The restaurant smelled good; they used
wood-fired ovens, which gave off a pleasant smoky aroma. It was a
fairly small establishment, which lent itself to a cozy feeling. In
the bar, there was a 15’ long funky light shade covered with
silverware, which hung over an equally long table made from
reclaimed wood. Most of the décor appeared to be up-cycled or
reclaimed.
As they sat down, he said, "I hope this
restaurant is OK. I haven't been here myself, but I've heard good
reviews."
"This is a perfect choice, I've wanted to try
it, but I don't really get out a lot."
"That's hard to believe. I bet you've had no
shortage of men asking you out. I'm sure there are plenty of
interested, male clients who really do have pets," he said with a
smirk. He was a tiny bit concerned about her answer. He didn't want
to have confirmation she had a date every week.
"Actually, that's not true."
"What's not true? You not having men lined up
at your door, or you not having male clients?" He couldn't seem to
help himself. He was beginning to believe he was a masochist; he
knew he wouldn't like her response.
"Well actually..."Riley felt sick. Did she
really want to tell him it was her first date ever? What did it say
about a near thirty year old other than "run the other way"? He'd
probably realize there was something wrong with her and wish he
hadn't wasted his time. At the same time, he might as well know he
was on a date with a weirdo. Maybe it'd make the date shorter and
she'd not have time to fall too hard for him. "Ummm. This is
actually a first."
"A first what, sweetheart?"
"First date."
He chuckled.
The server walked up and asked for their
drink order. He allowed Riley to order first. She absentmindedly
ordered a glass of their house red wine and he ordered an IPA.
When the server walked away, he returned to
their conversation and said "Sure, my little Kismet. I should have
known you'd have a good sense of humor." Then he looked at her
green eyes and she looked dead serious. She was almost on the verge
of tears. He was such an ass. "Wait, are you serious?" he asked as
he grabbed her hand from across the table.
She blew her fringe out of her eyes, looking
down into her lap. His hand was warm and comforting, but she knew
that would change and he’d be pulling away. There wasn’t any way
he’d want to stay as soon as she confirmed the truth. "Yes. I'm
sorry, if you want to leave now I understand. I don't know what I'm
doing and I'll probably ruin this whole night. Please feel free to
take me home, I don't want you to waste your money on me." She
tried to pull her hand away, but he wouldn't let go.
"Riley, look at me please."
She raised her eyes to him, hoping they
didn't look too glossy. She knew she was on the verge of tears, and
she internally rebuked her traitorous body. Exactly what every man
wants, a woman who has never been on a date and then cries about
it. The intense look he gave her stopped her wayward mind.
Eagerness, compassion, and maybe a little bit of lust shone back at
her. She wasn't sure if she could read him correctly. He had a
death grip on her hand and wouldn't let go.
"Even though I find it almost impossible to
believe you haven't been on hundreds of dates, let alone one, I
want you to know how honored I am to be your first."
And your
last
, he thought to himself. The fact she'd never let anyone
into her heart before made his soar. "You know, you put a great
deal more pressure on me. I want this evening to be perfect, now
even more so. You deserve the very best Riley."
She was taken aback. Was he fine with this?
She let out a shuddering breath and squeezed his hand. "Thank you.
I'm almost 30 and I feel like a complete loser for never
dating."
"Well, after tonight that won't be the truth
anymore." he said with a wink. "So, when do you turn 30?"
"Friday, actually."
Garrett's eyes widened. "Really, I'm sure you
have plans, but I'd like to be a part of them if at all
possible."
Their drinks showed up and he squeezed her
hand before releasing it so she could pick up her glass. She took a
sip of her wine, hoping to steady her nerves. Who was this guy? She
was still stunned he even wanted to go on one date, and he asked to
see her again. She felt like she needed to pinch herself. She
pulled her hands into her lap and twisted her fingers together
under the table, trying to get her equilibrium. "Well, I don't
really have any plans. Sam may have some kind of idea, but I really
don't do a lot. Actually, I've been out more in the last week than
I have in the last year. But if we do something, I'd love it if you
joined."
"Great, I definitely want to be involved.
You're my little Kismet and I want to celebrate your birthday with
you," he said with a genuine smile.
"Ya know, you keep calling me that, I still
don't get it."
"Well, I think it was Kismet we found each
other on Friday night. You clearly don't believe me, but you're
special."
"Oh, I'm "special" all right," she joked,
shaking her head.
He could tell he'd have his work cut out for
him. She was clueless about her desirability. He'd have to be
extremely gentle with her, everything was going to be a new
experience, and he didn't want to scare her away.
They looked at their menus for a few minutes,
letting the conversation marinate.
"Are you ready to order?" the server
asked.
He motioned for her to order first.
"I'd like the brick-oven roasted chicken,
please."
"I'd like the Carlton Farms pork chop."
"I'll get those in for you," she said as she
walked towards the kitchen.
Garrett peppered Riley with various questions
through dinner, trying to get as much information about her as he
could. He found out her favorite color is yellow, although she
didn't wear it because it made her look sallow. Here favorite
dessert is apple pie. She had been adopted as an infant, and was
very close to her parents, but they were currently snow birding in
Arizona. She not only had Wolf, but also a cat named Oscar (who he
figured he'd never see). She'd never traveled anywhere, but hoped
to go to Europe at some point. She loved hiking in the woods and
running. She liked being in nature, which pleased him greatly. She
volunteered her time at a local shelter after her long days at the
clinic. Again, she mentioned Ryan being her best friend while
growing up. That tidbit of information still chafed him, but he
tried not to react to it. Their conversation flowed easily and he
was happy to know she was easy to talk with. He had witnessed the
ease between her and Ryan and wanted to have that same ease with
her. He didn't want them to have anything he didn't have with her.
He wanted to be her everything.
As they were heading out of the restaurant,
Riley realized she had been talking almost the entire time. He had
gleaned more information from her in an hour than she had thought
possible. Garrett helped her up into the truck and made his way
around the vehicle.
“We have one stop to make before we head up
to the ice-skating rink,” Garrett said.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” he said with a devious
wink.
The truck pulled into another restaurant and
Garrett asked her to stay in the vehicle. He jumped out and hustled
inside. A few moments later, he emerged with a bag. When he climbed
into the truck, he handed it over to Riley. The bottom of the bag
was warm and she smelled apples and cinnamon. Even though she had a
huge dinner, her mouth started to water. She looked over at him
with a childlike smile.
“Go ahead an open it, sweetheart.”
She peered inside and saw a food container
and fork. She pulled it out and laughed as she opened the container
to expose the piece of apple pie.
“That’s your favorite, right? This place
makes the best pies I know of,” he said
“Yes, how did you know? Did we talk about
this?” She was in awe as she pulled the pie box open and plunged
her fork into the warmed pie. He really paid attention to their
conversation.
“Yes, you mentioned it over dinner.”
It was delicious. She wasn’t sure how he’d be
able to eat and drive at the same time. She looked at him and then
the pie and shrugged her shoulders. She scooped a bite out and held
it up in front of him. He flashed his dazzling smile and took the
bite, groaning while he enjoyed it. She looked at the fork and was
somewhat giddy because it had touched his mouth. As they drove to
the ice-skating rink, she continued to take a bite and then feed
one to him. They were both stuffed by the time they arrived.
It was an outdoor rink on Mt. Hood; about
half the size of a standard rink and there were only five people on
the ice. Park benches and strings of white lights circled the rink.
The lights cast a soft glow over the snow banks and fir trees
behind the benches. The rental shack sat off to the corner, near
the parking lot, and next to that was a coffee shack with a couple
of tables in front.
He walked around the truck to open her door
again and she couldn’t wait for him to lift her down. She loved the
close contact, even though it drove her a bit crazy. He gently set
her on the ground and grabbed her hand as they walked to the skate
rental counter. The air smelled crisp and clean. The clouds were
parting, so the moon and a few stars were visible. She was looking
up at the enchanting sky when he shook her hand to get her
attention.
“What skate size are you?”
“I’ll try eight; I’m not sure how ice skates
run.”
He grabbed her pair and led her to one of the
benches circling the rink. As she sat down, he helped her out of
her boots and set them aside. He unlaced a skate and slid it on her
foot, not allowing her to help. He asked her to stand up and tested
the toe area to see if it was too tight. He looked up at her with
caring eyes.
“Is that fit, my Kismet?"
“Yes, it feels right to me.” The caring look
in his eyes, just over the size of a skate, made her feel more
special than the Queen of England.
He sat her back down and laced it up and then
repeated the procedure with her other skate. He then put his skates
on and awkwardly walked to the rental shack to check their boots
in. He returned and held out his hand for her.
“You ready to see me make a fool of myself?”
he asked with a smirk.
“Absolutely, right now you seem way too
perfect.” She gasped and her hand flew over her mouth. She couldn’t
believe she let that out.
Where is my filter?
Her face was
hot from the blush.
“Not near as perfect as you, my Kismet,”
Garrett grinned. He couldn’t believe she said that. She was
blushing again and he was so happy he wanted to dance a jig. He
loved the fact he could read her emotions like a book. She smelled
of stress, excitement, and contentment; all expected on a first
date and he was happy.
He was still holding out his hand for Riley
to grab. She put her soft, tiny hand in his and stood on wobbly
legs. He helped her onto the ice not letting go of her. Since he
was a wolf, he had a natural grace and athleticism.
They were starting around the oblong and
Riley was holding onto Garrett for dear life, while he was gliding
along as if nothing was amiss in using two slivers of silver as a
form of locomotion. “Wow, it looks like you’ve done this a time or
two.”
“Jessica likes to skate,” he shrugged.
Riley felt ill. She didn’t really want to
talk about girlfriends, but he brought her up. “Who’s Jessica?” she
asked.
He could tell she was jealous and felt bad
she was uneasy from his careless comment; he hadn’t meant for it to
sound bad. “Jessica is my sister.” He squeezed her hand again for
comfort. He was also inwardly pleased she was feeling
possessive.
She was instantly relieved. “I didn’t realize
you had a sister. Tell me about your family. Do you have any other
siblings? Do they live nearby? What about your parents?”
Uh oh, this is where things would get tricky.
He didn’t want to lie to her, but he also couldn’t tell her the
truth about them. He had to word his answers in a way that were
truthful, but not too detailed. “Jessica is my only sibling; she’s
older than me by a few years."
Like thirty.
"She lives about
ten minutes away from me. She has a mate, I mean husband, named
Brian.” He cringed at his slip of the word. Hoping she wouldn’t
notice it.
“Are you guys close?”
Good she didn’t mention the use of the word
mate. “We are pretty close. Our parents died in a car wreck when I
was about twelve. Jessica had a strong hand in raising me.”
She was saddened to hear about his parents.
“I’m sorry about your parents.”
“Thanks, Jessica did a great job of raising
me and we have a tight knit community where we live. Everyone
chipped in to take care of me. I’d love for you to meet them
sometime.”
She tilted her head back and smiled at him.
The head tilt took her off balance and he watched in horror as she
started to fall. Her arms were wind milling and skates scrabbling
for purchase on the slick ice. He saw her eyes widen in surprise
and he tried to catch her body, but her flying arms kept batting
him away. She tumbled hard to the surface, catching herself with an
outstretched hand, and her hip bounced as it hit. Garrett was
immediately on his knees asking if she was hurt, he was in a full
panic.
“I’m fine, really. I feel like an idiot and
my ego is bruised, but I’m OK. I thought women were supposed to be
more graceful than men,” she huffed.
He put his arm under her knees and scooped
her up before she could protest. He apologized all the way over to
the nearest bench. He couldn’t believe he had let her fall. What
was he thinking; bringing her out here on a slick surface? She
could have broken her neck. He broke out in a cold sweat at the
thought. He sat down on the bench with her in his lap and held onto
her tightly. He had to steady his nerves and make sure she was
fine. She was laughing and saying she was fine
.
Laughing
!