Page 20 of Jam and Jingle Bells
“Hi, Ellis,” I greeted him, stepping back to let him in. “How are you tonight?”
“I’m great, Addie. You look gorgeous,” he said instantly, leaning in and kissing my cheek. “Stunning would be a better word.”
My face heated from his compliments and I smiled ridiculously wide. “Thank you. That’s nice to hear. You’re looking dapper yourself.”
He held his arms out and bowed. “I wasn’t sure where we were going, so I had to guess my level of dressiness. I figured you might want to see me in something other than yoga pants.”
I snickered with laughter because he was right. All I’d seen him in so far had been yoga clothes or shorts this summer. Though last night I did notice that he filled out a pair of jeans nicely in the front and the back. His hours of daily yoga definitely sculpted and defined him to perfection. “It never crossed my mind to text my ideas for tonight so you’d know what to wear. I like the sweater vest and bowtie thing you’ve got going on. Very stylish.”
“I’ll accept that as high praise, my lady,” he bowed again and straightened his tie. “Are you hungry? I’m starving after spending two hours with eight little girls today.”
I laughed and motioned him toward the back of the salon. “I am starving, but first, I wanted to show you the alarm system we talked about.”
He snapped his fingers. “That’s right. Please, show me. I looked into an installed system today. I can’t afford one right now, let’s just put it that way, but I need to do something.”
I chuckled and nodded. “Trust me, I still can’t afford one and I’ve been in business for years. That’s the great part about smartphones and technology.” I showed him the base device and how each door alarm was connected, then how it worked with the phone app. “You can actually use Alexa or Google Assistant to arm it, turn the light on, and other various tasks. I pay ten bucks a month and it alerts the police and fire if the system is breached. It also sends me alerts through the phone. I think it cost about three hundred bucks for start-up and then ten bucks a month. I was thinking, since you work with kids, this kind of system would be good. If one tried to sneak out a door, it would alert you immediately.”
He glanced up from making notes on his phone. “Excellent point. Sometimes parents forget they’re supposed to be watching their kids and get to talking. Next thing you know, I’m chasing kids down the street.”
“Parents,” I said, rolling my eyes and making him laugh.
“It’s worth it, though. I totally love my job and couldn’t be happier working for myself. I loved being a yoga instructor in California, but even with the crazy hours and money worries, I wouldn’t trade being my own boss for anything.”
I held up both hands. “I totally know where you’re coming from. I hated renting a chair, which is why I started Addie and Me.” I checked the clock and grimaced. “I suppose we better get going. It’s almost seven-thirty.”
“Time flies when you’re having fun.” He picked up my coat, holding it out for me so I could slip into it. “I’ll drive, you navigate.”
He held the door open for me and I slipped out, making sure the alarm was set and the security lights were burning. His truck was on the street and he held the door open for me when we reached it.
“You’re the first woman I’ve ever offered a ride to who didn’t need a hand up into the truck,” he said when he climbed in.
“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
“It’s a good thing. A very good thing. I have a thing for tall, strong, beautiful women.” My cheeks heated again and he chuckled. “I’ve embarrassed you again, haven’t I?”
I laughed and shook my head as he started the truck and turned up the heat. “I’m not used to men being so,” I motioned my hand around searching for the right word.
“Open and in touch with their feelings with the ability to vocalize them?” He signaled and pulled away from the curb as though he just ordered takeout rather than hit me with a truth bomb.
“Honestly, yes. I haven’t had a lot of luck with guys being honest with me. The last one I dated for four years before I found out he was also seeing someone on the side.”
His lips pursed and he let out a puff of air. “He was an idiot. He never should have let you go. Where are we headed?”
His frank admittance coupled with his question had my head spinning. I had to shake it in order to make sense of the question. “I was thinking, since you’re from Wyoming, we’d go to Dave Malone’s. Turn left at the end of Main Street.”
“Dave Malone’s? I’ve never heard of it. What does it have to do with Wyoming?” he asked, turning left.
“Only the best damn buffalo burger this side of Lake Superior.”
I could have sworn I saw him flinch but I had to have been mistaken in the low light of the truck. Besides, even if he didn’t like buffalo burgers, he’d never had one from Dave Malone’s.
Our hands swung between us as we walked up the sidewalk to the diner. We’d enjoyed a quiet dinner in the far back booth at Dave’s, but we decided pie was in order to finish the night. He pulled the door open for me and I scooted in, knowing full well Ivy would be there with her tongue-wagging, and she didn’t disappoint. I was throwing her a bone and had to chuckle at the toe bounce she did when she saw us.
“Hey, guys!” she exclaimed as we stood by the pie case. “How was your night?”
I chuckled and gave her a short hug. “It’s been a nice night,” I answered, Ellis’s hand on my back when I stood up. “How was yours?”
She motioned to the corner where a tall tree stood. “Great, we got the mitten tree done and we’re ready to start the rest of the diner.”
