“Then you’ll know he isn’t the man for you. Any man worth his salt on a first date would take casual in a way that doesnotmean tank top. And the dress is perfect for the beach. It’s been warm this week. You can move in it just fine to sit and have a picnic.”
She’s right, Icanmove in it. Whether I canbreathein it or not is another matter entirely.The dress, as it’s known in my family, is somewhat of a legend. I bought it for a summer benefit concert two years ago, custom-ordered and tailored to my measurements. When it arrived, Nonna and I immediately tore into the package, oohing and aahing over the perfect fit, color, and cut.
It’s vintage inspired, flattering in all the right places, and features built-in boning, so there’s no need for a bra. Despite my objections that it’s too fancy for this occasion, itistechnically cotton…Although the back features a lace corset and it’s a dress meant for afternoon tea, not a night on the beach. Still, Nonna has a point. I lookkillerin it, hence the definitive moniker.
She knows she’s convinced me, and wastes no time lacing me up. With my hair in a simple French braid down my back and just a light touch of makeup, I look like some Sicilian milkmaid dressing to seduce a sailor on the beach. There’s no more time to second-guess myself, though, so hopefully I’m not about to freak Teddy out on the first date or make him think I’m high maintenance.
Iamhigh maintenance, though, and my papa has never had a problem maintaining me. He’s always said my standards need to be impossibly high so that he knows any man who can turn my head is worthy of me. Whether that’s what’s happened, or he’s simply set the bar for how I deserve to be treated so high that no man will ever come close, I don’t know.
Nonna snaps me out of my reverie with a spritz of perfume I’ve never smelled before.
“What is that? It doesn’t smell like my Chanel.”
“No, mon tesoro, not the Chanel for this evening. This is my special blend, only for the most special occasions. It’s not produced anymore because the flower was going extinct, so they banned production. The last time this bottle was spritzed was for your nonno’s funeral. Before that, each of your births, and before that, your mama and papa’s wedding.”
“Nonna! This is a first date with a random guy I know almost nothing about and have had like, one conversation with! This is not a special occasion!”
The glare I receive tells me I’ve gone too far, and I’ve earned full Italian grandmother disapproval.
“Elia Giulia Santori. I know a good feeling when I have it, and I have a good feeling about this one! When you talk about this man, your eyes light up in a way I’ve never seen. I can spritz my special occasion perfume as I wish!”
Her tone softens as she helps fasten my bracelet and necklace, then hands me my purse.
“You’re very strong, and you hide things very well, but I can see your loneliness, tesoro. Even when you fill your days to the brim doing things for other people, you still must make time for yourself. It’s going to need to be a strong, determined man to come in here and convince us he deserves you. But I think he exists, and I have a good feeling about this one. No pressure.”
The “last warning to leave” alarm on my phone blares, and she squeezes my shoulders one more time before I grab my keys and my surprise. All the green flags in the world won’t earn a guy my address on the first date, so we’re meeting at the beach. I told Teddy I’d picked the address and would bring an activity for us to enjoy together, and he was responsible for the picnic. I’m lucky the drive to my favorite secluded beach is a short one. I barely have time to build up any nerves before I’m pulling into the small parking lot.
There’s only one other vehicle here, a big, shiny pickup truck, and if Teddy’s beaten me here, that means he’s at least twenty minutes early.Good start, big guy.I pull in beside the truck, although I can’t tell if anyone’s in the cab because of its window tint. Maybe I’ll wait a couple more minutes, then walk on the beach a bit…
A tap on my window scares the daylights out of me, and I can’t help the bloodcurdling scream I release.
“Ahh!”
A high-pitched screech answers, and I realize that it’s Teddy. He scared me, then I scared him, and now, we’re both staring at each other through my driver’s side window, hands on our hearts and laughing. I unlock my door, and he opens it, offering me his hand.
“I was just coming to open your door, but I’m so sorry I scared you. I thought you would have seen me com—”
The rest of his thought is lost to history as I step out of my car. I assume the outfit is having its desired effect, but I’m just as speechless at the sight of him.Casual, I told this man, and he showed up like he was about to shoot an ad for Acqua di Giò. Straight-leg khaki chinos rolled to the ankle and showing off sand-covered feet.So he did beat me here by a significant amount of time, if he was already on the beach…
His feet, well-manicured though they are, aren’t what hold my interest, though. The white button-up he’s wearing is crisp, half tucked into his pants, and the sleeves are rolled up as far as they’ll go over his massive forearms. Two buttons at the top are undone, and I can see a hint of chest hair that I want to burrow into and lay my eggs for the winter. And he’s…he’s wearing glasses.Oh my God.
“Ellie? Is something wrong?”
Shit.I’ve been staring at him even longer than he stared at me. To his credit, his look of concern is directed at my eyes, not my chest, which is heavily featured in this dress.
“Buttons!” That’s all I manage to squeak out, and I’ve never wished to be struck by lightning so fervently in my life.
Teddy immediately looks down at the two undone buttons on his shirt and tenses. “Oh, I’m so sorry. You said casual. I’m too buttoned up!”
The image of him unbuttoning two more buttons on his shirt will be burned into my retinas until the day I die. I had almost convinced myself that his chiseled chest, big enough to hold three babies at once, was a figment of my imagination. Or at least rose-tinted horny goggles, making him a million times hotter than is possible for a man. Real life is better than my daydreams, though, and I must be ovulating because I want nothing more than to find a baby for him to hold right here, right now.
“There, now I’m a beach bum. I mean, not a bum. Just beach. I’m beach!”
I manage to close my mouth and focus back on Teddy’s face, and I see the moment he finally notices what I’m wearing.
“You look…”
A heroic effort from my beach bum shortens his perusal of my figure, and his eyes barely rest on my chest before snapping back to my eyes.
