“We can talk about it tomorrow,” Jeff mumbles stiffly as he straightens to his full height, his protruding belly not quite aiding in the tough guy look he’s trying to portray. I know he’s trying to let Vick know if he messes up, he’ll be dealing with him. He’s the best. “I’m Jeff, Demi’s cousin,” he blurts, gruffly as he holds his hand out to Vick.
“Vick. Nice to meet you.” They shake hands and Vick doesn’t seem to be at all phased by Jeff.
That is, until Jeff informs him, “That girl is my baby cousin. You hurt her, you’ll have me to deal with.”
I’m extremely impressed when Vick doesn’t show one iota of finding Jeff humorous, but in a very serious manner nods and promises, “I’ll treat her with the utmost respect.”
“Good,” Jeff concedes. “Demi, I’ll talk to you in the morning. Call me if you need anything.”
“I will, Jeff.” I smile. “Thank you. Tell Wendy I want to stop by for a chat tomorrow,” I add. I need to discuss the things I’ve noticed with Grayson, and I want to talk about McKenzie as well.
“Will do,” Jeff replies as he heads out. “Have fun you two.”
When the screen door slams closed, Vick and I chuckle. When he steps toward me again, close as he was before Jeff walked in, my laughter fades. He leans toward me and softly asks, “Are you ready yet?”
My eyes widen. He said he wouldn’t kiss me until I was ready. Is that what he’s asking? Already? “For you to kiss me?” I blurt out.
He smirks—an incredibly sexy smirk—and chuckles. “To go,” he says, as he backs away. He loves doing that, playing on my naivety. I fall for it every time.
I want to run from the room I’m so embarrassed. Instead, I clear my throat and blink a few times to clear my head of the thoughts that are flying through my mind. “Um, yes,” I manage after a beat. “Let’s go.”
We make the rather lengthy drive into Denver in Vick’s beat up truck, and along the way he tells me about this house built in the late 1800’s that he and his uncle have been contracted to paint. We stop at a restaurant called Cooper’s; he made reservations. I like that he took the time to plan this. Once we’re inside and seated, Vick orders a bottle of wine for us and with our glasses in hand, he toasts, “To new friends.”
I smile as we clink our glasses and take our first sip. There’s an awkward silence and my leg bounces as I struggle not to fill it. There wasn’t a second of quiet on our first date. I’m not sure why we’re struggling right now.
“How about a little this or that?” I finally ask.
“This or that?” Vick questions with a smirk.
“Yeah, I’ll start. Coke or Pepsi?”
He leans back in his seat and answers, “Coke.”
“Me too,” I laugh. “Now you go.”
The game although somewhat childish is a great ice breaker. We play and laugh until our food is brought out, and then I figure it’s time to get down to business. I want to know a little more, vet him out a bit.
“So what were you doing before you came to Colorado?”
He lets out a long breath through his nose as if he’s been dreading this question. “I worked part time for a graphic design firm and painted on the side. Hit a run of bad luck and my uncle offered me a job out here.”
“No lady friend back in Cali?” I question as I cut my steak.
Vick gives a nervous chuckle but doesn’t look up at me as he works on cutting his steak. “Uh, well. There was, but I never made enough money for her. It ended as soon as I moved out here.”
I wait a moment wondering if he’ll elaborate, but he doesn’t. Instead he changes the subject, “I have somewhere I’d like to take you after this if you’re game.”
“Okay,” I agree, deciding not to push the subject.
After dinner, where Vick’s charming personality and gift for storytelling consume the evening, he drives us further in town to the Art Walk. It’s a seasonal exhibit of over sixty vendors out on the sidewalk that runs every summer. I’ve never been, but I’ve always wanted to go. We stroll down the sidewalk as Vick tells me about the paintings and what he sees, asking me from time to time what I see.