Page 7 of Shaded Amethysts
Once I got home, I answered my mom’s probing questions about my day, without telling her about my interactions with the two gorgeous men. Thanks to the small-town grapevine, she’d already heard all about Scout’s fall through the ice and the upcoming custody battle for him, so that kept her distracted from asking me about any potential love interests.
I sure didn’t want to tell her about tomorrow’s planned date with Noah, or she would immediately start planning the wedding. I could practically hear her now… “Oh, a doctor and a lawyer. You two will be unstoppable, and my grandbabies will be brilliant.”
After giving her enough of the scoop on the day’s events that she could share with her country club friends, I claimed being tired, and headed to my childhood bedroom. It was still decorated with the bright purple and hot pink polka-dot pattern I had chosen as a pre-teen, but I didn’t dare ask that it be updated. Afterall, they didn’t have to let me stay here.
As I tried to go to sleep, flashes from my stressful day kept popping into my mind. Each time the handsome doctor made an appearance a pair of darker, more mysterious eyes swept in and took over. It didn’t make a bit of sense. I wasn’t the type to be attracted to a notorious bad-boy.
For all I knew, the stranger that was trying to rescue the kitten was a mass-murderer. The rumor around town was that he had recently been released from prison, so it was hard telling what he’d done to end up there. I didn’t want to give any extra fuel to the small-town rumor mill fire, but there was usually at least a nugget of truth buried in there somewhere.
Besides, Noah was perfect for me, and I had a date scheduled with him for tomorrow. I woke up today with no viable boyfriend prospects, and now I had two.Wait, scratch that… I had one nearly-perfect man that seemed to be interested in me, whom I should be completely focused on––Dr. Noah James.
I fell asleep with thoughts of my upcoming date with Noah swirling through my mind, so why did I end up dreaming about the handsome, rough-around-the-edges, kitten-saving stranger? Frustrated with my misbehaving subconscious, I huffed out a breath and struggled to extricate myself from the tangled sheets.
Today was the day of my date with Noah, and I wouldn’t let anything get in the way of that. We were destined to find happiness together. I was sure of it.
Time seemed to crawl by in super-slow motion as I tried to study, but secretly watched the clock counting down the minutes until it would be time to get ready for my date with Noah. At around two in the afternoon, I began to wonder if it was possible for the seconds to actually tick by in reverse. It certainly felt like it.
I called the vet’s office to check in on the kitten and was surprised when Noah answered the phone. Apparently, he didn’t yet have any office help. Visions of living in his huge, old-fashioned home and helping him run the office as his wife danced through my mind. Our kids could grow up learning how to care for the animals.
Realizing I was jumping ahead with these daydreams as quickly as my mother would, I used my best professional voice to ask him about the kitten’s well-being. He indicated that he’d been bottle-feeding the little guy, and that he still needed near-constant care. He promised that he would be ready to come home in about a week. I doubted if my parents would allow me to adopt a kitten, since my dad was allergic, but decided that maybe I could talk the stranger into taking him. After promising to see Noah at the restaurant at the allotted time tonight, we ended the call.
I tried studying, but found myself reading the same page of my tort law book several times and still not absorbing a word of it. I slammed the book shut and gave up for the day. My mind was too distracted for studying.
Instead, I decided to take a long bath with some of the luxurious lilac-scented bath oil Molly had given me for my birthday. A girl could do with a bit of pampering before her first date with her future husband. I would just have to be careful not to say anything to that effect tonight. Nothing would scare an eligible bachelor off faster than a clingy, needy woman with visions of marriage dancing through her head on the first date.
Once I was clean and dry, I put on my favorite little black dress. It was short, swingy, and classic. I paired it with some reasonable black heels, ran a straightener through my chin-length blonde hair, slid on some red lip gloss, and declared myself to be ready.
I tried to sneak out of the house without my parents seeing me, but Mom had an eagle-eye for anything that might bring her closer to having additional grandchildren.
“Don’t you look lovely. Special night?” she asked in a too-high tone before I could slip past the kitchen.
“Nothing too exciting.” I tried to blow off the question, but she was like a dog with a fresh, meaty bone.
“Is that so?” She quirked a single brow in my direction, making me wonder what she knew.
Rather than risk being caught in a lie, I gave a half-nod. This prompted her to say, “Hmm. Mimi mentioned seeing that handsome, young veterinarian walking out of the men’s store this morning with a new tie. Is that timing a coincidence?”
“Perhaps,” I answered before running out the door. Leave it to the older generation of women in this town to know what was going on, even at the men’s store. Secrets were not something that could survive any length of time in this town.
I got to the small Italian restaurant early, but Noah was already there waiting for me. He was prompt, too. It was starting to appear that the man truly was perfect.
He stood when I approached the table. I gave him a genuine smile in greeting before sitting down.
“I love your tie,” I commented as soon as I was settled in my chair, silently thanking my mom for the tip.
“Oh, this old thing?” He gave me a knowing smile, making me wonder if he had already figured out that seeing Mimi outside the store meant that I already knew he’d purchased it this morning.
He asked my permission before ordering a fancy bottle of red wine, cheesy garlic bread, and lasagna for us both. If we ended up going on additional dates, I would have to let him know I prefer to order my own food. For tonight, I decided to take it as a chivalrous, if slightly old-fashioned, gesture.
I was disappointed when I heard him order the garlic toast. That didn’t bode well for our chances of sharing a fantastic goodnight kiss.
Once the wine arrived, I took a big gulp. My nerves could use a swift kick in the pants, and I was hoping the alcohol would be just what was needed to liven up our conversation.
He showed me how to swirl and sip the wine to properly appreciate the ‘nose’ as I tried not to comment on how pretentious he sounded as he schooled me.
I forced myself to let that slight annoyance go, and soon, we were chatting about everything under the sun. He told me about the frogs and snakes he used to sneak into his room as a child. Caring for them was what helped him decide to study to become a veterinarian. I told him about my constant need for justice, even in playground disputes, that led me to a career in the law.
“But you didn’t finish law school?” I tried not to notice the judgment that edged his tone.
