Spinster?

by Thompson, Nikki Mathis

  "Yes, after a minute, but it doesn't change the fact you didn't officially ask me out on a date," she said crisply.

  "Hm," was all he said, then pushed away. The sound of the iron chair grated on the stone. She sat confused as he tossed a few bills on the table and walked away. She sniffed, crossing her arms tighter. What was his problem? She was being a little snarky, but she meant it in a playful way. Had she laid it on too thick? No. Well, if he can't handle a little sass, then he could kiss her ass.

  He stopped and turned. "You coming?" She stood with caution as she grabbed her purse. She kept her steps slow and controlled. They walked down the street in silence. Tess felt grouchy—the once delightful day had certainly soured. The birds that had once chirped musically now sounded like screeches in her ear. The worst of it was, she hadn't finished the damn questions, again. No, the worst of it was she wanted this to be a date and she wanted to see him again. She guessed she'd played it wrong. Tess did that sometimes, thinking she had a good read on someone and got too familiar, too soon. When they stopped in front of his office building. Wesley turned to her, grabbing her hand, then falling to a knee. The sidewalks were empty, or she'd have been really embarrassed.

  "Tess Warner, would you do me the honor of accompanying me on a date?"

  She laughed and yanked up. "Oh for goodness, sake...get up."

  "Is that official enough for you?" He brushed off the knee on his pant leg and smiled. A piece of dark hair fell in his face. She brushed it back casually. "Yes. Official, and quite unnecessary. I don't need grand gestures, Wesley.

  "I thought I asked you to call me Wes."

  "Sorry, I've always known you as Wesley, plus Wes and Tess rhyme...anyway, I just appreciate clear communication."

  His deep blue eyes twinkled with amusement. "Okay, then this is me clearly communicating to you...I would like to take you to dinner sometime." He stood a few inches away from her, but made no move to touch her.

  "Okay."

  "Okay?"

  "Yes, that would be nice." Tess was smiling ear to ear. She was glad her first impression of him was spot on. He did have a sense of humor, thankfully. And since he seemed kind, and was definitely easy on the eyes, Tess knew this was something she could work with. She didn't know much about him, and the shallow interview questions weren't going to really help in that regard. Tess was looking forward to find out who Wesley Caraway was, the man, not the myth she'd built in her head all those years ago.

  "Email me the rest of the questions. I promise I'll get them back to you right away. I know you want to get it off your plate." His finger brushed against her hand all too briefly, but long enough for her to feel it everywhere.

  "That would be great, but I have to say, I'm kind of glad I got roped into this newsletter business after all." She nudged her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose.

  "Is that so?" Wesley asked. Half of his mouth went up in a grin. God, he was pretty. Tess wished he would kiss her, or touch her again in some way. It had been a while since she'd been so attracted to someone and she wasn't sure how to deal with all of the feels going on. Not in the heart, but a little further south.

  "Yes." It came out breathier than she'd meant it to. "But only because I'm getting some free food out of the deal," she recovered.

  "Well, I'm glad I could sweeten the deal for you...I'll be in touch about dinner. I'm between sitters right now and my parents are in Europe at the moment, so..."

  "I get it, no worries." She dug in her bag. "I almost forgot, I brought a copy of the questions. Take a look and shoot me an email. And as for dinner, just let me know."

  Wesley took the paper with a nod. "I'll get to this tonight...It was good seeing you again, Tess." Her name sounded like a feather on her spine.

  "It was good seeing you, too." She closed the space between them and placed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Thank you for lunch." She brushed past him, her chest sliding across his arm. She kept walking, not turning back. But she knew, without looking, that Wes was watching her walk away.

  Tess went back to work and finished out her day. Wesley was on her mind, but not enough to distract her. Yes, he was hot, and yes, she would love nothing more than to get naked and sweaty with him, but she wasn't in any hurry. She would like to get to know him better, this was true, but knowing he was a single dad made her tap the brakes a bit. Not because he had kids necessarily, but because she needed to know the backstory. She liked him, but she was not one to get into it with anyone with too much baggage. Drama made her bounce quicker than impotence. Which brought her thoughts of the other guy in her life. Donovan she also liked, but wasn't sure the specter of his deceased wife was something she was able to, or willing to overcome. She didn't know when she would see Wesley again anyway, so she would focus her energy on Donovan for now. They had a date on the books for the following night and she was looking forward to it. They'd shared a few steamy kisses and she was anxious to see that translate into some heavier petting.

  This date would be number three. This was significant because by date three she always considered going horizontal with someone, or vertical, if the wall was the first stop. Three might not seem like a lot to some, but at her age if she'd gone out with a guy three times there was interest there. Whether the interest was just physical, or something more serious, depended on the guy. Tess wasn't opposed to the random hook up, and she was no stranger to the one night stand. There had also been times she'd ended up naked by the end of her first date. Like the gorgeous actor she'd gone to that music festival with. Calling him an actor was a stretch. He'd done one local commercial for a car dealership and played Mercutio for a dinner theater performance of Romeo and Juliet —reciting his monologue while people ate mediocre roast beef. Anyway, he had abs to make you go commando and that was all that mattered to Tess at the time. All day drinking in the heat, swaying to music in not much clothing—forgone conclusion. But usually, date three was the magic number.

  Lately, those wham bam dalliances had been fewer and farther between. Frankly, she felt she was getting too old for it all. She was much more apt to curl up with Lord Boffington these days. He was reliable, always ready, and conveniently located in her underwear drawer.

  Donovan called as she was shutting down her computer.

  "Hey," she cooed.

  "Hey, there beautiful. How was your day?"

  "It was good. How about you?"

  "Oh you know, pushing organic grub and vitamins can be precarious, but I muddle through."

  Tess laughed. Donovan was so adorable. She could do this.

  "Are we still on for tomorrow night?" He asked, voice hopeful.

  "Of course. What are we going to do?"

  "How do you feel about Ethiopian food?"

  "Uh, that I'd leave hungry."

  He chuckled. "You're a nut, Tess."

  "Yup, Nutella's my middle name. Seriously, I've never eaten Ethiopian." She wan't sure she wanted to either.

  "You up for trying it?"

  Not really. Thai was as exotic as she got, yet she said, "Sure, why not...You know, Donovan, I'm really up for anything." Subtle? That's not what she was going for.

  He cleared his throat. "Good...good to know."

  They hung up and Tess sighed. She hoped he knew that sex was definitely on the menu, if he was ready.

  She twisted her hair into a clip and applied some lip gloss. Next, was a text to her girls, letting them know she was on her way and needed a drink.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The tangy liquid slid down her throat, which she swallowed with pleasure and without hesitation. She ran her tongue around the slick rim, taking in the salty flavor.

  "You look like you're having sex with your glass," Rebel said.

  Tess looked up from her top shelf margarita with a scowl. "I was having a margarita moment, if you must know."

  "I can see why you have so many gentleman callers. You licked that rim like a champ," Rebel teased.

  "You can get your little mind out of the gu
tter. The only rim I lick is made of glass."

  The table was full with the whole gang. Willa, Rebel, Marin, Emma, and Jen. All of which had gone silent.

  "Good lord, we're only one drink in and they're already talking about rim jobs. It's gonna be a fun night," Emma said, rubbing her hands together.

  "Since when do we need alcohol to talk about sex?" Marin pointed out.

  Like everyone around the table, Marin had come straight from work. She was a partner in a real-estate development firm. Her blonde hair was slicked back in a tight professional bun. It was in direct opposition to the neck tie of her silk teal shirt that now hung open sloppily.

  Rebel was a software consultant, so she made her own schedule for the most part. And she made sure her Friday afternoons were work free, so she was in skinny jeans and a tank top, her ample cleavage joining them for happy hour as well. Her long dark hair fell past her shoulders. Emma sold medical equipment. This was the days she was in the operating room monitoring, so she was in orange and white scrubs. Her tan face was free of makeup and her hair was in a ponytail, but she was still radiant. Tess was envious. She was pretty sure if she was wearing orange scrubs after a long day, she'd look like a oomph loompa.

  Jen worked for an advertising firm that encouraged casual Fridays, so she was in khaki capris and a short sleeved v-neck. Her porcelain skin was also flawless, with little makeup. Her mom was Korean and at sixty-three, looked more like forty-five. Her green eyes gleamed as she said, "Not to change the intellectual topic that is the rim job, but I met someone." This news wasn't shocking, or noteworthy. Jen was in a perpetual state of dating—prone to insta-love, but was even quicker to fall out. Many a night was spent amongst a tissue laden floor. Jen lamenting another one, that wasn't the one.

  The less than half-hearted responses from her friends led her to add, "No guys, really. I met someone."

  "Okay, I'll bite. Who is he?" Tess asked.

  "You know how my mom and her little Asian mafia are always trying to play matchmaker?" The girls nodded, adding yeahs and a-huhs. "I always say hell no, right? Well, a few weeks I had to go to a random cousin's, who I'm not sure how we're even cousins, wedding. I found myself seated next to a young guy, of course."

  "They do that to you every time," Emma said with a laugh. "I feel ya, sister." And she did. Emma once spent two of the longest hours of her life spurning the advances of a very handsy, and much older car salesman named Ernesto during her niece's quinceañera. Her mom swore he would be perfect for her. Apparently the only qualifications for perfection were single and employed.

  "I know, right? So, there I was cursing my mom, who once again was trying to meddle in my love life. The thing is I didn't really get a good look at him."

  "Until?" Marin asked.

  "Until I heard a deep voice ask if I had his napkin."

  "Did you?" Rebel asked.

  "Did I what?"

  "Have his napkin?" Rebel added.

  Jen huffed. "I don't know, maybe...but that's beside the point. What matters is I turned to see the most gorgeous looking man I've ever seen in my life." Again not news. She'd met at least a dozen "most gorgeous man I've ever seen."

  But Tess decided to humor her obviously smitten friend. "Was he Korean?"

  "Yes...I know I said I'd never date a Korean man after that one guy who lived with his mother and wanted us to wear matching jump suits. But girls...he's like the Asian Chris Hemsworth."

  "Who's he?" Marin whispered to Tess.

  "Thor."

  "Oooh, nice."

  "You bet your ass, nice. And guys...he's so kind and smart, and...I don't know, just so."

  The girls shot each other looks. This was pretty starry-eyed, even for Jen.

  "When do we get to meet Mr. Korean Thor?" Emma asked.

  Jen was quiet for a minute then said, "Tonight." It was sheepish.

  "That's great, sweetie. We can't wait to meet him," Willa encouraged, finally chiming in.

  "Really? You guys'll go easy on him, right?" Okay, now Tess knew this was different. Jen was never so nervous, unsure even. She wanted us to like this guy.

  "What? Of course," Marin said, causing Jen's eyes to land on Emma.

  "What?" Emma snipped. Jen tilted her head and raised her eyebrow. "What'd I do?"

  "Emma, you once asked my date how he stayed upright with a noggin that big, and I quote," Jen reminded her.

  The girls laughed, including Emma. "Ha, that was some funny shit. Hey, in my defense the dude's cranium was the size of a rhino's. Plus, he kept looking down my shirt every time you turned your head. Creep."

  "She would never do that to someone you really liked," Willa said. "Would you?"

  "Hell, no. I have a filter...why are ya'll looking at me like that?"

  "We can't wait to meet him. I'll even tell Cameron to come up, so he's not the only guy," Rebel offered.

  "I'll text Ben, too. He was pouting about being left alone on a Friday night anyway."

  "And I'll call...oh wait, I have no one to call," Tess teased.

  "Whoa, whoa. Last time I checked you had two hunky candidates sniffing about," Willa announced.

  "What? Two? Who's the second one?" Rebel shouted.

  "I thought you were seeing that Donovan guy?" Emma said.

  "Yeah," Marin and Jen chimed.

  Tess gave Willa a thanks-a-lot look. Willa smiled and shrugged in return.

  "There's only one person I'm seeing—Donovan. There is no second candidate. I ran into a guy I used to go to high school with. He was one of the people I had to interview for that reunion thing. We had lunch because of it, nothing more." It was Willa's turn to give her a look. "Okay, so he asked me out, but we have no firm plans as of yet, so technically we are not dating."

  "So, if he does call you, you'll go out with him?" Rebel asked.

  Tess took a long tug on the straw sticking out of her glass. "Haven't decided yet." She knew she would probably say yes, but she wanted to bounce the info off of her crew first. Tess shared with them her history of speechless infatuation back in school and about his single father status.

  "Are you not sure because of the kid thing?" Marin asked.

  "No, not really. I dated that guy a few years ago. Remember Luke? He had a really sweet little boy. I grew a bit attached to him, then we broke up...It really sucked. Wesley—that's his name—has two kids. Not sure what his story involves."

  "Isn't that the whole point of going on dates—to get to know the other person? Tell each other your stories," Emma said, pulling off her scrub top to reveal a gray tank top underneath. "I mean you had a huge crush on him. He's hot as ever, he's not an asshole, and has a great career." She ticked away the list on her fingers.

  Tess didn't mention the fact that he made her girl parts ignite with the barest touch.

  "Donovan's great, though," Willa threw in.

  "Wait, what? You've met him?" Rebel said, sounding slightly offended. She was territorial sometimes about having number one bestie status.

  "I saw him briefly, one time. He met Tess in the lobby, they were going to lunch. That gave me a firsthand appraisal on his physical attributes. The rest is what Tess has told me."

  "He does sound pretty great," Jen agreed. They all nodded.

  "He is. I like him, and I know you think I'm pulling a Seinfeld, but I just have my reservations."

  "The dead wife thing, huh?" Marin said. Head of nail, smack.

  Tess nodded. "Yeah. I hate to admit it, but I don't think I can compete with her memory. I don't even want to try, ya know?"

  "Oh, sweetie, you don't have to compete. Be yourself, be you," Marin soothed.

  "I know, and it's not insecurity talking. There've been signs is all. It makes me think he isn't ready," Tess admitted.

  "Why don't you let him be the judge on whether he's ready or not," Emma said. Then she went still and whispered, "Dios mio and fuck me running."

  Everyone looked at Emma, then to the object that had drawn her attention. Walking toward the
table was a tall Asian man. His broad shoulders snug in a tight green t-shirt and dark wavy hair hung to his shoulders.

  Tess didn't think it was possible, but if there was a such thing as a Korean Thor, this guy would be him.

  "I'd let him put his hammer in me any day," Emma whispered.

  "Hey!" Jen hissed, then stood up and threw her arms around K-Thor's neck. They kissed deeply, his hands digging into her hips. They all stared, soaking in the grope-tastic scene.

  Marin cleared her throat. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

  Jen pulled away, her languid face looked like she'd drank a bottle of booze. "Girls, this is Alex. Alex, these are the girls."

  "Hi, ladies." Damn, like butta'.

  They all said hi and fussed over him for a second. Emma chewed her bottom lip for a few minutes then asked, "I'm not trying to be offensive." The girls groaned. "Shut it...I'm not trying to be offensive...but you have this whole Viking look going. It's not what you would call typical for your homeland...I'm Mexican, so I know a thing or two about vertically challenged races."

  "Oh, God," Jen groaned.

  Alex chuckled. "It's okay, baby." Ahhh, baby. "I actually get that a lot. My grandfather on my mother's side was Norwegian. I know, weird combo."

  "Kind of like German and Korean," Jen added, smiling. She was a beautiful result of the unique pairing.

  "I'm the only one, besides my grandfather, to have the height and broad shoulders. Genetics can be hit or miss." He grinned, his straight white teeth were worthy of a Colgate commercial. Jen hit the hottie jackpot.

  Tess thought about her own genetic miss. She wasn't unattractive, but she felt she wasn't on par with her mom, or even her sister. Nope. Thanks, Dad, for the slow metabolism and strong nose. Thankfully, she did inherit kickass cheekbones and long lashes. The whole package worked—thanks in part to the gym, style, and swagger. Oh, and a top notch push-up bra. Victoria be thy name.

  They pulled up a seat for Alex and he jumped right into the conversation, his hand always touching some part of Jen's body...appropriate, in public, parts of her body. When he excused himself to go to the restroom, the table erupted as soon as he was out of earshot, though the screeches could probably be heard easily in the men's room. He got everyone's approval, and Jen was beaming as a result.