by Naomi Niles
I smiled coyly.
“Damn girl! Check you out.”
I smiled.
“Did you do it on top of the bar?”
“Actually…it happened on top of the pool table,” I admitted.
Vanessa let out a scream, and I put my hands on my temples. “Whoa,” I said. “I’m nursing a hangover here, remember?”
“Right,” she said, lowering her voice. “Sorry. I was just…impressed.”
“Come on,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You’re acting like I’m some sort of prude.”
“Not a prude,” Vanessa clarified. “You’re just cautious… I’m glad you stepped outside of your comfort zone.”
I sighed. “He drove me home,” I told her. “And…”
“And?”
“He spent the night,” I admitted.
Her eyes went wide. “Seriously?”
“You were sleeping,” I said, knowing her next question. “We managed to sneak past you…in and out.”
“Oh my gosh, do I really sleep that soundly?”
“Evidently.”
Vanessa shook her head. “So, he spent the night,” she said. “How did that feel?”
“It felt…surprisingly good,” I said. “At least, it did last night when I was lying next to him.”
“And, this morning?”
“Well, I woke up to him putting on his pants.”
“Ah,” Vanessa nodded. “Trying to make a run for it?”
“To be honest, I don’t know,” I said. “He might have been. But it wasn’t like I gave him enough time to wake me up or leave a note or something. He is a fire fighter and said he had an early shift.”
“Plausible excuse.”
I nodded. “I just…felt so many different things this morning.”
“Like what?”
“I wanted him out of here as fast as possible,” I admitted. “I didn’t want Renni to see him, and I was nervous of what it might mean. But at the same time…a part of me was sad to see him leave.”
Vanessa smiled. “This is a really good thing, Mia.”
“You think so?”
“Of course,” she nodded vigorously. “You’ve been alone for too long. It’s about time you found someone.”
“That’s just it,” I said. “What if I’m still not ready to find someone?”
“You don’t have to marry this guy,” she pointed out. “In fact, you don’t even have to see him again if you don’t want to. The point is that you’ve at least opened yourself up to the possibility of meeting new men. At least you know now that you could be open to a relationship in the future.”
“That’s true,” I said reluctantly. “It’s just daunting to think of starting the dating process all over again.”
“You’ve got to start somewhere, kid,” Vanessa said gently. “If not with this guy, then with someone else.”
I nodded slowly. “What if I want to see where things go with Sam?”
Vanessa smiled. “I don’t know,” she said. “Do you?”
“I’m not sure…” I said honestly. “On the one hand, he’s handsome, sweet, and funny. He’s already met Renni, and I know she likes him. He’s thoughtful, and he took really good care of me last night.”
“But?”
“On the other hand… He seems young; he seems like he can be immature at times. He has a really dangerous job and… Renni likes him.”
Vanessa wrinkled her eyebrows together. “I thought that went under the pro column?”
“It does,” I said. “To an extent.”
“You’ll have to elaborate.”
“If Renni gets overly attached and then things don’t work out?” I pointed out.
“Ah.”
“Exactly,” I said. “I don’t have the luxury of just thinking about myself anymore. I have to think of Renni, too. Any man I date will inevitably end up with the both of us. It’s sort of a package deal.”
Vanessa nodded. “I see what you mean.”
“I suppose the ball’s in his court, though,” I said. “I don’t have to make a decision until he calls me. If he calls me.”
Before Vanessa could ask me her next question, Renni appeared at my elbow. “I finished my breakfast, Mommy,” she informed me.
I smiled at her. “Good girl,” I said. “How were the eggs?”
“Really yummy,” she said.
She proceeded to drag a chair up to the sink so that she could wash her plate. I decided that if I had managed to bring up a five year old who was willing to and capable of washing her own dishes, then I must be doing something right. When she was done, she popped back down and dragged the chair back to the table.
“Where did you go last night, Mommy?” Renni asked.
I exchanged a glance with Vanessa. “I just went out…with some of my work friends, sweetheart.”
“Was there music?”
“There was,” I nodded. “And there was dancing, too.”
“Did you dance?” she asked with interest.
“As a matter of fact, I did,” I smiled. “A friend convinced me to dance.”
“You’re a good dancer,” Renni said.
I knew she was basing that off of the dancing sessions we sometimes had around the kitchen table while we were cooking on weekends. “Thanks, darling,” I said. “I’m glad someone thinks so.”
“Did you see Sam last night?”
The casual directness of her question caught me off guard, and I answered without thinking about it. “I… Yes,” I said. “I ran into him for a bit last night.”
I wasn’t sure if her question was purely coincidental or if she had heard Vanessa and I mention him, but I didn’t want to lie to her.
“I like Sam,” Renni said.
I smiled. “I’m pretty sure he likes you, too,” I said.
“Do you like Sam?” she asked pointedly.
I glanced at Vanessa, and she was smiling at me in a way that said “good luck.” I turned back to my daughter, who was looking at me with those big, trusting green eyes. “Of course, I like Sam,” I replied. “He saved my little girl, how could I not like him?”
Renni smiled. “I hope you’ll see him again,” she said.
I hesitated for a moment and forced a half-hearted smile onto my face. “Me, too.”
Chapter Seventeen
Sam
I stared at Mia’s number for a full two minutes, trying to figure out what the hell was happening to me. I wanted to call her, I wanted to hear her voice and ask her out, but at the same time, I found myself in a battle with my belief system I had constructed for myself over the years.
I was Sam Burbank and Sam Burbank was a player. He was not the kind of guy who asked women out and took them to nice dinners at fancy restaurants. He was not the kind of guy who slept with a woman and then called her afterwards. He was not the kind of guy who believed in commitments or marriage or monogamy.
I focused on Mia’s name emblazoned on my screen and sighed. I was trying to talk myself out of calling her, but I still couldn’t escape the fact that I truly and sincerely wanted to. She hadn’t texted or called me since I’d left her place two days ago. I wondered if she would if I gave it a few more days or if she would just stay silent.
I kept wishing she would call me, just so that I’d have the excuse I needed to see her one more time. In the end, my patience gave way, and I ended up dialling her number and waiting with baited breath for her voice on the other end.
“Hello?” Mia’s voice was soft and tilted up at the end.
“Hi, Mia,” I said, trying not to stumble over my nerves.
“Hi, Sam.” She didn’t sound annoyed or surprised. She just sounded…normal. I was hoping she would propel the conversation along, but she stayed silent, forcing me to talk.
“Umm…hi,” I said again, stalling for time.
She laughed a little. “We already went through this part,” she reminded me.
“Right,” I said, shaking my head in embarrassment. “How are yo
u?”
“A little busy, actually,” Mia replied.
It sounded like she was trying to cut the conversation short and brush me off. In some ways, that should have made it easier for me to just leave things as they were. Then I’d be preserving my lifestyle and getting out of this strange thing we had going without hurting her feelings.
And yet, her voice lit a fire under me, and I was forced to realize that I really, really didn’t want to leave things as they were. I wanted to see Mia again. I wanted to have sex with her again. And even more amazing, I wanted to talk to her again.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“You’re not bothering me,” she replied gently. “I’m just at work right now.”
“Right,” I said, hoping that it was a good sign that she had taken my call, despite the fact that she was at work. “Any interesting new cases?”
“There always is,” Mia said, and she sounded slightly amused. “By the way, since you called, I just wanted to thank you for staying over the other night and taking care of me the way you did.”
“Oh, you already thanked me, Mia,” I said, feeling slightly optimistic. “And like I said, it was my pleasure.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end. “Sam?”
“Yes?”
“Was there any particular reason you called?”
“Oh… umm… I guess there is.”
“Care to share it with me?” This time, I was a hundred percent sure she was amused.
“Well, I called to ask you out, actually,” I admitted. “I would love to take you to dinner one night.”
“Ah,” Mia nodded, as though she had suspected that this was coming. “Can I be honest with you, Sam?”
I held my breath. “Sure,” I agreed.
“I don’t know if that would be such a good idea.”
“Why not?”
Her hesitance made me realize how much I wanted to see her. Now that there was a pretty good chance she was going to turn me down, I knew I had to fight that much harder to make her give me a shot.
“Because my life is kind of…hectic at the moment,” she said. “I don’t know if I have the time to date.”
“Well, you’ll never know until you try it,” I said, in my most charming voice. “Personally, I think a balanced life is a healthy life. I understand you have to work, but playing is important, too. Remember how much fun we had the other night?”
She paused a moment. “We did have fun,” she acknowledged.
“See?”
“I have Renni,” she said after a moment.
“I’m already aware that you have a daughter Mia.”
She laughed. “I know. I just meant that… I don’t have a babysitter lined up. And, Vanessa’s going to be busy for the next week.”
“Bring Renni along,” I said readily.
Mia paused for a moment. “Really?” she asked, sounding very surprised.
I knew this was the way to her heart, so I insisted a little harder. “Of course,” I said. “Renni seems like a great kid, and I haven’t seen her in awhile. You should definitely bring her along.”
“Wow…okay,” she said. “I suppose I could do that.”
“Is that a yes?” I asked quickly.
“Umm…”
“Come on, Mia,” I encouraged. “It’ll be fun.”
I heard her sigh and then her voice came through clearly. “Alright then,” she agreed. “I’ll go out with you.”
“Great,” I said. “How about tonight? I’ll pick you two up at eight-thirty?”
“Umm… Renni’s only five, Sam,” Mia said gently. “She gets hungry a little earlier.”
“Of course,” I said, shaking my head. “How about seven, then?”
“Seven sounds good,” she agreed.
“See you then.”
“See you then.”
I hung up and punched the air with my fist. “Yes!” I crowed. I had a moment of unadulterated triumph before the nerves started to set in. And eventually, that led me straight to Peter’s place.
I found Peter in the back yard, tending to a couple of repairs. He was shirtless despite the cold and didn’t seem to be aware of it.
“You look like a right asshole,” I informed him as I leaned against the porch railing.
Peter rolled his eyes at me. “At least I don’t remove my shirt for an audience,” he shot back.
“Why else would you remove your shirt?”
“Is there a reason you’re here?”
“Actually, there is,” I nodded. Then he glanced back towards the house. “Where are Madison and Mom?”
“Madison’s still at work and Mom went down to the store for groceries,” he replied as he set down his tools and walked over to where I stood. “Something wrong?”
“No,” I said. “I just…need some advice.”
Immediately, the teasing look on Peter’s face faded, and it was replaced with brotherly helpfulness. “Shoot, little brother,” he said. “I’m listening.”
“I asked Mia out today,” I admitted.
Peter raised his eyebrows. “Wow…you actually asked her out on a real date?”
“I know, right?” I said, giving him a shy smile. “Who would have thought?”
“Actually… Madison did,” he said.
“Madison?” I said. “It’s true what they say about women: they have this sixth sense.”
“They do,” he agreed. “What advice do you need, exactly?”
“Just general advice,” I said. “I’m not sure, really. I’ve never actually been on an actual date.”
“You are shitting me,” he said in surprise.
“Think about it,” I told him. “My relationships in high school were just one long string of make out sessions in various places. And after that, I’ve just had a bunch of hook ups and one-night stands that never led to anything.”
“Wow, you really haven’t been on a real date,” Peter said in amazement.
“Yup.”
“Okay, well this is what you do,” he said, jumping into advice mode. “You pick a nice restaurant. Nothing too fancy – fancy places tend to be overpriced and stuffy. You don’t want to come off as being pretentious, and you also don’t want to look like you’re trying too hard.”
“Right,” I said, trying to take it all in. “Nothing too fancy.”
“Which is not to say you take her to a McDonald’s,” he said quickly. “No fast food joints. It has to be a decent restaurant, good food and nice ambience.”
“Any recommendations?” I asked.
“You can’t go wrong with Cheesecake Factory,” Peter said. “But there’s also a nice Chinese restaurant down Burke Street. If you’re looking for Western options, then Casa Elvira’s has great Italian and Spanish options.”
“Do they have a good kid’s menu?”
Peter looked at me pointedly.
“Renni’s coming, too,” I admitted.
“She’s bringing her kid?”
“I’m the one that suggested it,” I said. “She sounded reluctant to agree to go out with me, and I think including her daughter is what cinched the deal. Not that I minded…her kid’s pretty cute.”
“Wow… This is a big commitment for you, huh?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” I said quickly. “I mean, this is only our first real date.”
“That includes her child,” Peter reminded me.
“Well…yeah.”
“Okay, well, then I would recommend Casa Elvira,” he said. “They have great pizza options and they even make mini pizzas for kids.”
“Excellent,” I nodded. “Any other valuable tips for me?”
“Pay the bill,” he said immediately. “Even if she offers, make sure you pay everything. It’s important to do, especially on the first date.”
“Right.”
“Give her your undivided attention,” Peter continued. “Ask her about her life, her job, her childhood. Show an interest in the deta
ils of her life. Let her know that you’re not just some guy trying to get into her pants.”
“Okay.”
“When you drop her off, walk her to the door,” Peter said. “Give her a chaste kiss, nothing that would lead her to believe you’re expecting anything from her.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like I can do anything more with her kid right there with us.”
“Oh, right,” Peter smiled. “This is going to be interesting.”
“Yeah,” I sighed.
“Is it my imagination or are you actually a little nervous?”
I shot him a look. “Cut me some slack, okay?” I said. “I’ve never done this before.”
He smiled. “Remember to open doors for her and hold out her chair for her to sit – they’re old fashioned gestures. But they work.”
“Noted,” I said, glancing at him self-consciously for a moment.
“What?” Peter asked, obviously having noticed my look.
“I just…”
“Yes?”
“Umm… I was wondering…”
“Come on,” Peter said impatiently. “Spit it out.”
“What the hell do I wear tonight?”
I instantly regretted the question when he burst out laughing. “Shut up,” I yelled at him, as though I was five years old.
“Come with me,” Peter said the moment he was done laughing.
I followed him into the house, and he led me to his own closet. He rifled through his drawers and pulled out a couple of different shirts.
“Jeans are fine,” he told me. “But I’d pair it with a button down shirt so that you’re not overly casual.”
“You mean, no t-shirts?”
“No t-shirts,” Peter said firmly. “Again, you need to show her that you’ve made an effort. You need to show her that she’s important to you.”
“Right,” I nodded. “Okay… So jeans and a button down…”
“And a nice pair of shoes,” he said. “Pop your coat on over it and you’re good to go.”
“I don’t know if I have any button down shirts,” I admitted.
“That’s why I’m laying out some choices for you, you moron,” Peter said, gesturing to the options he had laid out in front of me. “I’m not just laying out those shirts for decoration.”
I shook my head and looked through the shirts on the bed. “Nothing checkered, please,” I said. “I’m not an old man.”