CHAPTER 3
Ryan
"Why are you getting all dressed up?"
I look over at Mike who is lying on his bed with his hands behind his head.
"I've got a date tonight." I reply.
"No, shit? With who?"
I hesitate for a second before I answer and then I mentally slap myself for doing so. I am not ashamed to be going out with Danny so there should be no hesitation. Still, I'm elusive when I respond. "Her name is Danny. She's a junior here."
Mike doesn't say anything so I take it he isn't interested in hearing further. I reach into the closet and pull out a brown sport coat. I'm not sure where we are going tonight but since I told Danny I'd take her anywhere, I want to be prepared for a nice dinner if that's what she wants. I debate on a tie and then decide against it. My parents force me to wear one to so many functions that any time I can get away without one, I'm going to take it.
"So, where did you meet this girl?"
Apparently Mike is more interested than I thought. But he has been my best friend since the beginning of high school and we've been frat roomies since we started at Northeastern. There really isn't anything I can't share with him.
"She's the waitress from the other night at Sally's."
"The hot one with the purple hair that completely knocked Angeline down about ten pegs?"
I snicker. "Yup. That's the one."
Mike lets out a long, slow whistle and is shaking his head back and forth like he pities me.
"What?" I demand.
"Come on, dude. She doesn't exactly swing in our social circle."
That just pisses me off even though I know deep down that Mike doesn't really mean anything by it.
"Why the f*ck does that matter?" My words come out harsher than I intend but I don't apologize.
Holding his hands up in apology, he smoothly replies, "It doesn't matter to me, buddy. I'm just thinking about what your parents would say. I can see your mother now, 'Oh dah-ling...she has purple hair. Is she just out of prison?'".
I bust out laughing because that is exactly what my mother would say and Mike nails his impersonation of her perfectly. This causes me to frown. Mike is correct that Danny will be shunned by my family and friends just because of how she looks. And that pisses me off all over again. And it pisses me off that I'm pissed off. I don't know this girl. I just find her interesting and want to hang with her a bit. I can't be getting angry over what my friends may or may not do in her presence when they will probably never even meet her.
"Relax. It's just dinner. It's not like I'm not bringing her home to the 'rents."
"That's what I thought. You're just trying to bang her, right?"
I angle a sharp look over at Mike and he’s grinning broadly. "No, that's not what I'm trying to do. Get your mind out of the gutter, man." I grab my keys and wallet to head out. "But if she chooses to throw herself at me, I'm not going to say no."
Mike's laugh follows me out the door.
***
Walking into Sally's I realize I'm slightly nervous. The diner is packed with the dinner crowd and I immediately see her behind the counter, ringing up someone's check.
She's still wearing what she had on earlier...jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers. Her hair is pulled up in a ponytail again and I wonder what it would look like down. I find the lavender highlights at the bottom fascinating and I'd be lying if I didn't admit I found her facial piercings kinda hot. And I suddenly realize why I'm so captivated by her. It's because she looks innocent as hell but the colored hair and face metal add a bit of rebel to that sweet exterior.
Danny glances up and sees me standing there. She holds up her index finger for me to give her a minute and I nod back. I'm happy right now just to observe her for a few minutes.
I'm struck by her easy grace. She's laughing with the customer who is paying right now and her smile literally lights up the room. The cook behind the service counter says something to her and she grimaces, throwing a towel at him that catches him square in the face. He laughs at her and all of the customers at the counter hoot and holler. She's in her element here because she is without a doubt a people-person.
Danny takes off her apron and throws it under the counter. Picking up her purse, she heads over toward me and I can feel my heart start beating faster. How in the world can someone that just finished working in a greasy diner look so damn good?
"Hey," she says. "Sorry but I ended up having to work later than I thought. I haven't had time to get showered or changed."
"Not a problem. Do you want to go back to your place so you can do that?"
She shakes her head. "We're not going anywhere fancy. Casual is better. Although, I probably smell like greasy french fries right now."
I don’t know what possesses me but step closer to her and lean my head down so my nose is right behind her ear. I take a deep breath, dramatically inhaling so she can hear me. Then I whisper in her ear, "You smell delicious to me." And she does. Her shampoo smells like eucalyptus and orange blossoms. I actually watch as she shivers over my words and I feel like f*cking Tarzan right now.
Stepping back, I turn to open the door and let her walk out ahead of me. I pull my keys out and start toward the passenger door of my black Range Rover. Glancing over my shoulder I see she's walking in the opposite direction. I put my keys back in my pocket and jog to catch up to her.
"Nice night for a walk," I remark.
She laughs and the sound warms my blood. It's rich and husky, and oh, so damn sexy.
"We're just walking to the bus stop. Tonight you'll see Boston 'Danny Style'. Although you are a little over-dressed to be riding the MBTA."
I give her a nonchalant smile. "No worries. I'm game."
She smiles back. "Good. I'd be disappointed if you weren't." Her words sound like a challenge and she has no idea how competitive I can be.
Oh, Danny, Danny. I know what you're trying to do and you should work a little harder to be less transparent. There is no doubt in my mind that Danny is trying to scare me off. If she thinks riding the transit bus is scary, she's clearly never had to dodge two-hundred pound defensemen to keep them from slamming you into the boards.
"So, where are we going? You said I'm over-dressed but you have to give me a better clue than that."
She just gives me an evasive smile and says, "You'll see."
I have to admit I'm now even more curious about her than before. I really kind of expected her to want me to take her to an expensive restaurant. I mean, that's usually what girls want. And the fact that she is taking us by public transit rather than using my insanely nice and ridiculously expensive car has me almost on pins and needles as to what to expect.
We don't get to talk much on the bus ride as it's packed with evening commuters. My first ride on the bus is not unpleasant though. The lack of seats means we have to stand up, and in close confines, Danny is pressed up against my side. She's holding on to a metal pole in front of her and I'm tall enough to hang onto an overhead strap with still enough bend in my arm. When the bus lurches or jostles, Danny’s soft curves sway into me. A few times I place my hand on her back to help steady her and she shoots me a smirk which I return.
Finally, Danny indicates we've reached our destination and we step off with a few other travelers. It's starting to get dark and I'm a bit dismayed that we are in a fairly seedy looking area of town. The streets are lined with rubbish and I see more than one broken window on some of the buildings. I start to question Danny but she takes off across the street and I follow. We walk down the block and turn a corner, and run right into a line of people stretching out from a doorway. There has to be maybe twenty or so people in line and I'm confused. Were we at a nightclub?
Danny notices the look on my face and grabs my hand. She leads me past the line up to the front door, saying hello to a few people. And then I see a sign over the door..."Helping Hands Ministry". I glance back at the people standing in line and now I can plainly see what they are...homeless.
They range in diversity...black, white, yellow, young, old, men and women. The only common denominator they have is that they are all poor...very, very poor apparently. Some are dressed in rags while others have dirt covering them from head to toe. I know I'm gaping at these down trodden people but I can't help myself. I finally turn my head slowly to Danny and she's looking at me like she expects me to bolt.
"I volunteer a few times a week here. It's my night tonight and I thought you could help."
My brow furrows. "And this is where you want me to take you for dinner? Not very romantic."
She doesn't say anything but just watches me carefully.
I sigh and take her hand, heading toward the door. "Well, let's get busy then."
I'm pleased when Danny rewards me with a blinding, dimpled smile as I lead her through the front door.
She takes me through a lobby area and down a flight of stairs to the basement. She points off to a door that heads into a wing of the building that she tells me houses full time residents. When I ask about the people standing outside, she tells me they are just here to eat but they live out on the streets.
Danny opens up a set of double doors and we are in a large dining hall. There are folding tables that seat eight with metal chairs around each table. I find it odd that each table has a small vase on it with a little bunch of plastic flowers in each one. Most of the seats are taken and I can see that as people finish their meal and leave, volunteers are letting more people in.
I follow Danny around the perimeter of the room to the back where there is a service counter which reveals a large kitchen behind it. A swinging door to the side allows people to go in and out between the kitchen and dining area.
"It's about damn time you got here, Danny. I'm up over my ass in trying to get the food prepared for tomorrow."
"Chill out, Maverick. I'm here now and I brought help. But we both expect a good meal after we’re done."
Danny looks at me and I mouth the word, Maverick?
She leans in and whispers, "Top Gun is his favorite movie."
I look over at Maverick. He's Asian and extremely short. He's wearing an apron over his clothes that's spattered with food and he's stirring a large pot on the stove. The hat on his head says, "Honey Badger Don't Care".
Danny opens a drawer and pulls out two aprons, throwing one at me. "Mav, this is Ryan. He's my wingman tonight."
I hate to admit, I don’t appreciate the Top Gun reference. The wingman is supposed to help the other person get laid and I’ll be damned if I’m going to help Danny do that.
Maverick looks at me, taking in my clothes. "He's dressed kind of fancy. Are you sure he can get his hands dirty."
Before Danny can answer, I say, "I'm sure I can get my hands dirty. Tell me what to do."
Mav just grunts at me but points to a pile of potatoes on the counter. I take my coat off and hang it over a chair, rolling my shirt sleeves up. After placing the apron on, I pick up a potato and start peeling. Danny comes up to stand beside me and starts helping. We work in companionable silence, mainly because Maverick is standing there and I'm thinking he might fillet me if we are not diligent in our duties.
When he leaves the kitchen, carrying the large pot that was on the stove with him, Danny leans her body toward me and gives me a nudge with her shoulder. "So, how are you doing?"
"Awesome. I love peeling potatoes. It's one of my favorite things in the world to do."
"First time, huh?"
I laugh. "Yup. But I always like to try new things so I can mark this off my bucket list."
We're both quiet for a minute, and then I say, "You know, Danny...bringing me here won't prove anything."
She looks at me and I can see shock on her face that I figured out her motive. She starts stammering about not trying to prove anything, but I wipe my hand off on a towel and place my finger over her lips. I lean in a little and murmur softly to her, "Don't deny it. It doesn't become you."
Her eyes are wide and confused, all for about three seconds then she bursts out laughing. "I guess I'm not going to be able to pull any fast ones on you."
"I got your number," I reassure her.
We talk about mundane things while we work as there is just no opportunity for deeper conversation. I do find out that Danny has been volunteering here a few times a week since she was sixteen, which also leads her to confirm that she's a Boston native like me. Maverick bustles back and forth between the kitchen and dining area, bringing in dirty pots and serving pans. While the residents and street guests actually clean their own dishes and utensils at a washing station in the dining hall, the lovely duty of scrubbing the cookware falls to me and Danny.
After two hours of peeling potatoes, scrubbing pots and hauling garbage, I realize my back is actually a little sore. That surprises me because I'm a pretty fit guy. You can't play NCAA hockey and not be in top shape. I don't know how Danny does this twice a week and I'm finding myself respecting a girl for something I've never really experienced before in the opposite sex.
Dedication.
This is a crappy job and she actually volunteers to do it. It kind of humbles me.
I'm wiping down the last counter top and I look over at Danny. She's holding my sports jacket out to me. "You did great tonight. How about letting me buy you a beer?"
I put the cloth in the sink and take my apron off. Taking my coat from her, I drape it over my arm. I hold the other one out to her and she hooks her arm through it.
I smile down at her as she looks so freakin' adorable right now, her arm linked with mine. "I asked you out so the beer is on me."