The man oozed competence.
Go for it, a tiny part of her brain encouraged. What do you have to lose? Besides what else would she do all night? Get take out and read a book? Watch television?
“ Okay, but I want to check in first.”
Dylan didn’t object. After agreeing to a time, she told him where she was staying and with a sigh of relief Callie left Cliff House.
***
By the time she stepped out of the shower a little later, Callie was seriously beginning to wonder if her entire trip was jinxed. First her father hadn’t been able to fly up there, then the motel had mixed up her reservation and her room hadn’t been ready. Finally to top it all off there had been no hot water for her shower. If things kept going the way they were, she might just pack up tomorrow morning and go home and forget about the meeting with her father all together.
Right now though she needed to concentrate on getting through dinner with Dylan Talbot. Whenever they were together, she felt off balance, drawn to him in a way she hadn't felt before. Callie couldn’t fully explain it. Granted he was worthy of god status. Any woman with eyes would agree. But she’d been around handsome men before and not been affected by them in the same way. It unsettled her, and she wasn’t sure how to handle it.
“ Just remember who he is and who you are. Men like him don’t get involved with elementary school teachers. Even if they are excellent teachers who have the Massachusetts State's Teacher of the Year award to prove it.” Callie told herself as she looked through the outfits she packed. She didn't have many options. She didn't want to wear Lauren's violet skirt again. And it seemed like a good idea to save her other skirt for her meeting with Warren. Depending on where they were going for dinner shorts might be to casual, so that left only the red sundress. Nervously, Callie cut the tags off the dress and slipped it on. The bodice of the dress was form fitting with a low cut back and full skirt that ended just above the knee. Callie chewed on her bottom lip as she examined her appearance in the full length mirror. While the dress would definitely look better on her friend Lauren, she had to admit it flattered her figure. She only wished the top wasn't designed to fit so snugly.
That evening Dylan took her to the Spiced Pear an upscale restaurant located at the start of Newport's famous Cliff Walk. Although Callie felt nervous, she found Dylan surprisingly easy to talk too. So easy in fact that before she knew it their waitress finished clearing away their dinner plates.
With a heavily laden dessert tray in one hand, the pretty well endowed bleach blond waitress returned to their table. “Would either of you be interested in dessert?” As the woman spoke her eyes never left Dylan’s face. And Callie got the distinct impression that the dessert she was offering Dylan wasn't on her tray.
The young woman had been flirting with him since they’d been seated, but so far he hadn’t reciprocated. Callie didn’t know if that was because he truly wasn’t interested or because she was there and he wanted to be polite. Either way she appreciated it. How embarrassing it would be to have him flirting back with her sitting right there.
Though she couldn’t fault the woman, Callie wanted to throttle her every time she smiled seductively in Dylan’s direction. It wasn’t that she was jealous or anything. She had no reason to be jealous. This wasn't even a date. Although the waitress had no way of knowing that. Did the waitress think she was too unattractive to be on a date with someone like Dylan Talbot? What do you care?
Instead it was a matter of proper behavior. Having worked as a waitress in college, she knew what most restaurants considered proper behavior. Many restaurant managers considered flirting with customers a no-no. Although many women still did it often in the hopes of getting a better tip.
“ I’m all set tonight. What about you,
Learning to Kill: Stories