Chapter 28
Mary Louise stood at the kitchen window where she had a perfect view of the driveway telling herself she was not there looking for Dan. She was. She was ridiculously nervous. When his truck turned in at the top of the drive, she gripped the sink to steady herself. Was this an onion she should try to peel back with Cheyenne? It was just a date for goodness sake. But she had to admit it was so much more than that. She had spent a lifetime guarding her heart.
All of her life, love had been like a see-saw. It was supposed to be a balance, a situation of give and take. Two people work together to push each other up, enjoying the ride. But time and time again, the other person - her mother, her father had jumped off the other side and let her slam to the ground. She learned early to stay off the see-saw.
She took a chance with Albert. It had taken a long time for her to sit on that seat again. The see-saw she got on with Albert was a giant one. Working it had been harder, but the view from the top was spectacular, and pushing back up when she was at the bottom was a joy. They were working together and Mary Louise was high on the thrill of it until the day came when Albert jumped off the other side. Slam!
She’d vowed to stay away from the playground and most certainly never get on that see-saw again. Now here she was standing at the gate of the playground deciding whether or not she was ready to go back in. Maybe they could stick to the swings. Have a little fun side by side, but Mary Louise would still have control. She would be the one to decide if it was time to jump off.
She met Dan at the front door and opened it before he had a chance to knock. Then she mentally kicked herself. Rookie move. She was going to look desperate.
Dan smiled and said, “Wow! You look amazing.”
Another long-forgotten trigger. The only reason Albert ever complimented her on what she was wearing was if he was trying to get her to take it off.
“Thank you,” she said. She had changed her outfit ten times before deciding on jeans, boots, and a colorful blouse that showed just a whisper of cleavage. “Would you like to come in for a minute?”
Dan was similarly dressed. Jeans, boots, and a pressed cornflower blue shirt that did not show any cleavage. He checked his watch. “We should probably get going so we don’t have to rush through dinner.”
“Right,” said Mary Louise. “Just let me grab my purse.”
She caught a quick glance of herself in the mirror above the table in the foyer as she reached for her purse. Her cheeks were flushed, but she had to admit, she did look amazing. Dan led her to the truck and opened the passenger door for her, ensuring she made it safely up from the running board and onto the leather seat. He shut the door and went around to take his place in the driver’s seat.
He started the truck and said, “I made us reservations at Taverna, right across the street from ACL. I hope Italian is okay with you?”
“Sounds perfect,” she said.
Everything was perfect. Anxiety began tugging at her little toe. If she didn’t stop it now, it would travel up her leg and take over her entire body and being. She turned her boot sideways and pressed it into the floorboard, smashing her little toe. Not tonight, she said to herself.
Mary Louise couldn’t help stealing glances at the profile of the man sitting next to her. He was unassumingly handsome. What was he doing with her? Stop. Now, she commanded herself. It’s okay to be happy. It’s okay to be happy.
“Let’s play a game,” he said. Mary Louise didn’t have time to panic before he continued with, “I’ll tell you a blues artist and song title. You tell me which is the artist and which is the title.”
Mary Louise chuckled. “Sure. Sounds fun.”
“Okay. Bus Driver and Muddy Waters.”
“Too easy. Everyone’s heard of Muddy Waters.”
He glanced at her with his sparkling blue eyes and smiled.
“I was just trying to see how hard I should make this. Next one. Keb’ Mo’ and Rita.”
“Harder. But I believe Keb’ Mo’ is the artist.”
“Very good for someone who is just so-so on jazz and blues. This one is for the big money. Smokestack Lighting and Howlin’ Wolf.”
Mary Louise looked sideways out the window at the passing buildings, as if the answer might be written on one.
“Fifty-fifty shot,” encouraged Dan.
“Okay. I’ll say Smokestack Lighting is the artist.”
“Oh, so sorry,” said Dan, “But thanks for playing.”
“But I got two out of three. Don’t I get a prize?”
“Absolutely. You get to see Joe Bonamassa live.”
The concert was phenomenal. Mary Louise had not had much desire or opportunity to experience live music, even though she had lived in the “LIve Music Capital of the World” for multiple decades. If she was being honest, it mostly annoyed her. Back in Houston they had a favorite Mexican restaurant they liked to go to, but the mariachi band that wandered through set her teeth on edge. On the rare occasions they went out to dinner with another couple, her heart fell when they walked into a restaurant where someone with a guitar and tips jar played mediocre music way too loud. She applauded their effort for following their dream, but she didn’t enjoy shouting her order to the waitress multiple times and rushing through conversation during the blessed breaks the musician would take.
If she was going to see live music on purpose, it would be to see the Houston Symphony, and then the Austin Symphony. There wasn’t any band that she had ever liked enough to want to see them live, compounded by the fact that her mother forbade her from going to rock concerts where “ignorant kids smoke marijuana and take drugs.” Rock concerts, in her mother’s opinion, were also where many teen-aged pregnancies began. Classical was the only live music she had really enjoyed, until now.
The energy in the place was unbelievable. She couldn’t keep her feet from tapping, and later in the evening she stood with the bulk of the crowd to do a little dancing, although hers was much more subdued than a plethora of drunk ladies down on the floor. She was not a musician. She was not a jazz connoisseur, but even she knew she was witnessing expert guitar playing. The keyboard player used to play with Stevie Ray Vaughn, who of course she had heard of and whose statue she had admired numerous times when walking the trails by Lady Bird Lake.
She was truly disappointed when the last note faded, her ears still ringing, and people started making their way to the exits.
Dan’s hand gently stayed on the small of her back as they maneuvered their way down stairways and out onto the sidewalk. He probably thought nothing of it. Just a habit of being a gentleman. Mary Louise thought a lot about it since it had been so long since she’d been treated like a lady. Dan had offered to buy her a T-shirt. Mary Louise had declined.
As they waited in line to exit the parking garage, Dan looked at her and said, “Well? Still so so?”
“Yes,” said Mary Louise, not feeling a bit guilty as Dan frowned. “So so in love with Joe Bonamassa now.”
He smiled and shook his head. “I’m so glad I could introduce the two of you.”
There was an easy silence between them as they made their way to Mary Louise’s house. More than one time during the ride Mary Louise reminded herself that it was okay to be happy. She was happy. It had been a magnificent evening. They pulled into her driveway and Dan put his truck in park but did not shut it off.
“Would you like to come in for a nightcap?” asked Mary Louise.
In answer, Dan shut off the ignition and opened his door. Mary Louise took out her phone to find the flashlight so she could enter her code into the pad by the garage door. By the time she had found it, Dan was at her side of the truck opening the door for her. He took her hand and made sure she made it safely off the running board and onto the ground.
Before she could flip up the cover on the pad to enter the garage door code, Dan gently took her into his arms, bringing her close.
“I’ve been wanting to do that all night,” he said.
At first, Mary Louise didn’t know what to do. She lightly put her arms around him. Where was this leading? Carla was in the house and may or may not be awake. She had flashbacks to her teen years and the very few times she had a date, and only one who walked her to the front door at the end of the night.
Dan didn’t seem to be in any hurry to let her go so she finally held on a little tighter and rested her head against his chest. As the seconds ticked by, Mary Louise realized this was the best hug she had ever had. There was no urgency. There was no ulterior motive. She had learned with Albert that anything longer than about three seconds would lead to something she wasn’t interested in. She melted into it, breathing in the lusciousness of the moment. Dan took a small step back, one arm still loosely holding onto her waist. He laid a warm hand on her cheek and gave her the gentlest of kisses.
“I’ve been wanting to do that all night too,” he said.
Heat rose in Mary Louise’s cheeks and heaven help her, she felt weak in the knees. He smiled at her and took a step back, clearing the way for her to get to the keypad. She flipped the cover up and could not remember the code. Her fingers trembled slightly as the number eventually came to her and she poked it in.
Dan followed her into the house and she invited him to have a seat in the living room.
“Decaf with a shot of Bailey’s?” she suggested.
“Sounds perfect,” he replied.
Mary Louise went to the kitchen and set half a pot of decaf to brewing. She took a few steps down the back hallway. Carla’s door was shut but there was light shining from underneath the bottom of the door.
The coffee smelled wonderful. She grabbed the bottle of Irish Cream from the cupboard and was happy to feel that there was still plenty left.
She filled two mugs with coffee. Her hands were shaking and she tried to steady them as she poured the liquor on top of the coffee. What was wrong with her? It had just been a casual dinner date and a concert. A wonderful casual dinner date where they talked non-stop and she laughed more than she could ever remember. It seemed to just be who Dan was, telling funny stories and making funny comments. But still, just one date and here she was feeling like a giddy school girl. Maybe giddy was good. Maybe she deserved giddy. Maybe she should just live in the moment and enjoy the giddy. Giddy up, she thought as she took the steaming mugs to the living room.
Settled into her chair, catty-corner from Dan on the couch, she sipped her coffee. She set the cup on the small table next to the chair and shook her head.
“We never talked about the landscaping,” she said. They both burst out laughing.
“Such a shame,” said Dan. “I guess we’ll just have to schedule another date.”
How could they have been together for over four hours and the subject of the landscaping job never came up? When he’d called and asked her out Mary Louise knew the potential job was just an excuse and was delighted. After she’d stalked him on Facebook and confirmed that the woman she’d seen him with at the Home Depot was his sister-in-law, she herself had been trying to work out when to call him.
By the time they finished their coffee, it was late. Much later than Mary Louise had been up in a long time. She walked with Dan out to his truck. He pulled her in for one nice hug, one last kiss.
“I had a wonderful time,” said Mary Louise. “Thank you so much.”
“It was my pleasure,” said Dan.
She took a reluctant step back, and Dan turned to get into his truck. She backed up to the garage door opening and crossed her arms in front of her. It was a pleasant evening but a little shiver still went through her as Dan waved at her and then put his truck in reverse. What was she doing?
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