Thanks to the women’s aunt and uncle at the bed and breakfast, the men were privy to information that had them planning dates that would definitely encourage intimacy. Griff had a rental car delivered to him and had set out to pick Jess up. He was set to impress the young woman.

Pulling up to the curb in front of their modest two-story home, Griff found it was quaint and homey. The porch was simple, cement stairs that led to a green door.

Griff carried the box of dark chocolates and a bouquet of a dozen yellow roses with him as he went to ring the bell. It was her father who opened the door. White hair, a wrinkled face, and a frown greeted him. “And you are?”

“I’m Griffin Houser, Mr. Flannigan. I’m here to pick up Jessica for our date.”

The door was pushed open as Jess’ father took a step back. “You may as well come inside. She’s not ready yet.” Mr. Flannigan was an abrupt man, none too happy looking. “They told me about you men. I can’t say I agree that any of them should be going on a date with you. We know nothing about any of you except you’re not from around here.” He took a seat in an old, beat up plaid chair and set his light blue eyes on Griffin. “So, why bother with my daughters?”

Griffin wasn’t used to being talked to in such a way. Being from a prominent family, he was always treated with a certain amount of respect. Most fathers would’ve been over the moon if he wanted to date their daughters. But he had to remember that no one in the small town knew a thing about who he really was. He took an unoffered seat on the old sofa, sinking into the deep recesses of the cushion that had seen better days.

“Mr. Flannigan, my friends and I were in Boston for a funeral. We wanted to put a spin on the sadness and make a trip through New England to check out the beautiful scenes there’re so many of in this part of the country,” Griffin said as he smiled. “When I saw your daughter in the pub, well, I knew she was an exceptional person and that I’d like to get to know her.”

“Who died?” Mr. Flannigan asked, making Griff freeze.

He wasn’t sure if he should reveal that information as it might not set well with the man. But he had no choice. He couldn’t lie to him. It was likely he’d be asking his friends the same question.

“Julia Loveless was a client of mine. She was killed in a hit and run accident. Very tragic. I was sent by my company to pay our respects to her family.” He nodded, sadly as he looked at the floor that was covered in old, rust-colored carpeting.

The house was lovely outside but dated inside. It needed a renovation pretty badly. He wondered if he paid to have that done if it’d win him some brownie points. Then he remembered the spending limit and knew that was out.

“She was your client?” Mr. Flannigan asked. “Anything more than that? Your lover perhaps?”

Griff choked as the man hit the nail on the head. “Um, uh…”

“Hey, Griff, you ready?” Jess asked as she came down the stairs that creaked under her light weight.

He jumped up, extending the box of candy and the flowers. “I am! Wow, you look beautiful!” He hurried to meet her as she stepped off the last step. “I got you these.”

Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and a pair of tennis shoes, she hadn’t tried to impress Griff. Her long, dark blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore a bit of mascara and nothing else.

Jess took the box of chocolates as she leaned in to smell the roses. “My fav color, Griff. How’d you know?” She looked Griff over and found him wearing something similar, a pair of faded blue jeans, a nice pullover and a pair of Nike’s.

“Oh, are they?” he asked as he smiled shyly at her. “This is my favorite color of roses too. How interesting. Don’t you think?”

She nodded as she looked at the box of candy. “And dark chocolate is my fav too.”

“Another thing we have in common,” he said as he extended his arm for her to take.

She tucked her hand into the crook of his arm as she went to place the candy on a small table. “Put the vase of flowers in the center of this table. I think they’ll look pretty here, Griff.” She sat the box of candy next to them and kissed his cheek as her father made a huffing sound. “Thank you, I love them.”

“You’re very welcome, Jess. Are you ready to go?” Griff asked.

“Take him to meet your mother,” her father directed. “She’s in the kitchen.”

“Come on, Griff,” Jess said as she led him out of the living room, down a dark hallway.

Griffin had to admit to himself that he was feeling a swarm of butterflies. “Is she as nice as your father is?” he asked with a little chuckle.

“You knockin’ my dad, Griff?” Jess stopped and asked him as she looked him in the eye.

“Hell no!” he said with a high voice. “I love him!”

“Good,” Jess said then continued down the hall. She pushed open a galley style door where there was an older woman with grayish hair kneading a large ball of dough. “Mom, this is Griff.”

Wiping her hands on her white apron, the woman smiled as she approached them, extending her hand. “You can call me, Mrs. Flannigan, Griff.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said as he shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You think?” she asked with a wink. “Let me see if ya still think that after I tell you what I have to say.” She pinched his cheek. “This girl is my baby girl. If she gets hurt, then I get pissed. And I don’t handle anger very well. I tend to take it out on the flesh of who’s pissed me off. Do you understand what I’m sayin’ boy?”

Griffin nodded and thought to himself that she was much scarier than Jess’ dad. “I do, Mrs. Flannigan. I’m just going to be taking Jessica out for the afternoon. No hurting involved.”

“I want to know where it is you’re takin’ my daughter, boy,” she said then went back to beating the hell out of the dough ball.

“Lunch and a movie,” he said as he looked at Jess with wide eyes. “Is that okay with you, Jess?”

“It’ll do. Do I get to pick where we eat and what we see?” Jess asked.

“And the movie better not be one of those nasty, dirty, smutty ones, boy!” her mother warned him as she gave him a wink. Her mother’s body language was just the opposite of the words that came out of her mouth. It was amazing and frightening at the same time.

“Well, the movie is a love story, but I don’t believe there’s anything smutty about it. It’s rated PG, I think,” Griffin said then turned his attention to Jess. “As for you choosing where we eat and what we see, I’ve already made those decisions.”

“Controlling? Dominating?” Mrs. Flannigan asked with a smile.

“No, ma’am, not at all,” Griff said as he shook his head. “It’s just that she asked me to make a date that wasn’t ordinary. That’s why I picked the places. That’s all. Nothing more than that. I swear it!”

“No whips and chains for you, huh boy?” her mother asked, sending him into a heat of embarrassment that Jess didn’t seem to have.

“No! I’m not into that.” He wiped his suddenly sweating brow.

“We can go now,” Jess said. “If you still want to.”

“Yes, yes, I want to. Happy to meet you, Mrs. Flannigan. I’ll have her back here before six this evening.”

“Fine,” the woman told him then added. “Dinner’s at eight if you’d care to join us. I’m making haggis.”

Griffin leaned in to whisper to Jess, “Isn’t that guts boiled in the stomach of a sheep or something like that?”

“It is,” she said with a smile. “I’d love you to join us. Griff.”

The urge to wretch was nearly overwhelming. He swallowed back the bile that had risen in his throat. “Sure, I’d love to join you all for dinner. Thank you so much for inviting me, Mrs. Flannigan.”

“See you then, Griffin,” she said with a grin that told him she was trying to get him to go away. But he wasn’t going anywhere. He’d manage to get some of the terrible food down, he hoped.

Jess led him out a back door, and they walked around the side of the house. When she saw the Lambo parked next to the curb, she stopped. “I wonder who’s that is.”

Griffin pulled the key fob out of the pocket of his jeans and pressed the button to unlock it. “That would be my rental. Would you care to drive, Jess?”

“You’re shittin’ me!” Jess bolted away from him as she couldn’t believe her eyes. It was her favorite color, canary yellow. She ran her hand over the smooth lines of the car. “I can’t drive this. I’m too afraid, Griff.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. Come on, jump behind the wheel, baby. You can take some of the lesser traveled roads so you can get used to how it handles before we set off to eat at the Bangkok Hill Thai Restaurant.”

Jess’ mouth dropped open. “How in the hell did you find out I love Thai food? I can’t ever get anyone to go with me!”

“You love it too?” he asked with wide eyes. “Me too!”

She pushed his chest as she shouted, “Shut up!”

“I can’t,” he said with a chuckle. “I do love it. Now climb in and let’s get out of here.”

“You’re really going to let me drive this badass car, Griff?” she asked as she put her hand on the door handle.

“I am. I’m trusting you with my life, Jess,” he said as he got into the passenger side.

She just stood there, wondering if he was really this way all the time or only stepping up his game to win the bet. Then she got into the car and told herself she didn’t care why he was being the way he was, she was going to enjoy the date and driving the car she’d only ever dreamt she would.