“That’s my girl! I think you are back!”
“Love you,” Nicole said, her heart full.
“To the moon,” Devin said and ended the call.
Nicole checked her watch. Only a few more minutes until Sean arrived. She could hardly contain herself. She felt like she’d just guzzled a thirty-two-ounce energy drink. Speaking of drinks, she walked over to the fridge and added a couple bottles of water to the basket. She hoped Sean wouldn’t be expecting wine with their lunch since she had to go to work right after.
The doorbell rang and she ran to the door. She took a quick look in the peephole just to make sure it wasn’t UPS delivering a package. She paused before she opened the door to take a quick glance in the mirror and smooth her wavy hair.
***
SEAN
“Hey, you,” he said as he took in Nicole. His eyes went straight to her glossy lips. He wanted to know if her lip gloss was flavored, and he made a promise that by the end of this date he’d taste it for himself. “These are for you,” he said and handed her a bouquet of zinnias and sunflowers wrapped in butcher paper and tied with twine.
“Oh, my gosh! Thank you so much. They are beautiful. Where did you get them? Don’t tell me, are these from your garden?”
“I’d love to take credit for them, but I picked them up from Lucy’s Flower Shop.”
“They are so vibrant. Thank you again.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He was sorely tempted to put his arms around her and kiss her properly, but he told himself,You've got to take it slow Sean. He knew he needed to let her set the pace. There was no hurry; they could take their time and maybe, just maybe, they’d have a lifetime to spend together. It seemed crazy that he was thinking long term, before they’d even had a real date, but it felt right to him. He watched her walk into the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase and admired the way her jeans accented her pert ass.All in good time, he told his libido.
While she was taking care of the flowers and getting the picnic basket, he looked around her space. Her house was a small ranch with an open floor plan so he could see the kitchen and the living room from where he stood. The floors were well-worn wood with a few colorful scattered throw rugs. A large picture window was next to the front door and in front of it there was a wooden plant stand filled with houseplants including a philodendron, a jade plant, and a begonia. Her house faced south, and the plants showed it. They were flourishing.
Past the planter was the main sitting area with a comfortable-looking recliner and a large overstuffed loveseat. In front of that was a long coffee table that looked like it was made with a single large piece of wood. She placed the vase with his flowers on it. Across the room from the sitting area was a fireplace. On the mantle, he could see pictures of what he assumed were family and friends, but he didn’t want to go up to the pictures and start asking questions. On each side of the fireplace were built-in bookshelves and they were packed with books. He couldn’t remember dating anyone, possibly ever, who had bookcases filled with books.
Everything about Nicole’s place suited her, and he felt at ease being in her home. Her place was cozy and made him feel like he was in a cabin out in the woods. He started daydreaming aboutwhat it would be like to come home to Nicole and this house after a long day at Jesse’s Pub. He could see himself relaxing in the recliner while a fire crackled and Nicole sat on the love seat curled up with a good book and a nice cup of chai.
She thrust the picnic basket into his hands and broke up his daydream. “Ready to go? I’ve got to be back to go to work by one-thirty or one forty-five at the very latest.”
“Then we better get going,” he said. He walked outside and stowed the picnic basket in the back of his Jeep, then he went around to hold the door for Nicole. She climbed into the passenger seat. He walked around to the driver’s side, got in, and they were off.
“I’m so glad we got such a nice day,” Nicole said cheerfully, the sun shining on her face, bringing out the gold highlights in her reddish-brown hair.
“I realize how corny this sounds, but even if it was pouring rain, I’d be happy to spend some time with you.”
“It’s ridiculously corny, and I feel exactly the same.”
He took one hand off the steering wheel and placed it palm up on her armrest. She reached over and held his hand as they drove to Marley Lake.
The weather was warm for late September, with temperatures in the low seventies, so Sean found a nice spot of grass and Nicole spread the blanket and unpacked the lunch. He helped by making their plates and soon they were eating. They were both hungry and ate the fresh sandwiches and potato salad that Nicole had prepared in a companionable quiet. Sean marveled at how relaxed he felt with Nicole. Unlike other dates he’d been on the past few years, he didn’t feel any pressure to make conversation as they finished lunch.
“Well, I’m stuffed,” Sean said, patting his stomach. “My compliments to the chef.”
“You are too kind,” Nicole said and flipped her hair.
“Let me pack everything up and then we can just hang out for a bit, ok?”
“That sounds wonderful.” She stretched out her legs and leaned back on her arms. She looked out on the lake, and he watched her for a moment, warmth spreading through his chest.
Once the debris from their lunch was put away, Sean moved next to Nicole and put an arm around her shoulders. “This is nice,” she said.
“How much time do we have?” Sean asked.
She glanced at her phone and said, “About twenty minutes.” She put down her phone and turned toward him. He leaned down and she closed her eyes.
“Can I?” He started to ask, and she interrupted him.
“Yes, please. Please kiss me,” she said breathily, and he leaned in and gently touched his lips to the lips he’d been dreaming about kissing for days. He kissed her slowly, then bit tenderly on her lower lip. She moaned softly and he slid his tongue out, opening her lips, and soon their tongues were entwined. He pulled her onto his lap, and she ran her hands through his hair. They came up for air when the alarm started going off on her phone. She scrambled off him and he missed the warmth of her.
