Chapter 11: Jess

Everything about my latest date with Drew was more than I could have hoped for. Even the getting ready part had been a blast. How often did a girl get to say a thing like that? Maybe that was just par for the course with most women, but for me, most of the dating I had done after the death of Emma's father had been lukewarm at best.

There hadn't been a lot of it, and there hadn't been any real spark with the men I did go out with. Certainly, nothing that would have driven me to gather my sister and my daughter to help me pick out what to wear. Even an hour after Drew had picked me up, I could still picture Emma standing on my king-sized bed with berry-colored lipstick smeared all over her face as she belted out Beyonce at the top of her lungs.

Normally, it was the kind of thing I would have put a stop to, both the makeup and the standing on the bed, but on this night, I had been delighted. It was the kind of over the top memory a mother cherished. As I took the seat Drew was pulling out for me, I couldn't help but smile.

“What’s that about?” he asked.

“What are you talking about?”

"That smile,” he said. “You've always got a pretty one, but this one is particularly radiant."

"Is it?" I laughed, feeling giddy and buzzed despite having had no alcohol to drink. "Thanks. I was just thinking about my daughter. She's in the middle of a Beyonce phase, and she was in rare form before you came to get me."

“I thought I heard a little Beyonce blaring when you opened the front door. Maybe I should have tried to secure tickets to one of her concerts instead of bringing you here?”

“No way! Are you kidding me? This is amazing!”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence,” he said. “But how do you know? It hasn’t begun yet.”

I shrugged. “I just do. I’ve never seen anything like this place before. Even if it’s bad, I’m going to have fun.”

As I assured Drew that there was no other date I would rather be on, I looked around the room. I wasn't lying. I had never been on any date that came anywhere close to the one Drew was taking me on. I had never done anything close. In my mind, things like dinner theater performances were reserved for rich people, or at least, people a whole lot fancier than me.

The theater we were in was on the small side, but that didn't take away from how impressive it was. Everywhere I looked, it was decorated with rich golds and reds. It was the kind of opulence I would have expected at the world's finest opera houses.

Twenty or so tables sat in front of the smallish stage, making this a kind of exclusive ticket event. I had never imagined myself being a part of something like this. It was beautiful, and I found myself compulsively smoothing down my little black dress. I knew I could never compare to the types of women who usually went to things like this, but I was seriously hoping that I didn't look out of place enough for people to take notice.

“Stop it, Jess.”

“Stop what?” I asked, wondering what I was doing wrong.

“Second guessing yourself,” Drew said.

I had been doing just that. “How could you know?”

He smiled. "I'm a pretty perceptive man, Jess. I can tell you're being too hard on yourself. And there's no need. You look better than any other woman in this room. You look better than all of them combined. Believe me. I can be pretty critical when it comes to my opinions on that kind of thing."

“Well, in that case, I’ll take your word for it.” I tried to play off the compliment with a joke, but I felt the heat reddening my cheeks. I just hoped Drew didn’t notice my blushing in the dim light of the theater.

If he did, Drew had the decency not to mention it. He poured us both a glass of champagne. We clinked our glasses together and took a sip. It was bubbly and delicious. Something this good could be dangerous. I’d be drunk before I knew it if I wasn’t careful.

Drew looked me up and down, just like he had the first time we met. I couldn't be sure what he was thinking, but the smoldering look in his eyes gave me an idea. The mere thought of it made my body hot all over. As perceptive as he claimed to be, I hoped he couldn’t tell what I was thinking right now. I shifted in my seat, both uncomfortable and turned on at the same time.

“Are you all right?” he asked. “Are you having a good time?”

"Are you kidding me? I'm at a dinner show with freaking aerial components. Of course, I'm having a good time. I just can’t wait for the show to start."

He grinned at me. “Good, I’m glad to hear it. I wanted to make tonight special.”

I nodded. “So far, so good. But just so you know, it’s not like I expect this kind of thing, Drew. I don’t need a bunch of fancy things from you. Just hanging out with you makes me happy, too. I’ve been having a really good time with you, on all of our dates. This has all been really good.”

“It’s been good for me, too,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed myself very much. You’ve been something of a surprise to me, Jess. Nothing like what I expected.”

I had no idea what I was supposed to say to that, so I said nothing at all. Just because I was silent, though, didn't mean my head wasn't spinning. It most definitely was. He wasn't what I had been expecting, either, not by a longshot.

Nothing about him was predictable. He was nothing like most of the other pilots I’d met. In a very short amount of time, he had made me far happier than I ever would have expected, and that was all fantastic. There was just one thing I couldn't get over, and it was making me beyond nervous. The two of us had been spending enough time together that I believed things were probably headed somewhere, even if I wasn't sure where. The issue was Emma.

The more time I spent with Drew, the more it bothered me that I was dating a man my daughter had never met. I made a point of not bringing men in and out of her life when they didn't mean anything, but I wasn't sure that Drew fell into that category anymore. If things kept going the way they were, the two of them were going to have to meet. I liked Drew far more than I had thought I would, but that was just the first step. Now, I needed to know that he could get along with my daughter. If that didn't pan out, there was no point in the two of us spending any more time with each other.

“What is it, Jess? You look upset.”

“No, not upset. Just thinking.”

“All right, I’ll bite. What are you thinking about?”

"The Fourth of July!" I blurted out, wanting to shut myself up, but unable to stop once I begun. "That's what I'm thinking about. I know it's still several weeks away, but I was wondering if you have plans."

“No, not that I’m aware of. How come?”

“It’s just that I have this little ritual, or rather me and my family do. Emma and Sophie and me. The Fourth of July is one of Emma’s favorite holidays. Every year, we do this evening picnic thing.”

“That sounds nice. You must have a very patriotic daughter.”

I laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess so. I think she just likes the fireworks. Anyway, we do it every year, and I was wondering if you might want to come along this time. It's totally cool if you don't want to, just so you know. I get that hanging out with a ten-year-old might not be your idea of a good time. I was just thinking that it might be a good time for the two of you to meet. Which also doesn't have to happen. If I'm being too pushy or something, please just tell me. I don't know. I'm not really sure why I brought it up, to be honest. I kind of wish I hadn't. And now I’m rambling."

“Jess,” Drew said.

“Yeah?”

“Calm down,” he said, grinning.

“Just so you know, most women don’t love being told to calm down. I’ll let it slide, though, seeing as I’m acting like a basket case.”

“You are a little,” he said. “But I get it. And I’d love to come with you. It sounds like fun.”

“You would? I mean that’s great, but I’m surprised. I didn’t think you would want to come.”

“I’m a bit surprised myself, but then again, I already told you that you’re not what I expected. I get why you want me and Emma to meet, though. I would want the same thing if I had a kid.”

I searched his face as he gave me his answer, surprised and a little bit touched to see that he really did look like he'd been caught off guard. I had a pretty good idea that hanging out with kids wasn't high on his list of priorities. I felt another surge of warmth over the fact that he was willing to make an exception for me.

I would have told him so, but that was the moment that the lights began to dim, signaling that the performance was about to begin. I settled for scooting my chair closer to his and putting my hand on his thigh, feeling his raw muscle pulsing beneath my fingers.

As the stage lights began to flare and the first performer took the stage, I became clearly, terrifyingly aware of one simple fact. It had been five years since I'd been anything approaching this happy, and it was all because of a man who was still a mystery to me.