V Card Sweetheart (Sweetheart, Colorado)

“I made reservations at Giovanni’s. I hope that’s okay.”

She doesn’t answer, and I look over at her. “We can go somewhere else if you want.”

She looks surprised. “No. I love Italian and I’ve never been there before. I’ve actually wanted to try it for a long time.”

The way she’s smiling at me, I would promise her anything at this point.

The restaurant is beautiful, but nowhere near as beautiful as Jane. She keeps fidgeting, telling me that she’s nervous and insecure, and it makes me hate her family even more than I already do. I may not know the whole situation, but according to Alice, Jane’s parents didn’t want anything to do with her.

“You look beautiful,” I tell her, hoping she can see how much I mean it.

She shakes the compliment off. “Thank you for bringing me here tonight.” She leans in and lowers her voice. “I wish this was my first date because already it’s a hundred times better than last night.”

I reach for her then because there’s no way I can resist. I wrap my hand around hers, and she smiles at me. “Last night doesn’t count. Forget about it, forget about him. This is your first date.” I don’t tell her, because I don’t want to freak her out, but if I have anything to do with it, I will be the only man she dates from here on out.

The waitress comes, and Jane is her usual friendly self. I can’t take my eyes off her as she orders her food and talks to the staff. Before I know it, the two women are talking about waiting tables and when Jane finds out it’s her first day on the job without a trainer, Jane tells her she’s doing a great job. That’s right, the woman hasn’t brought us drinks, bread or food yet, but Jane is already making her feel accomplished.

Fuck, she’s so good. Way too good for me. But knowing that just makes me want to be a better man.

She’s quiet and nervous through most of the meal. We laugh talking about Alice and how protective she is. She tells me about Cheryl and how she’s always having to cover shifts for her. She asks me about Dutton Trucking and how the move is going. I wait for her to ask me why I moved the company to Colorado, but she never does. We talk through almost the whole meal, and it only gives me further proof that Jane is who I want to spend the rest of my life with. I cross my arms on the table in front of me, no longer interested in the food. “If you could have anything right now, I mean ask for something and it be yours, what would it be?”

She puts her fork down and bites down on her lower lip. She’s thinking about it really hard, and I lean forward, excited to hear what she’s going to say.

“Anything?”

I nod.

“Probably for Sam to have a house and maybe a job. I hate the thought of him being homeless.”

Stunned, I sit back in my seat and stare at her. If she could have anything in this world, she would want to take care of a homeless veteran before asking for anything for herself. Unconsciously, my hand goes to my chest and I rub right over my heart.

“No honey, for you, what would you want?”

She shakes her head, confused. “That is what I want.”

I reach across the table and take her hand in mine again. I made sure to set her across from me because I figured that was the only way I was going to keep my hands off of her, but even across the table seems to be too close. Her hand is small and soft compared to mine. It seems she’s my opposite in everything. “Okay, if you had to pick something for yourself. And it had to be for you. What would it be?”

This she doesn’t have to think about. She opens her mouth, and it’s on the tip of her tongue, but then closes her lips as if she’s about to give out a big secret or something. My curiosity is definitely piqued. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” she replies instantly.

I laugh then, because it seems that Jane doesn’t lie very well either. “No, it’s definitely something.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m not going to say it. First of all, I’m sure it’s not something you say on a first date, and second of all, the last time I told someone this they told me I was trying to set women back fifty years.”

I’m about to ask her again when the waitress comes with the check. I settle the bill and help Jane from her seat and outside to my truck.

I no sooner turn over the ignition than she says to me. “Ya know, I’m sure Martin is not going to bother me, I should probably go home.”