Gypsy is seated at the edge of my bed as I get ready for my date a few minutes till seven, giving me a look as if I were a stranger. “Yeah, I realize you don’t recognize me in all this stuff, but it’s me. Your cat butler has a new set of uniforms.” She raises one paw, wanting to be picked up. “I know you’re dying to shed on this dress, so you’ll have to settle with getting your head scratched.” I give Gypsy some attention, then add the strand of pearls to this red dress which has so many buttons it may as well be a strait jacket. I turn and look in the mirror. “I don’t know who you are, lady, but I hope Josh likes you.” I turn back to the cat. “And you, miss kitty, have an important job tonight. We need to find out if he likes cats. So be on your best behavior.”

Ring!

Nope, not the phone this time, but the actual doorbell. Oh my gawd, a man actually walked all the way from his car to the door to pick me up. I head to the kitchen and press the intercom button. “Yes?”

“It’s Josh.”

I hit the buzzer to open the door. “C’mon up.”

I take a deep breath as I hear his footsteps, then open the door as he gets to the top of the stairs. “I like a man who’s right on time.”

His eyes widen a bit. “Wow.”

“Excuse me?”

“Great dress, A.J.”

Oh, you gotta be friggin’ kidding me. He actually likes this thing? “You’re not from Connecticut, are you?”

“No. Why?”

“Oh, nothing. Thank you for the compliment on the dress. A friend picked it out.”

“Well, you look terrific.”

“Thank you again.” I take in his three-piece gray wool windowpane suit and note he’s wearing cuff links again. I don’t think I’ve ever been out with a guy who wore those. I run one finger under a lapel. “And this is a very nice suit.”

“I’ll tell my tailor you approve.”

Whaaaat? I’m out with a guy who doesn’t buy off the rack?

He takes a look around the apartment. “Wow, what a cool place.” He crouches down. “And look at these hardwood floors. Gorgeous. You can’t even buy this stuff anymore. How old is this building?”

“About a hundred years. Unfortunately so is the plumbing. I love it here but the bathroom is way too small. Back then I guess it wasn’t a high priority. And we weren’t as spoiled.”

“You ever think about remodeling?”

“I’d love to but there isn’t much space to work with.”

“Mind if I take a look?”

“Hey, I’m not turning down a free consultation with a real architect. C’mon.” I lead him down the hall to the tiny bathroom, open the door and gesture inside. “Not exactly a weekend spa, is it?”

He takes a look and nods. “Yeah, I see what you mean. A lot of these old buildings have the same problem.” He taps on a hallway door next to the bathroom. “What’s behind door number two?”

I open it. “Linen closet. It’s almost as big as the bathroom.”

“If you can live without it, you could knock down the wall and double your space. Might even get a whirlpool tub in there.”

I stare at the current tub which is even too small for me to stretch out. “Really? I’d take that deal in a heartbeat. I can find another place for sheets and towels. I’ll put ‘em under the bed if I have to.”

He points at the far wall. “You shouldn’t have to do that. I could hang a corner cabinet for storage.”

“I like the way you think. It sounds great.”

“Okay, I’ll work up some plans for you.”

“That would be really nice. I don’t suppose I can do anything about hearing stuff through the vent when someone’s in the guest room.”

“Uh... close the vent?”

“Then I’d get no heat or cool air.”

“Earplugs?”

“Very funny.”

“Sorry, I have no solution to that problem. Anyway, right now we have dinner reservations. Gotta get going.”

“Sure.” We head back toward the door and just as we get to the kitchen Gypsy comes flying out of nowhere and jumps on the counter.

With the red thong around her neck.

My face begins to match my dress as my eyes become saucers. “Gypsy, what the hell?”

Josh starts to laugh. “And who do we have here?”

I quickly pull the thong off her. “This is Gypsy. Who likes to rummage through closets.” Quick, need a believable story! “She, uh, apparently got into the box of gag gifts my friends gave me when I turned thirty. I should have thrown this stuff out years ago.”

He studies my face. “You’re over thirty? You’re kidding. I figured you were about twenty-eight.”

“Very funny. But you are off to a good start, Mister. I’m thirty-six.”

“I was being serious. I honestly thought you were in your late twenties.”

I shrug and smile. “Must be all the olive oil I use in my job. Keeps the wrinkles away.”

Gypsy moves toward him. He reaches out and scratches her head. “Hey there, kitty. She’s a beautiful cat. Purebred?”

“Nope. An orphan. Are you familiar with the story about TV reporter Madison Shaw rescuing four kittens?”

“Sure. You’d have to be living under a rock to not know about that.”

“Gypsy is from that litter. Madison is one of my closest friends.”

“How about that.” He keeps petting the cat and she responds with a purr. “You’re a famous cat.”

“She likes you.”

“I always liked cats. Love their independence and attitude. So why’d you name her Gypsy?”

“She steals stuff. This cat can open doors, dresser drawers, jewelry boxes, you name it. About every few days I find something she’s stolen in her bed. Necklaces, scarves, earrings, key chains. And, unfortunately, as you’ve just seen, thongs. So I thought Gypsy was a good name for her. She’s a great cat. Always brightens my day, no matter how bad things might be. I call her my sunshine.”

He finishes petting her and pulls his car keys from his pocket. “Well, nice to meet you, Gypsy.” He gestures toward the door. “Shall we?”

And as we head down the stairs I realize he bought the story about the thong.

The guy must really think I’d never wear that sort of thing.

Damn, my friends are really on to something.

***

THE RESTAURANT IS INCREDIBLE. When I think of a seafood place, I picture some joint with a roll of paper towels on every table and a bucket for shells.

This place is off the charts. It aint no joint, that’s for sure.

A maître d’ in a tuxedo who calls me Madame. Candlelight. A gentleman in the corner softly playing piano, loud enough to hear but not enough to make conversation impossible. A fountain in the middle of the dining area. A view of the water as the waves gently lap the shore.

And a handsome man exuding class sitting across from me actually listening to what I have to say, instead of giving me the bobblehead. While making plenty of eye contact. (I think this is the fifth consecutive day that my eyes are up here.)

A waiter arrives, greets us and hands me a leather-bound menu with a gold tassel in the middle. I pull out my reading glasses, put them on, and steal a glance at Josh to gauge his reaction. His eyebrows do a little jump.

Damn. This librarian thing is real.

Perhaps you’d like to check out something from the erotic section with no due date.

I select something from the menu (no prices, of course, so God only knows how much things are) put the glasses away and look around. “Josh, this is really a beautiful place. I think I got the better of the deal only giving you a meatball sandwich and a cannoli.”

He laughs a bit. “I dunno, that was a damn good dinner. But I think you’ll like the food here.”

“If it’s anything like the atmosphere... and the company... I’m sure it will be great.”

We lock eyes for a moment, and everything but his face fades to gray scale.

And for a moment it feels like we’re the only two people in the world.

***

I LEAN BACK AFTER THE last bite of some incredibly decadent chocolate concoction. “Damn, that was good. I’m not sure I can move. You’d better get a wheelbarrow to haul me outta here.”

“Glad you enjoyed it. This is one of my favorite places.”

“I think it’s one of my favorites now.” The waiter comes by asking if we’d like anything else. Josh looks at me, I shake my head. He tells the waiter we’re fine, then peels off some bills and hands them to the man without even waiting for the check. Considering the lack of prices on the menu thing, I’m guessing he just dropped three hundred bucks. “Hey, can I ask you something that’s been sorta driving me crazy since we met?”

“I don’t have a second identity and a wife stashed in New Jersey.”

“Very funny. No, it’s about something you said.”

“What was that?”

“Well, right before you asked me out, you said I’m sure a woman like you has someone.”

“I assumed you had a boyfriend since all the good ones are always taken. I’m sure you’ve heard it before. What part of that confused you?”

“What did you mean by a woman like you?”

He shrugs. “You know. I mean, generally when you run into an extremely attractive woman with a great personality who is independent and runs her own business, she’s off the market. You have a great life force, A.J., which is incredibly attractive. I picked that up right away. Anyway, that’s basically what I meant.”

“Oh. Well, I was surprised that you asked me out.”

“Really? After we simply talked for two and a half hours and obviously had a connection?”

“Yeah, I figured a guy like you would have someone.”

He shoots me a smile and leans forward. “So, what exactly do you mean by a guy like me?”

“Oh, ya know, typical handsome smart professional guy with a great personality who actually listens to a woman and looks into her eyes when she talks. Those kind of men don’t exactly grow on trees, you know.”

***

IT’S NEARLY MIDNIGHT when he pulls up in front of the deli. Dinner was absolutely perfect, the movie was a good one. He thought I wanted to see a rom-com but we ended up at the Bruce Willis shoot-em-up. I love watching things explode. Yippie-ki-yay.

And I’ve pretty much forgotten what I’m wearing because Josh has been paying attention to me. Sure, it could be a typical guy on his best behavior for a first date, but it’s something I’ve rarely experienced.

He parks the car and turns it off. Out of habit I reach for the door handle but he gets out and quickly heads around the car to my side. I can see he’s going to open the door for me, so I wait. He does, extending his hand. I take it as I get out and feel a jolt of electricity run through by body.

Damn, I wanna drag this guy upstairs and just take him, but I’m determined to follow the directions of my friends since everything has gone so perfectly tonight.

And I certainly don’t want to scare him off. It would be rather out of character considering my new classy image. Although maybe if I wore nothing but the pearls he’d still have a high opinion of me.

He places one hand lightly on my waist as he steers me to the door. “Had a great time tonight, A.J.”

“Me too. Fabulous dinner. I’ve never had a meal prepared table side like that. And the movie was actually good. Considering Hollywood is pretty much turning out nothing but remakes, sequels and comic book films. Or movies with some sort of left-wing agenda.”

“Yeah, very true. I like movies where you can tell the good guys from the bad guys and not get a liberal lecture.” We reach the door and he turns to face me. “I’d love to see you again.”

“Absolutely.”

“Great. I’d say I’ll call you but I’ll probably just drop by for something to eat since I’ll be across the street at some point this week.”

“There will be a cannoli waiting for you with your name on it.”

“If that’s the case I’d better come by on Monday.” Josh smiles and moves closer. He gently takes my chin in one hand, tilts it up, and gives me perhaps the longest, softest kiss I’ve ever had.

I thought the term “weak in the knees” was a simple cliché.

Turns out it’s real as I feel mine buckle a bit.

Our lips part and he smiles. “Well, goodnight.”

“Night, Josh. And thanks again for a great evening.” I squeeze his hands as I lock eyes with him, then turn and open the door. He waits till I lock it before he heads for his car.

Nice. Mom always told me a gentleman makes sure a woman is home safely.

I head up the stairs, walking on air.

He didn’t ask to come up and I didn’t offer.

And somehow that feels right.

I open the door and see Gypsy out on the screened porch, enjoying the night air as she stalks the fireflies even though she’ll never catch one. “Ah, I see you’re watching cat TV.”

She turns and sees me, scoots through the pet door and jumps to the counter to greet me. She rubs her head against my hand as I reach for the bag of treats. “Now don’t get jealous, sunshine, but I think I may have found a guy with cat values.”