It was a quarter after five Tuesday night when Veronica finally made her appearance. She was tossing out apologies left and right as she walked into my bathroom carrying a bottle of Peach Moscato Wine, our favorite.
“What’s that for?” I questioned as Karen ran the curling iron through my hair once more.
“Pre - date jitters,” Veronica confirmed before she ran to the kitchen. There was some banging of cabinets before she returned a second later. “Don’t tell me you’ve never had a glass of wine before a big date before.”
“Well considering I was 18 and still living with my mom the last time I went on a date, that’s a no.”
“Touché,” Veronica poured some of the wine into one of the glasses she got from the kitchen and handed it to me. “Well here, a glass or two will help with your nerves.”
“Yea, thanks,” I took a sip from the glass as Karen laid down the curling iron.
“Well your hair is done.” She said well giving my hair a few more fluffs. “Did you bring the make – up V.”
“Sure did,” she wiggled her eyebrows as she dumped the contents of her purse on my counter. “You ready,” she smiled as she turned to me, eye shadow in hand.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I took another sip from my glass before I set it down on the counter.

---

My eyes widened and I’m pretty sure my face paled as a knock on the door rang thought my apartment. For someone whose career depends on him being on time I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me when there was a knock at my door exactly at 6.
“Relax Beth, it’s going to be okay,” Veronica assured me as she smacked her lips and I mimicked her. “Good,” she smiled, “now go get ‘em tiger.”
I gave her a nervous nod before I downed the rest of my wine and replaced the empty wine glass on the bathroom counter.
Veronica and Karen each gave me thumbs up as I walked through the living room to the front door.
I took one last deep breath before I placed my hand on the knob and slowly opened the door. I shallowed trying to think of what to say but my brain didn’t seem to be working as I looked at the man that stood outside my door.
“Beth,” a smile covered Jamie’s face, but it couldn’t hid the quiver in his voice.
“Jamie,” I gave him a nervous nod in return.
“Shall we,” Jamie asked as he extended his arm to me.
“We shall,” I swallowed the lump in my throat as I fetched my keys from my bag and pulled the door shut behind me as I stepped into the hallway. I slipped the key into the lock with a shaky hand and gave it one last twist to make sure it was closed before I turned back to Jamie and slipped my arm in his.
He led us down the hall to the elevator and pushed the down arrow, the button turning orange under his thumb. I watched his hand as he slipped it into the front pocket of his dark dress pants. Vanessa was right, I thought to myself as I trailed the dark fabric of Jamie’s jacket up his arm. I’ve seen Jamie in nothing or just casual clothes around his place, but he looked absolutely stunning in his suit. I must have been staring for longer than I thought because by the time I made it to Jamie’s face he was smirking down at me.
I cleared my throat and turned my eyes back down to my shoes. “You look good.” I said a little above a whisper I wasn’t sure if he heard me.
“As do you.” And even though I wasn’t looking at him, I could hear the smile behind Jamie’s words.
Before I could reply the elevator dinged signaling that it was it. I looked up just as the doors slid open.
“After you,” Jamie said as let go of my arm.
I gave him a smile as I walked in and he followed. He pushed the button for the ground floor as the door slid close and he leaned on the rail against the wall. He bite his lip as he looked at me where I stood nervously towards the back of the elevator. “So I was going to make a reservation for this really nice Italian restaurant downtown, but then I realized I wasn’t sure if you liked Italian food. So I considered Seafood, but again I wasn’t sure if you would like that so well I didn’t make a reservation …”
“It’s okay Jamie,” I reassured him and my body relaxed a little as he rambled, reminding me that this was Jamie. This wasn’t some stranger. He wasn’t expecting anything from me. “Truthfully I was a little nervous you were going to take me to some really fancy restaurant and well I don’t think I’m ready for that.” I confessed.
“I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t make any reservations then.”
“Yea, because I’m pretty sure all the restaurants on your list were ridiculously fancy.”
“Yea,” Jamie laughed, “they were.” He pushed himself off the wall as the doors opened and just like earlier he let me go first.
“I don’t doubt that.” I told him as we walked thought the lobby to the front doors of my apartment complex.
“Well it’s been two years since I even got you to agree to go out with me.” He shrugged with a smile. “I don’t want to mess anything up.”
“Well then don’t try so hard.” I took a deep breath, my confidence brewing because now I was in control. “Do you like pizza?” My smile widened as I turned back to look at Jamie as we exited my building.

---

“So Italian would have been fine.” I swung my legs back and forth from the picnic table that we sat on as we overlooked the tiny pond just outside the city.
“Huh,” Jamie asked as he pulled his eyes away from the pond that twinkled orange from the setting sun.
“Reservations for that Italian restaurant would have been fine.” I turned to him with a smile and Jamie nodded in return. “Seafood though, not so much.”
“So Italian yes, seafood no.” Jamie pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. “What about Bar – B – Que.”
“I’m from Texas Jamie,” I snickered, “What do you think?”
Jamie smiled, “I didn’t know you were from Texas.”
“Right,” a nervous chuckle escaped my lips, as I realized just how little Jamie knew about me, so I confessed, “Born and raised. So I take it you’re not from around here?”
“No,” Jamie shook his head with a laugh. “Canada.”
“Ooo, a Canadian boy.” I smirked. “Never thought I meet one of them in Dallas.”
“Yea, but you probably didn’t know that Dallas had a hockey team either.”
“True.”
Jamie smiled with a playful roll of his eyes. “So football?”
My shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I’ve watched plenty of Cowboy games but I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a fan, baseball on the other hand…”
“Baseball,” Jamie grinned. “I use to play baseball.”
“You did?”
“Yea, in high school.”
“So hockey and baseball,” I smiled with a glance in Jamie’s direction. “All I’ve ever done was dance, except for that one time I tried Figure Skating…” I shook my head, “as predicted that on did not end well.”
“Well that explains a lot,” Jamie smirked.
“Shut up Jamie,” I laughed with him and gave his shoulder a playful shove.

---

“So I’m sorry you got all dressed up just to go to a pizza joint and sit by the pond.” Jamie ran his hand over the back of his neck as we approached my apartment door.
“No Jamie,” I shook my head, keys in my hand as I turned to look at him. “It was perfect.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” I assured him.
Jamie looked down at me with a shake of his head I knew he still didn’t believe me.
“Really Jamie,” I gave him a soft push on the shoulder. “I don’t think I was completely ready for an actual fancy restaurant, dress up kind of date anyway.”
He gave a small half smile. “Perfect enough for a second date?”
“Perfect enough for a second date.”
At that, Jamie’s face perked up. “Good, because I did have a really nice time with you tonight.”
“Yea, me too.” I admitted with a smile.
“So I’ll text you?” He asked as he ran a hand though his dark hair.
“Text me anything Jamie,” I winked as I backed up to my door and I guess it really shouldn’t have surprised me when the knob turned in my hand.
“Okay Beth,” Jamie beamed as he backed down the hallway.
I smiled as I pushed the door the rest of the way open, and before I even stepped in the door I was bombarded by the two women that occupied my apartment.
“How was it?”
“Where did you go?”
“Was he nice?”
“Just…” I took a deep breath as I calmed the two women down. “It was nice.” I smiled as the details from the night spilled from my lips.

Notes