Page 21 of Big Bad Single Wolf Dad

“Kids, this is Julia,” I say. Julia is a very kind and sweet young woman who has always been an excellent nanny for my kids. “She’ll be watching you while your mom and I have some boring grown-up time.”

Julia bends to their level and gives them a warm smile that could disarm any child’s anxiety. “Let’s see, you must be Mia, and that makes you Ethan. Do you want to join the others in the playroom? We’re about to start watching the new Candy World movie right now.”

Ethan and Mia cheer and follow Julia downstairs without so much as a goodbye for their mother. But Sarah doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, she looks instantly relieved to have the moment of peace gifted to her.

“Julia’s great with kids. She’s college-educated and takes safety and first aid courses every year,” I tell her reassuringly. “She’s also well-versed in the needs of monster kids.”

“That’s amazing. My babysitters haven’t even graduated high school most of the time,” Sarah admits. “I’m lucky if they know how to cook canned soup!” She seems a little embarrassed.

“Hey, as long as the kids are happy and safe. You can always order pizza.”

Sarah nods in agreement and takes my arm as I guide her to the staircase. The theater room is just a few doors down, and when she steps in, she gives the exact reaction I was hoping for.

“Oh. My. God.” Her eyes go wide in amazement at the scene I’ve set for us. The seating area is full of big, cozy blankets and pillows. Twinkling fairy lights line the ceiling, giving enough dim light to see where you’re going.

There’s an antique popcorn machine in the corner popping fresh kernels on order. A large bucket full of ice is crammed with soda, beer, juice, and wine. Next to it are several stacks of common movie theater candy, both of the chocolate and fruity varieties. Anything she may want for a perfect movie date is right at her fingertips!

Her eyes trail over to the bookshelf packed with videos spanning every genre. I’m a collector and find myself buying movies anytime I find one I don’t already own.

“We can watch any of these?” she asks in astonishment.

“Well, yes. If you’d like. But I preemptively picked out these for tonight, for your consideration.” I pick up a stack of three movies that just happen to be ones she casually mentioned loving. One is from her childhood about a teen girl who goes on an adventure with fantasy puppets. The second is a sci-fi romance about a couple who keep getting lost while time-traveling. And finally, there’s a normal romantic comedy where a woman pretends to date her friend from high school, only for them to realize they love each other in the end.

Sarah gasps, seemingly shocked that I remembered things she told me about herself. That’s quite a low bar, if so. I plan to massively overshoot it. She’s more than worth it.

“Yes! Oh my, yes. Can we watch Paradox Hearts first? There’s this amazing scene where they get trapped in medieval times and –”

“Hey, spoilers!” I say with a laugh. “Alright, sci-fi time travel romance first.” I set up the projector and take a seat in the center. Sarah joins me with a bag of popcorn and a bottle of ginger soda. We sit next to each other with the armrest down, just like two teenagers on their very first date. It’s so nostalgic that I don’t even mind the small distance between us.

And it doesn’t matter, because not thirty minutes into the movie Sarah is leaning over the armrest to whisper trivia into my ear.

“You know we’re the only ones here, right?” I ask, holding back a laugh. “You can speak normally if you want.”

Sarah blinks at me, then looks around as if to make sure.

“Okay, so like I was saying!” she continues with more volume and intensity. “There’s no CGI in this part, it’s completely practical effects. They built a scale model of the spaceship and then filled it with the ooze!”

“That’s actually really impressive. All that work just to destroy it in one take?”

Sarah nods her head excitedly. “They had to get it exactly right or waste millions of dollars. Apparently, the director had a huge chalkboard on set with mathematical calculations to ensure the physics were accurate, too!”

I listen to her ramble about the movie with genuine interest. I can see the passion in her eyes when she talks about all of it. I could hang on her every single word. She even makes the design of astronaut suits sound intriguing.

The film ends, and Sarah gets up to stretch. “I’m gonna check on the kids. You can set up the next movie while I’m gone. Your choice!”

I show her how to get to the playroom from here and get to work swapping the discs. I choose the romantic comedy this time. I hope she has as many fun facts to share about this one, too.

I grab some candy and a beer and take my seat again. Sarah isn’t too far behind, and she raises the armrest before settling back down under a blanket and cuddling up next to me.

“Ooh, Sunrise on Fernwood Street? Nice pick.” She settles her head on my shoulder and doesn’t even flinch when I put my arm around hers.

Now it feels like a real date.

“This actress?” Sarah asks, pointing at the screen. “She wasn’t the first one they picked. The director actually wanted Raven Tremore to play the lead role, which would’ve been terrible casting. Plus Raven was busy filming Detective Rose Shadows. They only went with Penny Johnson because she was dating one of the camera guys and fit into the wardrobe. And now she’s, like, one of the biggest stars ever. Can you believe that?”

I nod, despite not knowing any of the names Sarah just said. It’s important to her, so it’s important to me, too.

That philosophy gets challenged when the movie’s dialogue starts. It’s very, very bad. I cringe at the flat delivery of terrible jokes, but Sarah is laughing hard.

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