“He almost did. I had to hold him back.” I laughed. “Anyhow, he texted last night and said he’s coming over around 6:00pm. He’s going to shower and get ready at my place.”
“Isn’t that a bit dangerous?” Always on the naughty side, her questions confounded my simple mind.
“Why would it be dangerous?” I asked naively.
“Are you kidding me? I’ve never met such a gorgeous doctor in my life!”
“Don’t be silly. We’ve done nothing naughty, to your dismay.”
“Didn’t you practically make out with him the first day you met him? And how old are you?” Sarah questioned. “Aren’t you beyond the age of making a boy wait so long before letting him do anything other than kiss you?”
Sarah always poked fun at what she called my “unnecessary modesty.”
“I’m twenty-four and he’s thirty. Yeah, that first weekend we met was crazy. It was so unlike me. Anyhow, we’ve only had a handful of dates now. I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong. We just haven’t gotten to know each other well enough,” I retorted with a laugh. “Mind your own business.”
“What does your dress look like, Emily?” Jon, my hairdresser, interrupted. “And what shall we do with this long brunette mane of yours today?”
“It’s a black low-cut sleeveless dress. It’s fitted from top to bottom. I’m going to wear black heels with it. Do what you like with my hair.”
“Ok.” As soon as Jon answered me, his eyes twinkled. “I think I know what I want to do. How about a sleek tie back? I think that will accentuate your high cheekbones.”
“Sure.” It didn’t really matter. At five feet five inches, I’d always been on the slender side but since the breakup I’d lost a considerable amount of weight. I knew I looked unhealthy, but there wasn’t much I could do…not much I wanted to do.
It took forever to get my hair and nails done. I figured while here, a facial would do wonders for my dry skin, and an aesthetician could apply my makeup. She did a great job coloring my eyes a smoky black and brushing my pale cheeks with enough blush to give them a slightly flushed look. The lipstick we picked out was the shade of a perfectly blossomed rose. Why not look good? Whether for the present date, the ex, or his new girlfriend, looking good was definitely the best revenge—though, a part of me felt guilty for thinking this.
“Wow, Emily. You look great!” exclaimed Charlie.
“Hey, what about me?” Sarah pouted. “I’m your girlfriend!”
“You’re always gorgeous,” he said lightly, kissing her pale pink lips.
“See you two later,” I called out as we left the salon. “Are we sitting together? Jake won’t know too many people there. Put us at a good table, please.”
“Don’t worry!” They chuckled. Something about the undercurrent of those two words worried me.
I glanced at my watch. Yikes! Running late, I dashed to my car in four-inch heels and a dress that was a size too big on me.
Jake was already at my door when I pulled into my driveway. My house, a small Craftsman about eighteen hundred square feet, sat on a beautifully tree-lined street. I had saved all my money while working through college, then saved another year’s worth of my pitiful teacher’s pay to put a down payment on this beautiful old home. Built in 1922, it had good bones. Wood beams ran across the ceilings and crown moldings outlined every room. There was a Batchelder fireplace on one end of the living room and built-in cabinets in each room. The bathrooms needed a bit of updating, but to me this house was perfection. I was proud to be a homeowner every time I drove up my long driveway.
Dr. Jake Reid—another picture of perfection. He was absolutely gorgeous. He was my ideal man at six feet tall, fair skin, jet-black hair, and blue eyes the color of Tahitian water. Women nurses probably swooned at the very sight of this dashing doctor. If they found out, the women at the hospital wouldn’t be too happy to know he was dating someone. I literally ran into him at the supermarket while tiptoeing on a shelf, reaching for a box of cereal. With the cereal in hand, my one foot tripped over the other foot and I bumped into him hard enough to knock us both down. Twisting my ankle from this misstep, Jake was kind enough to take me to his hospital’s ER where he stayed with me for three hours. That night, he asked for my number, and six weeks and several dates later, I invited him to accompany me to this ball.