If we had been in town, this would have been the time I ran off and back to my apartment to avoid any sort of implied intimacy. But we were 500 feet from shore and I was way too tired to go for a swim. Instead, I gave in to the comfort I felt there in his arms and I slowly drifted off to sleep. After a long day that stretched into the evening, I was exhausted.
***
I smelled breakfast cooking long before I actually opened my eyes. For a moment, I imagined I was at home and my in-laws had snuck into the house and were making breakfast, but then I remembered where I was. It had been a very long time since someone else had made me breakfast; in fact, it had probably been my late husband who had last done so.
The distinct smell of bacon filled the small house and I was about to wrap myself in a blanket and go to the kitchen when I noticed a set of clothes sitting on the end of the bed. I couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. It was rather sweet that he had the clothes there for me, although I had to wonder how they had arrived.
A pair of size 6 jeans, white lace panties, a perfectly-sized matching bra and a white t-shirt were laid out and waiting for me. I looked suspiciously at them and then toward the door facing the kitchen. How had the clothes gotten there? I even took a moment to look through the dresser to see if Brandon just had a supply of female clothing there or something, but all the drawers were filled with his clothes.
“It’s really weird that there is a pile of clothes that will fit me sitting right here,” I hollered out. “Are you some sort of magician? I’ve never been on a date with a magician before.”
“What? You think it’s weird that I have a set of white lace women’s lingerie?” he laughed. “Or is it weird that I have the jeans?”
His smile was so seductive that I wanted to jump into his arms and kiss him right when I saw him in the doorway. I held back my urge, though, because my curiosity about the clothes and how they had gotten there was bigger than my urge to kiss him.
“Do you have a supply of jeans here, too? It’s odd that these are my exact size.”
“Maybe I only sleep with women who are exactly your size. Hmmm, did you ever think of that?” he continued to tease me.
“That’s an option,” I said as I waited for him to head back to the kitchen and then slipped into the clothing. “The issue I’m having is that these all are new and still have the tags on them.”
I came out to the kitchen and sat down at the counter to watch him cook. The smell of bacon had my stomach grumbling. I had slept at least twelve hours, longer than I could ever sleep while at home, but I felt totally refreshed as Brandon slid some orange juice over toward me.
“I had my assistant bring us a boat, breakfast, and some clothes for you,” Brandon said as if it was a normal sentence to say to a girl.
“Oh, so you just ordered a boat, bacon, orange juice, and some size six jeans? That is one amazing assistant you have.”
“Basically, I told her we were here and to set us up for a good breakfast. I gave her my log in for the dating site so she could see what you looked like and bring some clothes. I didn’t think you’d want to swim back. Technically, she’s not my assistant any longer because she stayed working at the company I sold, but sometimes she helps me out when I desperately need her.”
I eyed him suspiciously as I sipped on my orange juice. I wanted to be angry with him for being able to so perfectly plan our morning. Without doubt, he must be a ladies’ man if he was so easily able to get such a set up for me.
But I was enjoying the soft cotton of my white t-shirt and the warmth of the pants. I positively couldn’t wait to taste the bacon and was equally excited not to have to swim back to the pier; I decided it wasn’t the right time to complain.
“You must have been a Boy Scout,” I announced as I watched him cooking. “You knew just what I needed.”
“A Boy Scout is always prepared,” he said.
“Yes, they are. I do need to get back to town this morning, though. How about we eat and then head in shortly?” I suggested.
“Sure, I’d like to get back to my phone. Isn’t it weird how badly we miss those damn things when they aren’t around?”
“Yeah, technology is in charge of our lives, that’s for sure,” I said.
“I do like being without it every now and then, though. I just get anxious thinking about all that I’m missing and will have to catch up on. Now that my company is gone, though, it’s not nearly as bad for me.”
“I don’t get that many messages on a regular basis, but I still feel the separation anxiety from it, for sure.”
“Can we go out again sometime?”
“Yes, but could we keep the date to land-based activities? I’m not sure I’m ready to start training for a triathlon yet. I’m still working on the running part.”
“I think I could come up with something,” he said. “How is next weekend for you?”
“I’ll have to check with my in-laws to see what their schedule looks like. I’m not sure I can get an overnight free,” I said and then felt totally dirty.
He was asking me on a date, not asking me to stay over. There was an awkward silence as Brandon seemed to be thinking about what he wanted to say. I quickly took the opportunity to fill my mouth with food and try to avoid making a bigger fool of myself.
“I’ll make some plans and call you to see if they work. Does Friday sound good?”