“Oh, yes,” she smiled. “Very elegant. I’m looking forward to doing their arrangement.”
“You love your job.”
“Yes, I do.”
It was a nice change to meet a woman who loved her job. Who was happy with her life. A real nice change of pace. “I should let you get back to work,” he said, surprised by how reluctant he felt leaving. “I’ll see you Saturday.”
Her smile was wide and sweet. “Yes! See you Saturday.”
He let himself out the door, the image of Christie surrounded by a profusion of colorful flowers staying with him.
* * *
Christie nervously movedabout her kitchen, watching the clock. Reed would be here in twenty minutes. Then they were going shooting. She still couldn’t believe she was going to a gun range. Reed was the only person who could have talked her into it. Though that’s not really how it had happened. She’d said yes so fast, she couldn’t exactly remember how it had happened. Now, she was going to a gun range, and she was going to learn how to shoot.
I wonder if he makes it a habit of taking women on a first date to the gun range? It certainly is an unusual way to start a dating relationship.
She ran her hands down her best jeans and fussed with her new T-shirt.Tuck the shirt in or wear it out?Tucking it in showed off her figure. Wearing it out was more comfortable. She opted for out. The T-shirt was pale pink and decorated with embroidered purple violets with the saying,Flowers are my superpower, beneath them.
Absentmindedly, she checked her fridge and freezer again. She had a frozen pizza, chips, popcorn, colas, and a bottle of red wine. Much more than coffee to offer him if they ended up back at her house, hanging out. Though this date did include dinner, and they might not end up here afterward, or be hungry if they did. At least, she was prepared for a man’s visit and could offer him something besides coffee.
Reed rang the doorbell, and she hurried to the door.
She opened it to see his smiling face looking down on her. He read her T-shirt. “Nice shirt. It suits you.”
“Thank you,” she said. She took him in from head to toe. His tanned face, dark hair along with a smile, which reached his eyes. Broad shoulders beneath a plain black t-shirt and black jeans showed his toned and muscular physique in sexy yet understated way. “You look nice too.”
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“As ready as I can be,” she said. She grabbed her purse then stepped outside her house and locked the door.
“Nervous after the shooting?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Very nervous.”
Placing his hand on the small of her back to guide her to his car, he said, “I’ll have to see what I can do to ease your fears. Were you afraid of guns before the theater shooting?”
“Yes, I was.”
He opened the car door for her and said, “Have you ever been around guns? Maybe growing up?”
“I’ll tell you about it on the way,” she said.
“Sounds good.” He closed her door and went over to the driver’s side, opened the door, and got in. After starting the car, he turned the radio off and turned his full attention to Christie.
“My dad used to hunt, and he had guns. Shotguns and rifles. I can remember them being in a wooden case with glass doors that mother and daddy kept locked. So, in a way, I was around guns. But I was always told not to touch them.”
“And when you got older?”
“Daddy died in a car accident when I was ten. Though he was in his truck. It was on the highway. A semi went out of control and daddy didn’t live long after he was hit.”
“Sorry to hear that.” Reed’s face showed concern. “That had to be hard, losing a father so young.”
“It was. Mother did something with the guns. I’m not sure what, but they went away, and I never saw them again. She remarried, but my stepdad didn’t shoot or go hunting. He’s a businessman, and he works and golfs.”
“I see. So, for you, guns were big scary no-noes.”
“Right.”
