"Dinner and a movie,” he said.“It's my treat tonight, remember?"
"Um, I'm no rocket scientist, as you know, but wouldn't we need to be in the same city for that to happen?"
"Not necessarily," he said.
"Wait a minute!Are you standing outside my door?"she asked, hearing a buzz echo through her flat.
"I don't know.Am I?"
Claire tucked her bare feet into her bunny slippers and made her way downstairs, phone still in hand.She eyed the image on the security camera with confusion.
"It's a gray-haired gentleman," she whispered to Jay."I've never seen him before in my life."
"Neither have I.Does he look like a serial killer?"
Clarie eyed the man again.“Not exactly, no.Who is he?"
"The delivery guy with dinner and a movie," Jay said.
Claire opened the door and had a short but pleasant exchange with the man.She took the bags of takeout from him and offered a tip, which he refused.He tipped his chauffeur-style cap, turned without a word, and disappeared into darkness.
Claire closed the door and returned to her flat.
"I can't believe you did all this," she said.
"It's not much.Just some takeout.I wanted to surprise you, but didn't finish up here in time.We have one more meeting in the morning.After that, there's a celebratory lunch once the deal is closed.”
"Our dinner reservation isn't until eight.Will that give you enough time?”she asked.“I don't want you to feel rushed."
"Every moment I'm away from you I feel rushed," Jay said softly.
Silence stretched between them, and Claire’s pulse raced as she searched for something—anything—to say.Before she could stumble through a response, Jay steered the conversation elsewhere.
"So, dig in.Tell me what you're dining on this evening."
“You don't know?"
"I left it up to the restaurant.Told them to send a sample of their best dishes.You mentioned your love of Chinese the other night."
Claire unpacked the bag, removing each item with care."It looks like crab claws and Peking dumplings for starters, followed by Sweet and Sour soup, Spring rolls, and ginger chicken."
“Anything else?’he asked.
"Just a few fortune cookies and a gift bag."
"Open it—but read the card first, okay," he said.
Claire pulled the card from the gift bag, smiling once more at the sight of her name.She loved the way he wrote it—all printed except for the cursivel.She read the lines to herself before reading them aloud.
"Anything I can do for you, Lover?"
"Uh, yes.Knit me a pair of socks—a pair without an actor’s face plastered on them."
“This is from a famous movie?"she asked.
"Well, I don't know that I would say famous, but it's one of my favorites."
"Without an actor’s face?"she questioned, her lips curling into a grin.
