“So I do, Disney.” He shoots me an adorable sidelong glance and starts the car and the music.
Is that? Oh, surely not. I thought I was the only person my age who knew ELO. My dad played them on records for God’s sake! Anything could have just played, some cliché, sound-the-same crap...but it was ELO. This little surprise is doing funny things to my head.
“Have you eaten?” he asks.
“I was in bed when you called,” I titter. “No, I haven’t eaten.”
“Me either, shall we start with that? I don’t want you hungry.”
I agree that sounds fine and a few minutes later we pull up to a little café on a historic district street. I wonder how he knows of this place.
We opt to sit outside on the back deck; it has a great view of the lake. The houses around the water are spectacular. I always wonder when I see houses like that, what the heck do those people do for a living? My dad used to always tell me, “Slugger, money like that comes two ways. You’re born to it or you screw somebody else out of it.”
My dad is the hardest worker I know—any day, any shift; and we struggled. These houses are three stories with private sanded beaches and stone steps from their lower decks to the water. I wonder if they ever stop and take it all in. Do they appreciate what they have or do they wish they had the one across the water, cause it has more windows?
“Do you know what you want?” His question pulls me from my thoughts.
“I have absolutely no idea.” I’m not just talking about the menu and I think he knows that. “I’ll just have what he’s having,” I tell the waitress. “So, are you going to tell me what we’re doing today?”
“Nope, you’ll see. Are you not big on surprises, Disney?”
“Yes and no. I love good surprises. I get ants in my pants but I don’t like the lingering fear from knowing most of them don’t turn out that way. I have to really trust the person to know the surprise will be good.”
“I hope to make everything wonderful. If it’s not, you tell me, okay, Laney? Today and always, just tell me, and I’ll fix it.” He smiles warmly and I see sincerity in it, warming me to the idea of more time with this guy.
Our food arrives and it smells wonderful. Blueberry stuffed strudel, and the first bite confirms it— Dane has excellent taste. “Mmmmm,” escapes me despite the mouthful.
“You like?”
“Oh my God, like is far from the right word. It may be the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
“Yeah, I love this place. Next time we’ll get the strawberry chip pancakes. You can go ahead and thank me now,” he laughs as he puts a piece of heaven in his mouth.
“Thank you,” I say, a bit embarrassed, looking down at the table. Of course I was going to thank him at the end of the meal.
“No, Laney.” He drops his fork and reaches across for my hand with a soft chuckle. “I meant you’ll be thanking me for introducing you to the pancakes.”
“Oh, well, thank you for that, and this.”
He kisses the back of my hand he’s holding. “Thank you for joining me.”
I look down, focusing on my dish rather than the rush of emotions surging through me.
“Laney, how is it possible you have no idea how captivating you are?”
Evan asked me something similar once, I remember it melted me to learn he thought that way...Evan.
“Knowing me so little, what can you possibly mean?” This is a test. If he leads with the word hot, smokin’, tits, or ass, he’s taking me home.
“Girls came in and out of that room all night. The only one I noticed was you. Not just that you’re gorgeous, you are, but a lot of them were pretty.” He glances out the window briefly before turning back to me with a serious tone to his expression. “But you, I remember you asked, ‘so you live three to this room?’ and your voice, I couldn’t have not turned around. The more we all talked; your wit, your sarcasm, and the innocent but curious sparkle in your eye...I don’t know, I just found myself dying to hear what you’d say next.” He takes a deep breath, like a witness would when their testimony is finally over. “Oh and then the princess pajamas; I can’t remember ever seeing anything cuter in my life.”
We both laugh at that. “Dane, I...”
“Don’t be nervous, Laney, I just want to spend time with you. I want to get to know you.” He leans over the table on his elbows, bringing his face closer to mine. “There’s something great about you, the way I feel when you’re in a room. I want to see if my instincts are right about you, and those tell me that any kind of time with you is worth spending.”
“Okay, we’ll spend time together. I’d like to get to know you, too.” I offer him a tentative smile and take another bite so I don’t have to talk anymore.
He leans back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head and crossing one leg over his knee. “Best news I’ve heard all day,” he coyly replies.
MK Studios is the sign on the building we pull up to and I turn to Dane. “What is this place?”
“It’s our first stop on Laney Day.” His lips curve up a bit hesitant of a full smile; he’s nervous.