“They are,” he said. “If I’d known you like seafood so much, I’d have looked for a seafood restaurant for us.”
“I suppose you were expecting me to want lasagna, ravioli, and cannoli when I said I loved Italian,” she said.
“I expected nothing,” he said. “That way you can surprise me.” He gave her a warm smile.
She smiled back. It seemed she was spending her whole evening smiling. He just kept bringing them out in her. She felt as if she was almost glowing with happiness.
Is this what falling in love is like? Does it make you want to smile all day and evening? Because I do right now.
By the end of dinner, Travis had discovered many surprising things about Ellen. That she hadn’t had a date since college, that her dates never “finished” and the sum of all that was the realization that he was dating a twenty-seven-year-old virgin.
She’s as rare as a unicorn in the forest.
His plans for the evening took a turn then. Some women would be ready for sex at the end of a first date and things could get steamy fast. That would not be the direction he was taking them. He would take great time with Ellen and great care of her. She was his girl, and he would treat this like the gift that it was, when she was ready.
The other day, Sadie, Hank’s wife had said, “Remember, third times the charm.”
He knew she was referring to his previous two ex-wives and that a third time would be the lucky one for him. She could be right. Time would tell. In the meantime, he was enjoying every moment with his new girlfriend.
When they’d finished dinner, he left the tip and then escorted her out of the restaurant and to his truck, helped her back in and then fastened her seatbelt again.
Unable to resist kissing her again, he lingered longer this time than the quick brush of lips before. She kept smiling beneath his lips. He could have kissed her all night.
When he got her home, they just might. But no, the babysitter wasn’t an all-night babysitter. This was just dinner tonight and maybe coffee and making out for a while.
For a first date, this was just fine. He enjoyed kissing her.
* * *
Ellen had enjoyedtheir first date so much that she was awake half the night thinking about it. She would smile and then touch her lips, remembering the way his lips felt and the way he tasted. He’d bought them mints before they left, which made the after-dinner kisses better. And she hadn’t wanted him to go home, but understood he needed to get home to Scotty.
The date had been better than she could even imagine. There was such a big difference in dating a real man, than those college boys. All that groping and grabbing with hands everywhere and awkward kisses and not being treated like a lady or only being treated that way until their hands got busy and they got pushy. Ugh.
But dating Travis, was a whole new world of sensations and experiences and words and emotions.
She couldn’t wait to go out with him again. It was like he’d turned the light switch on in her and her body wouldn’t turn off. Finally, three hours after he’d left, she fell fast asleep.
And then she dreamed of him, and deep long kisses.
* * *
The school weekstarted and went on, with nothing out of the ordinary. There was one difference, and it was inside of her. She thought about Travis constantly and kept asking herself if she was falling in love with him. Could it be?
Her dating luck had certainly changed. She was happier than she’d ever been. She had the perfect job and the perfect boyfriend.
They were planning to take Scotty to see his first rodeo on Saturday and it would be her first as well. She could hardly wait.
She wondered who’d won the betting pool but hadn’t had the nerve to ask anyone.
* * *
Thursday night Ellen’swallet was not in her purse.
I could’ve sworn I put it back after paying for lunch.
She searched through her purse twice, and then finally turned it upside down and emptied the contents onto the bed.
No luck. It had to have fallen out in the classroom.
