9
Damian
I strolled back towards the house, happy with the notion that Kelly was willing to come over after work and have some dinner. As I walked along, I came to the realization that I didn’t know if I had anything to cook for dinner tonight. Sure, the fridge had some stuff in it, but I wanted to make sure I made a good impression on her. How could I make a good impression though if I didn’t know what she liked? Should I make steak? Chicken? Pasta? What if she was vegetarian or had a gluten intolerance? I quickly found myself worrying about what to make the closer I got to the house.
I walked into the house and didn’t hear Shannon or James down on the first floor. To be honest, I thought Shannon might just sleep all day after the night she had last night. When I got up to the second floor, I walked over towards the exercise room to see if James was in there. He was nowhere to be found, but I did hear someone in by the pool. When I opened the door, there he was, swimming some laps and, to my surprise, Shannon was there, curled up on a lounge chair, sunglasses firmly planted over her eyes. The sun was shining brightly over the indoor portion of the pool, so I didn’t blame her for having them on.
“Good morning… actually good afternoon,” I said to her after I glanced at my watch.
“If you say so,” she muttered.
“How are you feeling?” I asked her as I sat in the chair next to her.
“Like I got hit by a bus, and then a squirrel came over and died in my mouth.”
“Powerful image, Shannon,” I said to her. I opened the paper bag I was carrying and took out the jelly donut.
“Want a bite?” I asked her, holding up the side of the donut with jelly gently oozing out.
“Ugh, no food,” she said, holding up her hand and pushing the donut away.
“Your loss,” I said as I took a big bite.
I polished off the donut in three quick bites, licking the sugar off my fingers while Shannon looked on in disgust.
“Why did you even get out of bed yet if you feel so crappy?”
“I would have stayed in bed if Michael Phelps here didn’t make me get up to keep him company. He plied me with coffee, water, and aspirin if I sat here while he swam.”
James had just finished up his last lap and made his way up the pool steps and over towards us. He grabbed a towel nearby and started to dry off before coming over and sitting down.
“Hey boss,” he said to me. “The pool is great. The water feels perfect.” James looked over and saw the empty bag on the table.
“So, you went to the bakery today, I see,” James said to me, smiling. “How did it go?”
“It went well. In fact, I invited Kelly over for dinner tonight.”
Shannon sat up in her chair and whipped off her sunglasses, revealing her dark, bloodshot eyes.
“Who’s Kelly? What happened at the bakery? What am I missing?”
“The boss ran into one of the ladies who brought the basket over yesterday at the restaurant last night and hit it off with her. He went back this morning to say thanks, and I guess now they have a date,” James told Shannon, bringing her up to speed.
“How did all this happen without me knowing about it?” Shannon said to me.
“Well, you were not really in the condition to talk about it last night when it happened,” I told her. “Now that you two know about this, I need to ask you both for a favor.”
James and Shannon both looked at me, wondering where this conversation was going.
“Actually,” I continued, “I need two favors. I need to get something to make for dinner tonight. I don’t think we have anything not frozen that I could make for tonight.”
“That’s easy enough,” James said. “We can run out and get something or call the home care service and see if they can deliver something for you. What’s the second favor?”
I looked at both of them seriously.
“I need you two to leave the house, just for a few hours. I hate to ask, but it might be weird if you guys were here, at least this first time.”
“Oh come on, Damian,” Shannon cried out. “You know I feel like crap today. Can’t I just lock myself in my room and stay there if I promise to stay quiet? I really don’t want to go out any place.”
I turned my attention to James, hoping he would be on my side and give me some help.
“Come on Shannon,” James said to her, “it’s the least we can do for him. You said it yourself – the guy hasn’t had a real date in months. Let’s give him a chance to have some space. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. We can even take the limo if you want.”
“Anywhere I want, huh?” Shannon said, a twinkle of interest in her eyes now. “Okay, I’ll go, but you owe me big, Damian. And we’re not taking the limo. You can’t maneuver that thing on these little streets. Let’s take the Mustang, and I want to drive.”
James and I looked at each other, and both sighed.
“Fine, you can drive,” James said with resignation.
“Great.” Shannon bounced out of her lounge chair, seemingly filled with life again. “I’m going to get myself ready, and I’ll call the service and see what I can arrange for them to bring over. James, go get yourself cleaned up and get ready to spoil me.”
We both watched Shannon march off and out of the pool area.
“I have a feeling I am going to regret doing this,” James said to me.
“Thanks, James. I owe you big time. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“Don’t worry about it.” James wrapped the towel around his waist and made for the door.
“I better go get myself ready since I have no idea what I am in store for now.”
I followed James out the door and went upstairs to start getting myself ready for Kelly. I wasn’t sure what time she might show up beyond knowing it would be after three. I went and jumped in the shower, making sure to shave off the stubble that had grown over the last two days. I decided I didn’t want to get too dressed up and just put on a white linen shirt and some khaki shorts. By the time I had finished getting ready and made my way out to the kitchen, Shannon and James were both sitting out in the living room area waiting for me.
“You’re all set,” Shannon said to me. “They’ll be a delivery here in about twenty minutes with the food. The rest is up to you.”
“Thanks, Shannon,” I said to her.
Shannon got up from the couch and turned to James.
“Okay, let’s hit the road,” she told him.
James got up from the couch and walked over toward me.
“So where are you going?” I asked him.
“I have no idea,” he said to me as he shrugged his shoulders. “She hasn’t said anything to me. It’s all a surprise I guess.”
“Well, just use the Amex card for anything, and I’ll cover it. Do you need cash?” I asked him.
“I’m good, boss,” he said, waving me off.
“Man, I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of that Mustang,” Shannon said with excitement.
“If I need you to bail us out, I’ll give you a call,” James said as Shannon tugged him towards the stairs.
“Enjoy your date, Damian!” Shannon yelled as I heard them go down the stairs and eventually heard the front door slam. A few moments later, I could hear the roar of the Mustang engine coming from below me and then heard the tires squeal, no doubt after the gate opened so Shannon could pull the car out.
The house was suddenly very quiet, and I put some background music on just to help break things up and help me relax a bit. It was just a few minutes later when I heard the buzzer, indicating someone was at the gate. I glanced over at the monitor to see if it was Kelly, but it was a white van from the delivery service. I buzzed them in so they could pull up to the house, and then used the remote to unlock the front door when they arrived, directing them to use the elevator to bring things up.
I heard the ding of the elevator as they reached the top floor, and out walked two men all dressed in white. One was carrying a large pot, and the other had a couple of bags that he placed on the kitchen counter. Shannon had ordered a clambake for two, and the one gentleman gave me some quick direction on how everything should be prepared. They had also brought along some wine, appetizers, and dessert in case I needed them. I made sure to tip them both well, thanking them profusely for the help, and then hustled them out the door so they would be gone before Kelly arrived.
I put the items in the refrigerator to keep them cold, and I could hear the lobsters scratching away at the cooler they were in as I stored them for the moment. I took some time to set up the small table that was positioned nearest to the windows that looked out over the ocean so that the setting was nice, putting some candles on the table that I could light later.
When everything was done, I took a quick look at my watch and saw it was after four. I began to wonder if Kelly had changed her mind and decided not to come after all. I tried not to get too tense about it and walked over to the bar and made myself a vodka martini. I had just finished pouring the drink into my glass when the sound of the buzzer cut through the silence in the room.
A glance at the monitor showed Kelly standing at the gate, waiting for a response.