Next Guy Through the Door

“Potential boyfriend,” I said quickly, lifting my drink. “Let’s not jinx something before it’s even started.”

***

Concentrating on my work was simply not in the cards the next morning. Luckily my job was fairly straightforward, and I had systems in place to take care of almost everything.

Working in a law office wasn’t terribly exciting, but there was usually interesting work going on around me. I got to hear about the most fascinating cases, and hear about how my boss helped injured and innocent people fight against gigantic corporations.

Mr. Donnelly had legal assistants to help him with his casework. I was simply his personal assistant, who ran his schedule, picked up his dry cleaning, fetched lunch for him and catering for big meetings, and tried to keep the rest of his life in order.

The pay was fair, and there were a few perks like leaving at two o’clock on Fridays. He always left the office early so he could miss the traffic on his way to his weekend house.

This enabled me to get home by three so that I could shower again and style my hair properly. Usually for work, I kept it brushed flat in a timid bob. But I preferred it with a tiny bit of gel, fluffing it up in a slightly spiky, messy disaster. I felt that my face looked too girlish, so a bit of wild hair gave me some balance.

When I finished my hair and makeup, I realized that I had no idea what to wear, since I didn’t know where I was going.

I didn’t know much about dating or men at all, and was going to have to pick things up as I went. Since my father abandoned my mother and I when I was only three, I didn’t even have a chance to watch them date. All I knew about the entire subject was from movies and the strange tales from my friends.

Checking my phone, there was a text from Dale. “Hey, gorgeous. Can you meet me at the corner of Queen and Dufferin at 5:30? I’m sorry I can’t pick you up, something is running late, and I want to be finished when you get here so I can give you my full attention.”

I sent him a quick message back. “Sure, I can meet you there. I know this is a surprise, apparently, but what should I wear?”

“LOL. Anything comfortable. No high heels. Can’t wait to see you.”

Comfortable? For a first date? As I threw open my closet, I couldn’t help laughing. Although I knew nothing about Dale, I would guess he had probably never lived with a girl before. Most women needed a few guidelines so we knew what the heck to wear.

No high heels was a vague clue. He wouldn’t take me somewhere sporty without checking first. But there could be some walking involved, or maybe something with steps.

Pulling out my favorite black leather boots with the big silver buckles on the side, I decided to pair them with a little green dress that had a black lace overlay. It was sort of artsy-funky, but dressy enough for a party situation. It was also a nice contrast from the plain dresses I wore at the office every day.

After a quick snack, I packed my purse and locked the door, leaving my cozy apartment to go on the adventure of my first real date. Most women likely had countless dates by the time they were twenty-three years old. It was so hard for me to open up around men that I’d never had the opportunity to click with someone.

Rushing into something wasn’t my style, not that I really had a dating style to speak of. But kissing someone after only having known them for a few minutes was not like me at all. I hope that Dale didn’t expect me to be so outgoing all the time. That would be too much for me to keep up with.

After a relatively quick streetcar ride, I saw that I was going to arrive a few minutes early, so I sent a text. “When I get to Queen and Dufferin, where should I go from there?”

As soon as I got off the streetcar and was safely on the sidewalk, I checked my phone again, but there was no response yet. As I slipped it back into my purse, I heard, “Lindsay, how are you even more beautiful just a day later?”

I spun to see Dale looking down at me with the sweetest, most seductive smile. In my flat boots, he seemed even taller, those wide shoulders on full display since he didn’t have a jacket, just another tight t-shirt. This one was dark gray, with a few smudges of a strange metallic gold on the outer bicep. Good grief, those arms.

They wrapped around me in a warm, comfortable hug. “You smell amazing,” he said softly, giving me an extra squeeze before releasing me.

He took my hand so casually that I didn’t have time to be surprised. Leading me a block north, then west, we seemed to be headed for some strange small warehouse buildings, with logos for various media companies out front.

“I know this isn’t a fancy date, but I couldn’t wait to see you without your friends staring at us,” he laughed. “I’m the co-owner of a set design company, and a new TV show is shooting a test episode tonight. We’re friends of the production company. It’s kind of like a dress rehearsal, so we can check the lights, the set, and they can get a real feeling for the flavor of the show.” He grinned, squeezing my hand. “We’re going to be part of the live studio audience.”

“Oh. Wow.”

“It will be less than an hour, then we can hang out alone. Does that sound good?”

“Absolutely.” I smiled up at him as he led me around the back of a gray concrete building. “I don’t know a thing about shooting TV. Is there anything I need to know?”

He stopped me outside a big metal door that had green paint chipping off. “Yeah – put your phone on silent.”

I dug it out of my purse and clicked the button. “Done.”

“Always watch your feet. T

his set is pretty clear, but there are often cables or equipment lying around, so you always have to walk slowly and carefully.”