Jillian blushed but was pleased at the thought of such a reaction. She was still in front of the mirror, admiring the way the dress fit, when she heard, "Jilli, look at this!"

  Marissa had found a lovely black cashmere wrap with delicate gold embroidery near the ends that would add the perfect touch of elegance to her new dress. It was wide enough to cover her back and shoulders and heavy enough to keep her cozy should the day's unseasonable warmth vanish with the setting sun.

  Standing again in front of the mirror in the boutique, Jillian imagined herself with her hair up, wearing her black, strappy heels, and her diamond teardrop earrings and was pleased. She really wanted to look good tonight and tried to envision what Paul's reaction would be when he first saw her.

  In a few hours, she would fin
d out.

  6:25 PM

  Damn! It's almost six-thirty. He'll be here any minute.

  Since arriving home two hours earlier, she had dusted and straightened the whole apartment, showered, put her hair up three different ways, painted her fingernails and toenails to match the lipstick she selected for the night, agonized over which scent to use, and, finally, dropped the towel she had been wearing and slipped into her new dress. All she had left was to put on her earrings, underwear and shoes and she'd be ready. Naturally, the doorbell rang.

  "Damn!"

  She ran to the speaker, determined it was Paul, and told him she was almost ready and that she'd leave the door unlocked. Then she buzzed him in and ran back to the bathroom.

  Look at me…rushing around like a teenager getting ready for her first date. Why am I doing this? Why does it feel so important? It's just another first date. I've been on plenty of them. But…somehow, this one is different. It feels…right. He feels right. But why? The flowers? The misunderstanding? Is it guilt that's making me feel this way? Or is this what people talk about…the knowing, before there is any way you could know? The certainty you feel when you've met the right person? Stop it, girl. You can't think like that. He's just another guy…but what if…

  "Stop it! It's too confusing and you don't have time to think about it now."

  Her earrings went on in a matter of seconds. Then she stared at the silk pantyhose and panties. Which one? On the one hand, her legs looked great and she really didn't need to wear pantyhose, but on the other hand, is was only May, and if the night turned cold and the wind whipped up, she didn't want to find herself literally freezing her ass off.

  She was reaching for the panties when she heard a knock, followed a second later by "Hello."

  "I'll just be another minute or two. Please make yourself comfortable."

  She picked up the black undies and slid them on. Pushing the dress back down, she inspected herself in the long mirror.

  Damn! Panty lines. It ruins the effect of the dress. I'm sure there's some silky shear ones in the dresser, but there's no way I can go out and pull underwear from a drawer with him standing right there.

  With a sigh, the panties came off and the pantyhose went on. When she checked the mirror again, she smiled.

  No lines. Perfect.

  She checked her face one last time, slipped into her heels, then quietly opened the bathroom door and stepped into the room.

  Paul was dressed in a black Donna Karan three-button suit with a white shirt and a black and gray patterned silk tie. He was admiring the evening view out the window when he heard her say softly, "Hi. You look very handsome."

  He turned and his mouth simply dropped open, his eyes blinking rapidly, as if they could not believe what they were seeing.

  "Holy…" he whispered after a few seconds, "You look…"

  He stood, unmoving, afraid that if he even twitched, the spell would be broken and the vision in front of him would vanish.

  "You look…"

  Jillian lifted her arms above her head and executed a slow, graceful pirouette. "You like this dress then?"

  "You…"

  "I'll take that as a yes." She walked across the room to stand in front of him.

  "Jillian, I, ahh, I'm sorry. I'm making a fool of myself again."

  "Oh, don't you worry about it. Finding yourself speechless at the sight of me was exactly the right response."

  Paul cleared his throat and remembered what was in his hand. He held out a small bouquet of the same white Calla lilies he'd sent yesterday.

  "They're lovely, Paul. Thank you."

  Callas twice in two days. How could he know?

  She donned her wrap, eliciting another exclamation of appreciation from Paul.

  "Wow. I may need to hire armed guards to keep other guys away from you tonight."

  Jillian felt a quiver of satisfaction.

  I don't know how this evening will end, but it's certainly starting out perfectly.

  Paul offered his arm and a smile, and they set out on the date.

  As they walked through the front door of the building, Jillian saw a limousine with a young man standing next to it. She turned to Paul, her face glowing. "You didn't!"

  He merely smiled, satisfied that she was pleased, and introduced her to the driver, who had opened the rear door as they approached.

  "Pleased to meet you," Gary said to her. "And if you don't mind me saying so, you look absolutely lovely tonight."

  Jillian didn't mind at all and told him so as he helped her into the car. A moment later, Paul was beside her and the door closed.

  Once in the driver's seat, Gary turned so he could see his passengers.

  "You have the phone?" he asked Paul, who patted his jacket pocket and nodded. "Parking can be difficult and I may not always be able to stay close, so try to signal me at least five minutes before you're ready to leave, okay? Pound-7-7 sends a page. If you need to speak with me, press star-2-7 then the TALK button."

  Paul nodded again. "Got it."

  "A few other things. Help yourself to anything you find back there. The fridge is stocked with a variety of beverages as is the mini-bar and if you open the small door below the mini-bar, you'll find an assortment of snacks. The controls for the audio/video are above your head and if you slide open the top cabinets on the left and right, you'll find an assortment of CDs and DVDs. However, given our itinerary tonight, I took the liberty of loading a special CD I burned. I was listening to it on the way to pick you up, so it's all ready to go. The case is in that little drawer to your right if you want to check out the songs.

  "Also, if you need me while we're on the road, pick up the phone on the armrest and press the star button."

  "Thanks, Gary." Paul reached for the CD case. He scanned the titles and smiled. Looking up, he caught Gary's eyes in the rear view mirror and gave him a ‘thumbs up'. Then he passed the case to Jillian. "What do you think?"

  Jillian studied it for a minute. Five of the songs were also on her special mix.

  "I think Gary knows how to create a mood."

  She reached up to press the play button on the CD section of the controls.

  The window between the driver and passenger compartments began to rise as the soft, sultry voice of Linda Ronstadt filled the air.

  There's a saying old says that love is blind,

  Still we're often told, "seek and you shall find"

  So I'm going to seek a certain man I've had in mind…

  Jillian raised her eyes to meet Paul's. She could feel her heart quickening. Was this song another sign, she wondered, a good one?

  Their eyes remained locked, each lost in the moment as the song played through.

  …to my heart he carries the key.

  Won't you tell him please to put on some speed,

  Follow my lead oh, how I need

  Someone who'll watch over me

  Someone who'll watch over me.

  Neither noticed when Ronstadt's voice faded away to be replaced by Barry White's deep, sexy bass. Both were a little afraid of the intensity of what they were feeling. Was it the song or had the song merely channeled to the surface what lay hidden in their hearts? Unsure, neither said anything, but both somehow knew that no matter what happened in the future, this was a moment they'd never forget.

  The spell was broken when Jillian's hand relaxed enough to let the flowers slip from her fingers.

  Shoot. Why did I bring them? I should have put them in water.

  She snatched them up, relieved to see they were undamaged. "Paul, these flowers are very beautiful. May I ask a question?"

  "You may ask a thousand questions and I'll give you a thousand answers. They may not all be the right answers, but I guarantee they'll sound good."

  Jillian giggled. "Just one for now, thank you. Why did you choose these lilies to send yesterday and to give me today?"

  He had been expecting something personal, something one usually shared on a first date. "I do
n't know, really. I went online to see what the florist had to offer and when I came to the Calla lilies they just felt right. They reminded me of you, I guess. They looked soft, and delicate, but hardy at the same time and when I googled them and found they represent innocence, purity and beauty, well, I knew they were the right flowers for you."

  Jillian was more than pleased with his explanation. "They're perfect. Thank you again."

  She wanted to tell him they had always been her favorite flower but held back, partly afraid it would sound phony but mostly because she was feeling a little overwhelmed. At every turn, there seemed to be another connection between them. She sighed.

  I guess there's no way to know what's going to happen. But it looks like it'll be fun finding out.

  6:45 PM

  Priya leaned back in the tub, letting the warm water and clouds of bubbles envelope her up to her chin. A single vanilla candle cast a soft glow as it filled the bathroom with its delicious scent.

  I hate feeling jealous like this. He's a friend now…a very special friend. Be thankful the fates have allowed that. And with luck maybe she'll be a friend, too. He wants her and that's all there is to it so stop acting like an irrational fool and get over it.

  A long sigh split the bubble mountain she'd built above her chest.

  Be happy for them. If you're happy for them it will make the envy go away faster.

  She tried to clear her mind but her guilt kept nagging, refusing to let her be.

  Two lies in two days. What's wrong with you, girl? Daddy would be ashamed if he found out. But I had no choice. He didn't feel it. I couldn't let him know about the fire. And I certainly couldn't tell Jillian. That kiss…nobody's ever made me feel this way before. This burning…this ache…I see now why girls give themselves with such abandon. Is it like this for guys, too? Do they feel this way when they want someone?

  Priya sighed again and moved her hands gently beneath the surface, circulating the warm liquid over her skin. The sensation felt good and she tried to concentrate on that instead of imagining she was with Paul tonight or that he was here with her in the bath, but it was no use. He was in her head, and would stay there until her passion for him faded and only their friendship remained.