Chapter 8

Reese

It had been several days since I’d gone on the date with Blaine, and I couldn’t get him off my mind, not that he would really let me with his sweet texts and beautiful flowers. Friday at the office was my favorite day, the day that we really gave the pups some attention, groomed everyone, and played with the kitties for several hours. We prepared for the weekend crew to come in and took care of everyone, and I got to really get in some good fur-head time. On a normal day, I was so inundated with paperwork and normal care duties that I was losing the ability to really spend time with the animals, something that was important since it was the entire reason Leena and I started this business to begin with.

Lenna and I had arrived at work at the same time, exchanging smiles and going about our normal routine, getting the bathing and grooming stations all set up. It was our time to get prepared for the day, both mentally and physically, and we seldom started conversing until the first animal was on the table. Today, we were going to start with Bruno the Mastiff that would take both of us to wash. He was huge, but he was the sweetest and most loving dog I had ever met. I had fallen in love with him when we first started the business, and he had been coming to us for a couple years now, whenever his mom and dad had to go out of town.

I looked down at my phone as Leena poured the shampoo on Bruno’s head, laughing at his big face. He hated baths, but he would sit still for us since he knew he would get a treat afterward. I put my phone back in the pocket of my scrubs and reached up, massaging the soap into his fur.

“You going to tell me who you have been texting all morning?” Leena asked.

“I think you know.” I smiled, glancing over at the two dozen roses scattered about the office.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Leena replied. “He has brought you out of your shell. When are you guys going out next?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “He hasn’t asked yet, and to be honest, I’m really nervous about it. I really like this guy. He is sweet, generous, and is so very patient with me. On top of that, he has been doing things like relaxing, watching movies, and taking care of himself all because I told him that it was important. It’s like he really listens to me when I talk.”

“Wow,” she said. “You sound like you really like this guy.”

“I know,” I sighed. “And that is part of the problem.”

“Why in the world would that be a problem?”

“He’s already asked me back to his place once,” I said. “If I continue to see this guy, I am not going to be able to continue to just blow him off when it comes to going to his place, especially since I keep trying to tell him that sometimes, just being out of the public eye can make you so much calmer. I don’t know what to do.”

“I think that is bullshit,” she replied. “I think you know exactly what to do, but you are scared.”

“I mean what am I supposed to say?” I asked. “Do I just come out and tell him that I am a virgin?”

“Your virginity has been this evil ghost that’s haunted you your entire life,” Leena said, grabbing the spray and washing the soap out of Bruno’s fur. “You’ve let it control every relationship you’ve tried to have. Instead of focusing on this amazing bond that you’re developing, you’re missing all the good parts of the honeymoon period of a relationship because you are too worried about sex. For someone who doesn’t have any, you think about it more than any girl I know.”

“It’s important to me,” I said. “I mean, I’m not saving myself for marriage or anything, but I’ve waited this long, so I don’t see why I need to just give it up to the first hot guy that shows me interest. It’s a delicate situation, and I want to make sure I’m making the right choice.”

“Personally,” she said, finishing up the hose down. “I would just sleep with him and get it over with. I think you’ll realize that it’s not as big of a deal as you’re making it out to be. Not only will that give you a physical connection to this guy, but it will open up your emotional relationship, too. He’s already shown that he is not in it just for the sex, so why not take it to that level?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “What if he gets it and then is gone?”

“Then you learned a lesson,” she said, pouring the conditioner onto Bruno’s fur. “And you have started taking control of your own body. Right now, whether you want to admit it or not, you are letting your emotions control you, or fear of emotions actually. If you sleep with him and he leaves, you need to know that you are able to take a step forward and really embrace your sexual side. Do it for you, not for him. It will make you a stronger woman.”

“That sounds amazing in theory,” I replied, laughing. “But actually, taking those steps is what is hard about the whole thing. Opening myself up like that to someone I barely know seems terrifying.”

“Living the rest of your life letting your virginity dictate your decisions sounds even more terrifying,” she said, lifting her eyebrows and smirking.

We finished up with Bruno and walked him down to the drying area where he would sit and sleep under the warmth of the heaters, something Leena and I had come up with to make the drying process less strenuous on the animals. Throughout the day, we went from pup to pup, cleaning their pens after washing them and then letting them out to play once they had dried. I kept the words that Leena spoke in my mind and thought about it as I played with the kittens later that day. It was amazing how good these animals made me feel, and how I never felt pressured or stressed when I was around them. They were my sanctuary from the storm.

When we had finished up the cat play and all the animals were bathed and happy, we started cleaning up, talking about Leena’s dating schedule over the weekend. Just thinking about how much she put herself out there was exhausting to me, and I wasn’t the one going on all the dates. Personally, I was looking forward to going home, climbing into some comfy warm pajamas, wrapping myself in a fleece blanket, and watching movies all evening. I couldn’t even begin to think about planning to go out every single night over the weekend, plus for lunch on Sunday. Nope, not my style of things. As I finished wiping down the bathing tub, my phone rang, and I smiled at seeing Blaine’s number flash across the screen.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said charmingly. “What are you doing?”

“Just finishing up at work,” I said, smiling. “You?”

“The same,” he sighed. “Work never slows down. But that wasn’t why I was calling.”

“Okay, what’s up?”

“I want to take you out again,” he said bluntly. “I want to see you.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“How about dinner tomorrow night? It will be Saturday, relaxing, chill, and we can continue our conversation from before. I just don’t want to go another week without seeing you in person.”

“Tomorrow night sounds good,” I said, my heart racing. “What kind of restaurant?”

“I made reservations at Tres Leche, a fine dining place downtown,” he said. “I hope that is okay. I wanted to take you somewhere nice this time.”

“You would be surprised what I think is nice,” I said, laughing. “I’m pretty sure at this point, I would think Applebee’s was nice.”

“Then you will be blown away.” He laughed loudly. “Will five be okay?”

“That will be perfect,” I said. “Right when I normally start to get hungry. Oh, and thank you for the roses. They are stunning. My office smells so good now.”

“You are more than welcome,” he said. “I just wanted to brighten your day and give you a good start to your weekend.”

“Well, you definitely accomplished that.” I chuckled. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow at five at the restaurant then.”

“Sounds perfect,” he said. “I’ll text you later this evening when I get off work.”

“I’ll be here,” I replied, ecstatic as I hung up the phone.

I walked over and put my phone back on the table, standing and staring at the roses for several minutes. My heart was racing, and it started long before he asked me to dinner. Just the sound of Blaine’s voice sent electricity through my chest, and I hadn’t felt that way about anyone before. Going to dinner was going to be fun, but all I cared about was spending time with Blaine and getting to know him better. I knew that part of guys chasing a girl was trying to impress them, but I wasn’t most girls, and I would be equally impressed by a grilled cheese sandwich at the park. Still, I was going to relax and enjoy the time I had, getting excited about trying restaurants that I would never actually go to on my own. I had heard of Tres Leche. It was one of the most expensive and well received restaurants in the city. The chef had two Michelin Stars and came to Philly from New York after getting tired of the hustle and bustle of the city. Not that Philadelphia wasn’t a city, but it was much calmer than NYC.

“Why do you look all in a daze?” Leena asked, breaking through my trance.

“Blaine just asked me out to dinner at Tres Leche tomorrow night,” I said dreamily.

“What?” she asked excitedly. “Girl that is awesome. You know what that means. We are going to go out and get you something amazing to wear!”

“You always think about shopping.” I laughed.

“If I didn’t, you would walk around in yoga pants all day,” she pointed out. “You can’t wear yoga pants to Tres Leche, and you can’t wear your prom dress from five years ago, either. Yeah, don’t act like you didn’t save that thing in the back of your closet.”

“You never know when you will need a long puffy dress,” I pointed out.

“Yes, you do, and the answer is never,” she said, laughing. “So, finish up, and let’s get out there and go shopping.”

“Yes ma’am.” I laughed.

“This guy is like a billionaire, girl, we need to make you super put together,” she said. “You could totally never want or need for anything in your life if you snag this guy.”

“I don’t care about his money,” I scoffed. “He could be poor, and if he was an amazing man, then I would be just as infatuated.”

“You are hopeless.” She laughed and shook her head.

“No, I’m a nice person,” I replied.

“And I’m not?”

“You are.” I laughed. “I just meant there are things that aren’t important to me that are to you, and it makes us look at relationships differently.”

“I also grew up poor, while you grew up with the family that you have,” she said. “We have two different viewpoints on things, but that’s good since you’re a mess when it comes to relationships.”

“Too true.” I laughed, closing up the office.

I was going to go and pick out a dress, but I didn’t want it to just be any dress. I wanted it to be the dress. I wanted to see Blaine’s jaw drop when I walked through the door. I didn’t know why I wanted him to see me as a beautiful woman, but I was going to look hot as hell.