Alex looked over my shoulder and said, "Hello, Chief Andrews."
Max?I turned, and sure enough, he was standing behind me.Can't he cut me abreak?
"Dad, this is Alex Jordan."
"Hello, Alex, it's nice to meet you." Max extended his hand. "Jocelyn tells me you're home from school for a few months."
"Yes, sir." Alex smiled. "I'm going back in July for an internship, and then I'll decide if I'm going to continue on with medical school."
"Wow, medical school, that's pretty impressive." Max looked at me; he’d been encouraging me to attend one of the out-of-state universities that had accepted me, instead of staying local.
"Are you ready, Alex?" I asked.
"Sure." He took my hand.
I was holding his hand! I just about died.
"Eleven, Jocey?" Max reminded me.
Great, I'm going out with an older man, and I have a curfew.Was that really necessary? It wasn't as if I had ever come home later than I should. I never went anywhere!
"Of course, Chief," Alex answered for me. "I'll have her back on time."
I could feel the burn on my cheeks as Alex opened the car door for me.
"Jocey?" He smiled.
"And I have a curfew. I guess you're sorry you asked a high school kid out?"
"No." He stared at me for what seemed like forever. "I think it's cute."
He got in and started the engine of his sleek, black Lexus. It looked like his father's car, but more sporty.
"Your dad's just looking out for you," he said as he sped down my street. "I'm sure I'd do the same if I ever had a daughter."
I stared at his profile and thought any child of his would be beautiful. All the Jordans were perfect, and Alex was no exception.
We went to a small restaurant a few towns over and talked more than we ate. At first, I was afraid to open my mouth, for fear I’d say something that would make me sound like an idiot, but as the evening progressed, I felt more at ease with him. He had this strange, calming effect on me. His voice was soft and soothing, and the way his green eyes sparkled when he smiled made me weak in the knees. I didn't know what was wrong with me; I’d never had this strong a reaction to anyone.
During dinner, we talked about our childhoods and what we liked to do when we were young. We traded stories about school and laughed when we realized that not much had changed in five years. Alex told me how he had wanted to play professional baseball, and how he'd gotten a full scholarship to Florida University, but when the acceptance letter came from Yale, he knew that was where his father really wanted him to go. I could tell from our brief time together that he wanted nothing more than to please Jack.
"Would you like to walk a bit?" He took my hand and led me out of the restaurant. It was a nice night for March in Colorado, and the streets were pretty busy with people checking out the shops. "It's still early."
"Sure," I agreed, since I didn't want the evening to end. I knew there was a good chance this was a one-shot deal. As we walked the streets of the small, downtown area, Alex kept my hand in his. I noticed the second glances he earned from several girls, and even one guy, but being the center of attention didn’t faze him.
"You didn't mind leaving your life in Connecticut to come home for a few months?"
"Not really," he said. "I missed my family and friends, and I wanted to come back. I thought it would help me make a decision on medical school."
"You don't want to go." It wasn't a question because, from our dinner conversation, I could tell he wasn’t into the wholemore schoolidea.
"Aren't you perceptive?" He smiled as we walked over to a bench that faced the mountains. "It's not that I don't want to go someday. It's just that I've been working so hard for the past five years, and I think I'd like to try psychology first. Maybe get a job working with underprivileged kids? I like the idea of being a psychiatrist, but I'm still young, and I want to explore my options."
"That makes sense. Do you want to do the internship?"
"Yes. That's a good opportunity either way, and it'll look great on my resume, plus my father really wants me to do it. It's a win-win."
"You don’t have to make any decisions right now."
