The Dating Tutor: Alec's Story by Melissa Frost

in park, he hopped out and made his way up the walkway to her front door. Upon reaching it, he lifted a hand and tapped his knuckles lightly against the wood. He’d been inside her house more times than he could count, but tonight was a date. He couldn’t go barging in like usual.
    He waited patiently on the porch, and a few minutes later, the door swung open. Ellie stood on the other side, and he was caught completely unaware by her appearance. Truth be told, she took his breath away. The dress looked even more fabulous on her now than it had in the store. The heels added to the very sexy, sophisticated look. They made her legs look…fantastic. She’d curled her hair, letting the blonde locks fall in loose waves around her shoulders. The ends curved against her breasts, drawing attention to the scooped neckline of the dress.
    He suddenly felt very uncomfortable with the thoughts racing through his mind. In an attempt to cover this up, he stepped forward and shoved the bundle of flowers at her. “For you.”
    Ellie reached for them before giving a cry of alarm and jumping back. “Get those horrid things away from me! Posies! Bleck!”  Her eyes narrowed in anger, and he could practically see her outrage in their depths. “I’m allergic to posies. They make me break out in hives. You know that.”
    Now this was more of what he’d been expecting. It was the entire reason he’d gone out and purposely bought a bouquet of flowers she was allergic to. “Wrong answer,” he responded sharply. “You love them.”
    “But I’m—”
    “You’re nothing. You love them. Smile, thank me, and then go put those in water.” He could see frustration raging behind her eyes. He thought for a moment she might refuse, but then a stiff and very dishonest smile forced its way onto her lips. “Thank you,” she said with a voice containing little gratitude. She then reached forward and gingerly took the flowers from him, being careful not to touch the petals. “They’re lovely. I should put them in water to keep them fresh.”
    “You should smell them.”
    “Don’t push it, Alec,” she warned.
    He couldn’t help himself. He laughed as she clomped out of the room. If she was getting worked up over posies, she had a very rigorous night ahead of her.
    While Ellie put her flowers in water…or perhaps the garbage disposal, he turned to Mrs. Harper, who’d been standing just beyond her daughter. “So did she take the preparation portion of this date seriously?” he asked with curiosity.
    Cindy shrugged. “It’s hard to tell. She was very snide and sarcastic about the whole affair, but I think deep down, she’s nervous.”
    He nodded. “Good. She should be. Let her get her nerves out tonight so next week goes easier for her. If I keep treating it like a date, maybe by the time the real one comes around she’ll be more at ease with the idea.”
    “So does this mean I should be throwing out a few subtle threats?” Cindy asked with a playful smile. “Or asking for a background check?”
    Alec laughed at this. “Quite possibly. But I can assure you my background is fairly boring.”
    “Then how about a curfew?” she asked. “Should we discuss that perhaps?”
    He grinned and snapped his fingers at her. “We should! That’s perfect.” An expression of mock seriousness spread across his face. “Is eleven too late, you think? I can have her home by ten if that seems more appropriate.”
    Cindy snickered. “Eleven should be fine. Just take care of my baby.”
    “Mom,” Ellie whined in protest from behind them.
    The petulant tone of her voice drew a chuckle from him. Oh yeah, she was hating this. He placed a hand against her back, as he normally might on a real date. “Are you ready? We have six o’clock reservations.”
    Ellie nodded as she snatched a sweater from the rack near the door and draped it over her arm. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
    He slid his palm lower to the small of her back and guided her out the