Courting Mrs. McCarthy by Ian Thomas Malone Page B

let himself be filled with the idea that fate might be responsible for this chance occurrence. Jackie was beautiful. Her brown hair complimented a blue dress with modest high heels and pearl earrings. She wore makeup that highlighted her features in a subtle manner, if that was at all possible. Nathan was no expert when it came to fashion.
    He started to realize what it was that made him so attracted to this woman. She was both beautiful and able to show it without overindulging in the aesthetics. She was a truly gorgeous woman who didn’t need to hide behind a palette of makeup or in an expensive designer dress. The minimalism of her charm was irresistible.
    “Can I get you something to drink?”
    He stepped inside. “I’m good for now. Thanks.” Unable to resist, he added, “You look lovely, Mrs. McCarthy.” He managed to say this without sounding inappropriate or obnoxious as Griffin might have if he were in this position. He practically hit himself for saying something that could be perceived as creepy.
    This wasn’t how she seemed to take it though. “Aw, that’s so sweet of you to say, Nathan. But I thought I told you to call me Jackie.”
    Nathan hated when adults told him to call them by their first names. He called the Rousseaus by their first names because they grew tired of him referring to both of them as Mrs. Rousseau, but everyone else was addressed properly. He didn’t even know Mrs. Buchanan’s first name.
    He didn’t see Jacqueline McCarthy like he saw other adults, so he decided to play along with this. “Right. Sorry, Jackie,” he replied.
    She laughed. “No need to be sorry, sweetie. You’re a very courteous young man.” Jackie’s comment should have showed Nathan just how foolish his thoughts were, but any notion of that sailed right over his head.
    She introduced him to Tiffany and Randall, her other children. None of them seemed particularly welcoming to Nathan, but he understood this as typical behavior for young children. His younger cousins were often shy around strangers and these kids didn’t live on the East Coast year round. He was a stranger to them in their strange home.
    “I shouldn’t be back much later than midnight,” Jackie said, after she had given Nathan a proper tour of the house. He wasn’t sure if he was surprised that their house was roughly the same size as his. It wasn’t a full time residence, but it did belong to a former MLB player. The baseball decorations were sparse save for a few items of memorabilia, none of which made any sort of impression on him besides a simple, “That’s cool.”
    “I left money for take out on the table. I don’t think there’re any menus around, but I’m sure you could look it up on your phone or something,” she added.
    “That’s okay, I’ve got a pretty good idea of what’s around,” Nathan said.
    Jackie looked a little confused for a moment. “Oh, right, I forgot you’ve lived here for a while. I’ll pay you when I get back. I’ll need to go to an ATM anyway.”
    Nathan once again showed how little he resembled a normal seventeen-year-old when he said, “Don’t worry about it. Pay me when you can.”
    Not really sure how to make small talk with Jacqueline, he asked, “Big plans tonight? Gallivanting off to the city, are we?” He often used his large vocabulary when trying to impress people, though this involved walking a fine line between inquisitive and pretentious.
    “Not really, just a charity even hosted by a former teammate of my husband, Steve, when he was on the Brewers. It’s an auction and I’m just supposed to buy something small or give a check,” she replied. This did not carry any of the pomposity that one might expect from such a revelation of one’s plans.
    Nathan was impressed and filled with an understanding that whatever feelings he held for this woman would never reach fruition. “Oh, wow, that sounds big and fancy,” he replied.
    Nathan saw Jackie blush as she replied,