by S. E. Law
But Brick acts like I am. He actually wants to spend time with me. By handing me those tapes, he put all of the power back in my hands and gave me a choice with zero strings. That really means a lot to me. He might actually be a genuinely nice person.
“So, where is he taking you?” Mamie asks over the speaker phone. My parents are downstairs, so they won’t hear any of this conversation, thankfully. I don’t plan on telling them about Brick and me anytime soon. I’m not sure exactly how they will react, but I have a feeling it won’t be positive. And at this point, our relationship is in the early stages. Who knows where it will go or if we’ll even become a couple?
“I don’t know. He said that it’s kind of far from here, but that’s all he would tell me. He’s trying to surprise me, I guess.”
“Oh, that’s so exciting! He’s putting so much effort into it.” That’s true. He really is doing a lot. I had no hand in planning this date. “Ugh, I love a man who tries.” Mamie’s dates tend to be on the low effort side. I get many a late-night call regarding how useless the men she dates are, but I don’t mind.
“He really is doing everything. All I have to do is show up.” I also want to look good and impress him, which is why I am focusing so hard on my outfit.
“So you have no idea? He didn’t give you any hints?”
“No,” I shake my head. “His lips were sealed. I tried everything I could, but I couldn’t convince him to tell the smallest detail. He said it would ruin the surprise if he did.”
“He sounds like a bit of a romantic, going to all of this trouble to take you out.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know too much about him, but I’m excited to learn more.” I’ve never imagined Brick as the romantic type. Admittedly, I don’t know much about him, but I never saw him as the type.
I’m standing in front of my full-length mirror, trying to choose between two dresses. One is the classic little black dress, and the other is a longer, bright red number. I like both of them a lot, but I don’t know which one would work best for tonight.
“Have you chosen what you’re going to wear?”
“I’m stuck between two dresses. Since I don’t know where we’re going, I’m not sure which one will work better.”
“Well, what are the two options?”
“My bright red one and my little black dress.”
“Oh, the little black one,” Mamie answers without a second of hesitation. It’s like she just knows. “You want this guy to see your sexy legs.”
“You think so?” I ask. I look down at my legs, which are currently covered in super loose-fitting PJs. I’ve never seen them as particularly sexy, but if Mamie says I should show them, I trust her advice.
“Yes, girl! Drive him wild with exposed skin. Make this man want you. Make him weak in the knees!” I laugh at Mamie’s enthusiasm. She is a one-woman hype team. If I ever need cheering up, she is the one to do it.
“Do you have any plans tonight?” I ask while pulling my shirt over my head.
“I was going to see Coby, but I’m getting bored with him. It was fun in the beginning, but then we started trying to have actual conversations, and we just have nothing in common. He doesn’t even like museums. How can I hang out with a guy who doesn’t like museums?”
“Oh, that would never work.” Mamie was a fine art major. A man who doesn’t appreciate art could never keep her attention for long. No wonder building a deeper relationship with this guy didn’t work out. “So you’re going to stay home tonight?”
“No, I don’t think so. I met this cute guy at the grocery store the other day. His name is Matt, and I’m meeting him at a bar in a few hours.”
“Of course you are. You’re too cute to not have men falling at your feet.”
“Oh, you’re much too kind. But look at you – having a super-hot guy plan a crazy, romantic, secret date. Now that is a guy who wants to impress you.” I’ve taken my comfy clothes off and put my black dress on. Looking in the mirror, I fully agree with Mamie’s choice. I love the way this dress looks on me. It accentuates my curves in all the right ways.
“You don’t know that he’s super-hot.”
“I can feel it in my bones, girl. This guy is gorgeous. I know it.” Mamie is so goofy. But she is right about Brick being hot. He is hotter than the sun.
I make sure to look at myself in this dress from every angle. I have worn it multiple times, but this is my first time wearing it for a guy I have such strong feelings for.
“You were right about the dress. I think he’s going to love it.”
“That’s good. I’m so happy for you! I do have one question, though.”
“What is it?”
“Are you ever going to tell me his name?” I’ve been keeping it all really vague, making sure not to use Brick’s name. I’m sure Mamie would do her best to keep the secret, but the more people who know, the more likely other people find out. When I’m ready, I’ll tell my friend, but for now, I’m going to keep this between Brick and me.
“We’re keeping it all under wraps right now, but I will tell you once things aren’t as secretive. It’s just that how we met is kind of weird, so we’re trying to be extra careful, you know.”
“Is it really that weird?”
“Kind of. It’s hard to explain without giving it away, but I promise I will tell you. I also want to see where this whole thing goes, too, before saying anything. Don’t want to jinx it.”
“Oh, okay. I can wait. I’m sure it's a secret worth waiting for.” I love my best friend so much. She’s always there when I need her to be.
I check my phone and realize I’ve got to get going. Brick is going to be here soon, and I don’t want to keep him waiting outside for too long.
“I’ve got to head out. It’s almost time for me to meet my date. I don’t think my parents are going to contact you, but if they do, we’re just spending the evening together. I’m not going to give them any specifics, so it shouldn’t be too crazy.”
“I got you, girl. Go have a great time with your secret boyfriend on your secret date.” Mamie and I laugh before saying goodbye and hanging up. I take another look in the mirror. I like everything I’m seeing. I applied very light makeup – enough to enhance, but nothing crazy. And I feel so confident in this dress.
Tonight should be amazing.
I grab my trench coat, putting it on so that it covers my entire outfit. There isn’t an inch exposed that would cause my parents to ask too many questions. I thought that last week I was being super deceptive, but now that feeling has only gotten even more intense. I’m secretly going on a date with my dad’s boss.
Oh my goodness.
Now isn’t the time to think about how morally gray this whole situation is, though. I’m just going to go out and have some fun. I deserve it after working so hard all of the time.
I head downstairs and walk into the living room, where my parents are hanging out.
“Hi, honey,” my mom looks up from her knitting when she hears me approaching. “Are you going out?” My dad looks up from his book at her question.
“Uh, yeah. I’m going over to Mamie’s place to hang out. I might be out late, so you guys shouldn’t wait up for me.”
“That’s no problem. Have fun with your friend!” my mom says. My dad just nods.
I throw my purse over my shoulder and leave the house. That was a much shorter conversation than I had anticipated. My parents are so trusting. Of course, I’m an adult, so there isn’t a whole lot they can stop me from doing, but I am generally honest with them about my whereabouts.
When I walk around the corner and see a sports car pull up, all previous thoughts go out of my head. The window goes down; it’s Brick. He’s gorgeous sitting in the driver’s seat looking at me through the passenger side window. The breath leaves my body at the sight of him.
“Hey.”
“Hi,” I answer, leaning over to get a better look at him.
“You want to jump on into my c
ar, pretty lady?” I smile because he’s being such a cornball, but I like it at the same time. And it’s a good look on him. Everything is a good look on him.
“I just might…if that’s what you want.”
“Step back a little,” he motions with his hand. I follow the request, walking a few feet away from the car. I see Brick press a button, and the door opens all on its own. Of course he has one of those fancy new models. “Step in your carriage for the evening, mademoiselle.”
I shake my head at all of the fanfare but get into the car nonetheless. I realize we may have loitered a little too long around the neighborhood when Brick zooms away, but I’m sure no one saw us. It’s dark, and we weren’t under a streetlight.
“I told you where we’re going is about an hour away, right?”
“Yeah,” I nod, “you told me.” That means we’re going to be in the car with one another for a while. I guess this time could make or break us, depending on whether or not we can keep up a conversation for that long.
“So, Tammy, where were you all those years I didn’t see you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I remember a little rugged girl with skinned knees and messy hair, but then she wasn’t there for a few years, and suddenly, she was replaced by a grown-up version.”
“You remember me from all those years ago?” I never even thought he knew who I was. I mean, he obviously knew my name and my dad when he walked in on me, which was surprising enough. But it seems like he recalls a lot more than even that.
“I remember you staring at me all the time. At first, I thought I had something on my face every time I saw you, but then I realized what was really going on.”
“Oh no,” I whine, wanting to cover my face but afraid to ruin my makeup. “You saw that.”
“It was a little hard to miss. You barely even tried to hide your obvious admiration of me.”
“Okay, hold the phone,” I laugh. “I wouldn’t call it admiration. I thought you were cute, okay. That’s it. I was a teenage girl with a little crush.” Brick feigns a hurt expression, making me giggle even more.
“That’s all I am to you? A piece of meat to look at? A view?”
“Well, tell me what else there is to like. I barely even know you.” I’ve been thinking about how Brick and I only know the smallest details about one another. Most of the things I do know about him are because my dad has worked for his studio for so long, not because of anything Brick has told me himself. And I’m sure he knows even less about me.
“What do you want to know?”
“I guess, for starters, what’s your middle name?” I irrationally fixated on that when I first got together with Brick. I don’t know why – it’s such an innocuous detail – but I want to know.
“My middle name? Hm. Okay, I can tell you that. My middle name is Thomas.”
Thomas? That’s so plain. With a name like Brick, I thought he would have an equally unique middle name.
“You thought it was going to be something more exciting, huh?”
“No, it’s not that,” I shake my head. I don’t want him to think I disapprove of his name.
“I get it. Brick is my first name, something you don’t hear often, but then Thomas is such an everyday moniker. My mother named me after her father. I never met him, but she was always talking about him.”
“That’s nice, to be named after someone. What did she say about him?”
“He liked movies. The two of them would go to the movies together once a week, every Sunday. She did the same thing with me. I think that’s why I wanted to get into the moviemaking business. My mother had a hard life, but those two hours or so we spent at the theater once a week? She always smiled then.”
Oh my goodness. That’s too sweet. I never knew that’s why Brick got into the production industry. This story gives me a whole new perspective on him. He’s actually a pretty sweet guy.
“What about you? Why do you love flowers so much?”
“Oh, it’s nothing as inspiring as why you love movies.”
“I’d still like to know.” He glances over at me, willing me to tell him, so I decide to.
“I just loved colorful things as a child. I would pick all of the flowers I could and stuff them into my room, but I’d hide them from my parents because I knew they didn’t like me picking up things outside and bringing them inside. My mom ended up finding my horde one day. A lot of the flowers had died because they were cramped in dark places. After a long conversation on not hiding stuff in my room, my parents thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for horticulture classes. I got to learn all about different plants, and eventually, I got a B.S. in Botany.”
“I had no idea you could study something like that.”
“Yeah, a lot of people thought I was going after a useless degree, but my parents have always been supportive of me. I want to open my own flower shop one day. I’ve just got to save up.” Brick nods.
“I remember when I was getting Brick Productions off the ground. I tried the college route, but I had too many things going on, so I wasn’t able to finish. I started driving taxis when I moved to New York, and in my free time, I was putting videos together. When school was added on top of that, I couldn’t juggle it all, so I dropped the one thing that was costing me the most money.”
“Then you created your company? All by yourself?”
“I mean, along the way, I met people who gave me some good advice. I actually met Robert around that time as well. He was my first investor. Been with me since the very beginning.”
“That’s amazing.”
“I’m not sure that I’m ready to pat myself on the back just yet. There’s so much more I want to do with the studio. I made a list back when I started driving taxis, and I’ve checked off a few things, but I’ve still got a ways to go.”
I wonder what it says on Brick’s checklist. It’s probably too early to ask such intimate questions, but maybe one day, he’ll show it to me.
“Yeah, my dad said you’re always trying to innovate.”
“I make the dinner table conversations?”
I bite my tongue, stopping myself from saying something too cheeky.
“Yes, sometimes in the Thompson household, what’s going on at my dad’s work comes up in conversation.”
“No, no. I get it. You’re so obsessed with me that even with your parents in the room, I have to be brought up and discussed.”
I laugh through my nose, not taking anything Brick is saying seriously.
“Whatever,” I roll my eyes. “Are we almost there?”
“Yes, we are actually right around the corner.” Brick makes a right, and we pull up to a nice-looking store. It doesn’t look like a restaurant. There aren't any tables or chairs, not like would be set up in a restaurant anyway, and I definitely don’t see any other people.
I glance at the store banner and see that we are at Potting Beauties.
“Brick? What are we doing here?” I ask. I’ve heard of this place before, and I know exactly what it is they do, but I’d be very surprised if that’s what Brick has in mind.
“I thought it might be fun to do something that aligns with your interests.”
“So we’re really doing this? We’re about to go in there?”
“Sure, why not?” he shrugs. With those words, Brick turns away from me to undo his seatbelt. Looks like we’re about to make some pottery.
I follow suit and unbuckle my seatbelt. Brick opens up the doors for us, and the two of us exit. I walk around the car and stare at the storefront. I have always wanted to go to one of these events, but they are a bit out of my price range. This should be rather fun, especially if we’re going as a date. I’m excited to see what Brick will be like in a setting like this. He has already surprised me multiple times during our little car ride.
“Let’s get inside,” he says.
12
Tammy
Brick has taken us an hour outside of town to this studio. It
was the last date spot I would have guessed we’d be entering, and I have been thinking about this date ever since Brick asked me out. Now that we are finally here, I’m excited to go inside and see what this place is all about.
Brick loops his arm through mine, leading me indoors. He’s the perfect gentlemen, making sure I don’t step in any puddles and opening the door for me. We haven’t been on the official part of this date for very long, and I already feel doted on.
When we go inside, a perky blonde lady greets us.
“Mr. Barrister, welcome!”
“Hello, and thank you for opening your doors to us. You can call me Brick. And this is Tammy,” he motions to me.
“Well, Brick, Tammy,” she nods at me, “my name is Samantha. Welcome to Potting Beauties. I’m so glad you two have decided to come to our little shop tonight. As requested, the whole space is yours. I’m going to close up the main entrance, but there’s a side entrance you can use that will lock behind you, so there shouldn’t be any worries regarding that. I’ve also left my number on the wall, but I believe you already have it. In any case, please do not hesitate to call me.”
Samantha starts to walk farther into the store, motioning for us to follow her.
“Right now, we’re in the main area where we hold our bigger classes and events. Obviously, it can be seen from the street. The two of you are free to use this area, but I thought you would like somewhere more private, so that is where I have everything already set up.”
“Perfect,” Brick says. “Privacy is exactly what we want.” Samantha’s grin grows even larger.
“Great. So, in here.” She opens up a door into a smaller space with fewer seats and higher windows. Its setup is similar to the other room, just on a smaller scale. “Right, so in here is where I’ve got your setup. Two pottery wheels, clay, and water – everything you’ll need to make something. If you need more materials, all of the cabinets and cupboards are labeled. Feel free to use whatever you need.”