me and stared, apparently mute.
“You know.” I gestured with my hand. “Like…what do you do for fun?”
He leaned back in his seat, but didn’t drop the pen. “Once the snow drops, I plan to hit the slopes in Tahoe.”
“Oh, I love to ski.” Progress. Now we were getting somewhere. “What do you do for fun before it snows? You know, in the fall.” Sometimes you had to spell it out for men. “Like now.”
He watched me bite my hamburger.
I made a special point of chewing carefully, hoping he’d follow my lead. Maybe it’d help him avoid receiving the Heimlich one day.
He gave that dimpled half-smile, again. “Most women I know with a figure like yours just graze on salad. Dressing on the side.”
I paused mid-chew. The guy needed to be retrained on giving compliments. “We’re at a hamburger place, not Fresh Choice.”
He cleared his throat. “Anything else you can think of to explain your more popular classes?”
“No.” No, no, a hundred times no!
“So, who takes hip-hop?” His fries were gone, but his hamburger lay untouched on his plate. Interesting. “Women? Men?”
“Mostly women, but we do have two guys.” I studied him, wondering if he could dance. “Feel free to drop in sometime.”
Nick laughed. “Me? Hip-hop? I don’t think so.”
“Why not? Don’t you like to dance?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “At a club or something. But I’m not a dance class kind of guy.”
“Well then.” I leaned forward in my seat, thinking that if we were dancing then we wouldn’t have to be talking. “I guess if I want to dance with you, it’ll have to be at a club.”
His eyes flicked to mine as if the idea had finally occurred to him. “Know of any good clubs around here?”
Jackpot. I kept my gaze on his. “Plenty.”
He considered my answer for a few seconds, then leaned forward in his chair. “How about this Friday?”
Finally, he’d asked me out on a real date. But, there was still Rule number two to contend with. “Why don’t you call me?”
“I will. By the way…” He finally reached for his burger, “Red’s a great color on you.”
“Thanks.” A decent compliment and a date even though I hadn’t officially accepted. Things were starting to look up.
So why did I still feel down?
CHAPTER FIVE
“Thanks.” I tipped the pizza delivery gal and breathed in the yummy scent of pepperoni and cheese. I kicked the door closed and brought our dinner to the coffee table. “Pizza’s here!”
Patti came in from her room and flipped on the TV. “Aw, honey, you cooked.”
“Your turn tomorrow night.” I handed Patti a slice on a napkin and then noticed the red light blinking on my cell. I dialed into my voicemail to check my messages.
Hi, it’s Nick. Checking to see if we’re on for Friday night. I’ll try you again tomorrow. See you.
I glanced at Patti, wondering if she’d give me the thumbs up. Then, my phone announced message number two.
Hello, Melanie. It’s your mother. Ron and I are leaving tomorrow and will be gone for three weeks. We’ll be hiking and camping in the mountains so we won’t have cell reception. Just wanted to let you know. Call if you get a chance. Bye.
I hung up the phone and tossed it on the sofa chair, wondering who Ron was, how long she’d keep him around, and why my mom thought I’d call her after two years. Granted, the minute I’d heard her voice I’d wanted to dial her number, but she was the one who’d left us, not the other way around. I couldn’t just forget that.
“My mom’s going hiking for three weeks with some guy and she wants me to call her before she goes.”
Patti kept her eyes on the TV. “Are you going to?”
“I don’t know.” I took a bite of pizza and chewed hard. “We haven’t spoken in almost two years.”
“In her defense, she’s called…what? Five times or so? And, you’re the one who hasn’t called her back.”
I shrugged. “I don’t have anything to say to
“You know.” I gestured with my hand. “Like…what do you do for fun?”
He leaned back in his seat, but didn’t drop the pen. “Once the snow drops, I plan to hit the slopes in Tahoe.”
“Oh, I love to ski.” Progress. Now we were getting somewhere. “What do you do for fun before it snows? You know, in the fall.” Sometimes you had to spell it out for men. “Like now.”
He watched me bite my hamburger.
I made a special point of chewing carefully, hoping he’d follow my lead. Maybe it’d help him avoid receiving the Heimlich one day.
He gave that dimpled half-smile, again. “Most women I know with a figure like yours just graze on salad. Dressing on the side.”
I paused mid-chew. The guy needed to be retrained on giving compliments. “We’re at a hamburger place, not Fresh Choice.”
He cleared his throat. “Anything else you can think of to explain your more popular classes?”
“No.” No, no, a hundred times no!
“So, who takes hip-hop?” His fries were gone, but his hamburger lay untouched on his plate. Interesting. “Women? Men?”
“Mostly women, but we do have two guys.” I studied him, wondering if he could dance. “Feel free to drop in sometime.”
Nick laughed. “Me? Hip-hop? I don’t think so.”
“Why not? Don’t you like to dance?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “At a club or something. But I’m not a dance class kind of guy.”
“Well then.” I leaned forward in my seat, thinking that if we were dancing then we wouldn’t have to be talking. “I guess if I want to dance with you, it’ll have to be at a club.”
His eyes flicked to mine as if the idea had finally occurred to him. “Know of any good clubs around here?”
Jackpot. I kept my gaze on his. “Plenty.”
He considered my answer for a few seconds, then leaned forward in his chair. “How about this Friday?”
Finally, he’d asked me out on a real date. But, there was still Rule number two to contend with. “Why don’t you call me?”
“I will. By the way…” He finally reached for his burger, “Red’s a great color on you.”
“Thanks.” A decent compliment and a date even though I hadn’t officially accepted. Things were starting to look up.
So why did I still feel down?
CHAPTER FIVE
“Thanks.” I tipped the pizza delivery gal and breathed in the yummy scent of pepperoni and cheese. I kicked the door closed and brought our dinner to the coffee table. “Pizza’s here!”
Patti came in from her room and flipped on the TV. “Aw, honey, you cooked.”
“Your turn tomorrow night.” I handed Patti a slice on a napkin and then noticed the red light blinking on my cell. I dialed into my voicemail to check my messages.
Hi, it’s Nick. Checking to see if we’re on for Friday night. I’ll try you again tomorrow. See you.
I glanced at Patti, wondering if she’d give me the thumbs up. Then, my phone announced message number two.
Hello, Melanie. It’s your mother. Ron and I are leaving tomorrow and will be gone for three weeks. We’ll be hiking and camping in the mountains so we won’t have cell reception. Just wanted to let you know. Call if you get a chance. Bye.
I hung up the phone and tossed it on the sofa chair, wondering who Ron was, how long she’d keep him around, and why my mom thought I’d call her after two years. Granted, the minute I’d heard her voice I’d wanted to dial her number, but she was the one who’d left us, not the other way around. I couldn’t just forget that.
“My mom’s going hiking for three weeks with some guy and she wants me to call her before she goes.”
Patti kept her eyes on the TV. “Are you going to?”
“I don’t know.” I took a bite of pizza and chewed hard. “We haven’t spoken in almost two years.”
“In her defense, she’s called…what? Five times or so? And, you’re the one who hasn’t called her back.”
I shrugged. “I don’t have anything to say to