Dating For Decades (26 page)

“Are you okay? Did you make any plans to spread the ashes with your mom’s husband?”

David asked me before I left the hospital. I think he wanted to wait to approach me, but I sensed he wasn’t sure he would see me again. He probably won’t. I didn’t know him at all. I only learned his last name yesterday. Even if he was married to my mom, we hardly have a connection or a reason to keep in touch. “No. I told him he can do it. Find somewhere special that they loved, or keep them in a beautiful urn. I left the choice up to him. I shouldn’t be involved.”

Keith doesn’t respond, and I think he realizes I’m right. I may have been stubborn about seeing her and people may have fought like mad for me to swallow my pride and visit her, but the line is drawn here. “When are you going back to work?”

“Terrence doesn’t want me back to the office for two weeks.
Two weeks.
Can you believe that?” I put my attention to him for a moment to gauge a reaction, but he doesn’t seem too surprised. “There is so much to be done at work. It’s the one thing I can always count on to be there. Regardless of what’s going on in life, I’ll always have an email to respond to, a coworker to assist, or somebody who needs my expertise. It’s nice to feel needed and wanted.”

Keith reaches his hand out and rests it on my knee, moving it up slightly on my thigh. He doesn’t move it too far up to be sexual, but it’s not far enough down to be a friendly gesture. “I need and want you, Cassie. Don’t forget that.”

And it is so easy to forget. This romance between us, I’m not used to it. We’ve been together only a few weeks, and it’s the longest I’ve dated anyone, I think,
ever.
Being part of a couple is different for me. I need some time with it. “Am I taking you straight home?” We hadn’t discussed if we were going to do anything first, or maybe tonight would be the first night for us to be intimate. I want and need the comfort right now. Before he left for London I made the decision when he came back I wasn’t going to hold out. I want to take things slow, but a few weeks is slow enough for me.
 

“Do you want to go on a date?” He removes his hand from my knee. “I mean, are you up for a date?”

“Yes. Please. Take me out and show me a good time. Anything to take my mind off of things.”

“Hm.” He rubs his chin and I now notice he hasn’t shaven in some time. I kind of like the scruff. “How about ice skating?”

Eek. The one time I went ice skating I fell pretty hard and split open the skin by my knee pretty bad. I didn’t need stitches, though I have a scar. “Like on skates and everything?”

“That’s usually what ice skating entails.”

I love to hate his attitude. “I’m not the best at it.” Maybe I can think of something else. Would he like laser tag like I did with Lucas? No, scratch that. Bad idea to do something with Keith that I did with Lucas, unless it’s sex.

“You don’t have to be. I can help you.”

He will, too. I’m positive he’ll hold my hand and make sure I don’t fall and hurt myself like I did when I was a little girl. “I’m not sure about this.”

“What’s there to be sure about? It’s ice skating. It’s two people going out in the cold and having a good time together. Maybe we can get some hot chocolate afterward.” He crosses his legs and twiddles his thumbs up.

I’m being standoffish. He wants to take me out. I should let him. Ice skating could be romantic, and I’m in desperate need of romance.

Chapter

Thirty-Two

I don’t completely despise the cold. Winter is at the bottom as far as favorite seasons ago. I tolerate it. I’ve lived in Wisconsin my entire life, and I honestly can’t imagine living somewhere where I never see snow. Snow and the cold have become such a part of my life that I would miss it if it were gone. Besides, winter is the best month to wear the cutest boots and find the most adorable jackets to keep me warm. And don’t even get me started on the purses. The more pockets, the better.

The place to ice skate is Red Arrow Park, the same spot we went after the awards ceremony. I exit the interstate and maneuver through the one-way streets. “You must be exhausted.” The few times I’ve been out of my time zone have given me massive jet lag. I can only imagine what being out of the country does to you.

He opens his mouth and a yawn comes out. “Come on now, don’t mention anything even related to sleep. I
am
tired, but spending time with you is much more important than sleep.”

My pulse races as I hold a grin back. I don’t want to come across as a giddy school girl, though I very much feel that way when I am around him. “If I weren’t out with you I’d either be sitting on my couch moping or trying to find a way to work without Terrence knowing I’m doing so.”

“Do you work
all
the time?”

“Not
all
the time. Maybe
most
of the time.” We exchange smiles. “Though, in the wake of everything, I think it may be time to reevaluate a few things.”

“That’s good. I believe it’s important to take a step back every so often and observe everything in life with a fresh viewpoint. You don’t want to stay in a constant state of standing still. Get moving, change things, mix things up. You never know what you’ll discover and what you like to do.”

“Is that how you became an electrician?”

“As a kid, I loved building things. The wires and light bulbs and the science behind it all fascinated me. This path felt natural.”

“Do you know what doesn’t seem natural?” Keith shakes his head as I pull into a parking spot a block away from the rink. “The fact that I didn’t have to park in a garage and found a spot this close.”

“I suppose that doesn’t happen very often.”

Downtown Milwaukee is bumper-to-bumper cars parked on the side of the streets and during special events the parking lots fill up quickly and it cost a lot of money. Scoring a spot where we did makes me want to buy a lottery ticket. Although with Keith beside me, I may have already won.

”Stay right there. I’ll get the door.”

He surprises me with this gesture, especially since I’m the one driving. I think back to all the dates I’ve been on in my life and not one man has ever opened my car door for me. I could definitely get used to this.
 

“Thank you very much,” I say with appreciation as he takes my hand and helps me step onto the curb, his hand supporting my lower back.

He shuts the door and doesn’t let go of my hand. I feel a little silly holding his hand. I don’t think I’ve done that since high school. At the same time, it’s kind of nice. Though we’re both wearing gloves, the pressure of his hand on mine is helping keep me warm. We’re like the teenagers already on the ice, young and in love.

I wait at the bench while he rents skates for us. They aren’t the most attractive things, certainly not as stylish as my Stuart Weitzman over the knee boots, but I can pull them off. Once I’m all laced up, I stand and nearly fall right back over. Keith catches me, and we’re practically in a hug.
 

“Be careful!”

“Thank you,” I say as I catch my breath.

“Why don’t I hold onto you until we get on the ice?”

“I’d like that.”

His hand is tight around my waist, and I’m glad I wore a jacket that covers any excess muffin top I may have. There’s nothing worse than a man holding onto your fat.

Once we’re on the ice, he lets go of my waist but grabs a hold of my hand again. Despite my fear of ice skating after such a hiatus, I pick it right back up as though riding a bike. We glide across the ice, our skates leaving imprints. After a while, I don’t even notice the cold air hitting my face. I’m warm inside. I’m warm everywhere. After probably about a half an hour of skating, he leads me to a bench to sit down and take a rest. “You’re actually pretty good.”

“I’m really glad I didn’t fall. I worried about that the entire time.”

“Don’t worry. If you started to fall, I’d catch you.”

I don’t doubt that he would.

We lean back against the bench and he puts his arm around me. I’m watching all the couples and families and children on the rink. They’re all having so much fun without a care in the world. “Wait a minute. Is that…” I squint my eyes until the face becomes recognizable. “Lucille! Lucille!” I wave my hand, and as soon as she sees me, she and her skating partner glide towards us and off the ice.

“Cassie, dear! How nice to see you!” She intertwines her arm with the man beside her. “This is Billy. My husband.”

“You two got married? Congratulations! Nice to meet you, Billy.” The class hasn’t even been over more than a month and Lucille already is married?

“Pleased to meet you. Lucille has said quite a lot about you.” I kiddingly glare at her. “Good things. All good things. I should thank you for putting us together after all these years. We can attribute our marriage to you.”

Billy is sweet. He is a lot shorter than I imagined, standing at least a couple of inches shorter than Lucille. His hair, what I can see underneath his hat, is all gray. He also wears circle glasses. He almost reminds me of an elderly Harry Potter. All that’s missing is his magic wand.

“I’m glad I was able to help. This is Keith.” Everyone exchanges their hellos. “Lucille was in my class at the library,” I explain to Keith, confused as to why this woman and I have a connection.

“Was Cassie a difficult teacher?”

“Be careful, Lucille. It’s not too late for me to change your grade.”

Lucille smiles and turns her body so Billy is now hugging her. They remind me of a young couple who just found love. I suppose they kind of are. “She was great.” She begins to pull Billy back to the rink. “We should get back on the ice.” As she offers a wave to me, she says, “It was so nice seeing you, Cassie. And it was absolutely wonderful to meet you, Keith.” She winks at him. We say goodbye and even though Keith is beside me, I’m a little envious of Lucille. It took me months to even admit I had feelings for Keith, and here she is, twice as old as me and she married the man of her dreams in a few short weeks.

“She was an interesting lady. They met in your class?”

“No. She searched for him on Facebook. They went to grade school together.” The story still amazes me, even more so saying it out loud. “She was my favorite in the class. Teacher’s pet, I guess.”

He pulls me close and whispers in my ear, sending shivers through my body, ”What does one have to do to become the teacher’s pet?”

“Mmm,” I groan as he kisses right behind my ear. I squeeze his arms tighter. ”Buy me a cup of hot chocolate.”

“You bet.”

The Starbucks across the street is the perfect spot for our hot chocolate. I’ve come here before for business meetings. On a typical day, it’s filled with either business people or college students. Tonight, it’s hopping with couples, loners, and families. Everyone has come in to warm up from the cold.

I wait at the table, watching Keith as he places our order. Every so often he looks behind and steals a smile from me. This evening couldn’t be better than it already is. If I went home right now, I think I could fall asleep, content and filled with love inside me. This is the perfect end to a few not so perfect days.

He arrives back at the table with our order. “Hot chocolate for my lady.” He slides the cup to me, a large hot chocolate complete with whipped cream on top. As I bring the cup to my mouth, the cinnamon surprises me, but I love the extra sweetness.
 

I pull off my gloves and set them next to my cup. “Thanks so much for this.”

“Of course. Hot chocolate was always one of my favorites in the winter. My brother and I used to go ice skating and then get a cup.”

“Did you get to spend a lot of time with him while you were there?”

“Some. I hung out with my nieces a bit.”

I picture him playing Barbies and putting pigtails in their hair, and them taking turns covering his face in make-up. The image makes me giggle.

“What?”

“Nothing. You’re just nothing short of amazing.” He reaches across the table and takes my hands. Now I’m picturing us strolling through Paris, hand-in-hand, taking in all the scenery and everything the culture has to offer. “I’ve never been out of the country. Hawaii, once, on business, if I can count that since I flew over open water.”

“Nope. Doesn’t count since it’s still the US.”

“I’m grasping at straws here. I’m not well traveled.”

Keith rubs his finger on mine where a wedding band would go. “I’ll keep that in mind. I would love to take you to London. Or Italy. Anywhere, really.”
 

I want to take him straight to my bed, but I don’t say that. I hold my breath, keeping myself from saying exactly what’s on my mind. Darting my tongue out and licking my lips, I release my breath. “This is nice.”

“Yes,” he pushes our fingers closer together, “it is.”

Even though I’m warm from the hot chocolate, goosebumps take over my body, and I’m sure my skin is flushed. “I kind of don’t want the night to end.”
 

A smile slowly builds on Keith’s face, and he leans forward, closer to me. “It doesn’t have to.” My eyes are locked on his, and I’m speechless that he’s reading my mind.
 

This is the next step, the one I’ve been waiting for, the one I promised myself when he left for London. I think of Lucille and Billy, and Cheyenne and the gas pump guy, and even my mother and David. They didn’t deny themselves love. Why should I?

I don’t say anything. I only close the gap between us, telling him yes with my lips.

•••••••

This is the first time I’ve been to Keith’s place. I assumed he lived downtown for some reason, but he doesn’t. He lives about fifteen minutes away, nestled in a small neighborhood on the south side of Milwaukee. While it’s urban, it definitely has a suburban feel with the wide street and trees lining the sidewalks. They’re all bare now, but I’m sure in the summer the greenery is magnificent. However, I don’t envy him when fall comes and he has to rake all the leaves.
 

The outside of his ranch is decorated for the holidays, strings of lights hanging from the garage and the outlining the windows. When we exit the car he flips a switch in the garage which turns on the lights.