We’re quiet as I use the parking lot to turn around. I can tell Nora is anxious, so I go ahead and address what she’s likely worrying about.
“You can stay with me for as long as you need,” I state, keeping my eyes on the road. “I know the utilities are causing you a lot of stress. Let’s just focus on what we can control.”
She doesn’t say anything for a beat and then says, “Thank you. That helps, actually.”
I drive us back to my house. We grab our gear and head over to her grandma’s. Once we get the AC back on, this will be a lot less miserable. Until then, we work independently, going through trash and sorting items of importance. There’s a lot that we can keep to “stage” the house. I know my mother and in order for her to sell a cute bayside cottage like Goldie’s, she’ll want to keep some of the furniture and décor that gives it its charm.
While I work on the practical stuff, Nora goes through the personal things. Those items go into boxes for Nora to keep or go through later.
When Nora lets loose an ear-piercing scream, I drop an end table on the tip of my boot. I ignore the throbbing pain of my big toe as I rush to the back of the house. I’m not sure if she ran into a critter like a bat or a rat or worse, a Harker.
“Nora,” I call out, breath heaving, and voice slightly panicked. “What’s wrong?”
At my arrival, she whirls around. Instead of fear twisting her features, she’s grinning widely at me. In her hands is a…video tape? I frown in confusion. She waves it in front of me as if it’s a prized find.
“What’s that?”
“This,” she says, bouncing on the balls of her feet, “is legendary.”
I hike an eyebrow up. “Dare to elaborate?”
“Oh no.” Her eyes gleam with excitement. “It’s your surprise for later. A thank you for all your help.”
This piques my curiosity. I can’t imagine what could be on that tape.
“In fact,” she continues, stepping closer, “I think we should wrap up for the evening. Tonight’s supper will be my treat. For the entertainment, we can watch this legendary glimpse of history. Please tell me you have a VHS player.”
My lips slowly curl into a conspiratorial grin. “As a matter of fact, your grandma brought hers over when she moved in. It’s already hooked up in the living room.”
She pushes past me eagerly, the scent of her perfume and sweat lingering like a surprisingly coveted souvenir. “It’s a date.”
It takes me several minutes after she’s gone to recover from her words.
It’s a date.
I know she didn’t mean it that way, but my mind turned to scrambled eggs the second she said it. I haven’t been on a date in years. No one worth dating. And Nora has a boyfriend. It’s not truly a date.
But still…
My brain sneaks in a peek at what that might look like if it were real.
That can’t happen.
Ever.
In a month she’s leaving. I need to remember that.
I feel like a new man after my shower. Even though this isn’t actually a date, I still dress nice in a pair of clean jeans, a blackPolo, and my good boots. I fix my hair, oil my beard, and dig out my cologne from the bottom of my drawer for a small spritz.
This is insane.
I’m dressing up to have dinner with a girl I hated days ago. But, somehow, like with Goldie, she wriggled her way in, and I didn’t realize it until after it happened.
Logically, my brain tells me she’s leaving in a few weeks, she has a boyfriend, and she’s practically my enemy. I’m her partner in this project. That’s it.
But the male side of me?
I’m eager to see her again and to hear her laugh. I want to listen to more of her stories, especially the ones where I can remind her Denver is incompetent in the boyfriend department. A part of me wants her to see me as more than her grandma’s grumpy roommate.
