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“Yeah,” Katy said. “But let me explain. Okay, so I’ve been thinking more and more about it. And there’s some issues I see that make me nervous to go on any kind of date with the guy.”
“Like what?” Eve asked. “Seriously….all jokes aside. What makes you scared or cautious, shall we say, to seriously date the guy?”
Katy sighed. “A lot of things, Eve. First of all, the age difference. He’s like thirty-seven or thirty-eight or something like that.”
“Okay, so he’s twelve or thirteen years older than you, right?” Eve said then shrugged. “Okay, yeah, that is a bit much. But, it still doesn’t break my rule. You know? If you’re old enough to have given birth to me or young enough for me to have given birth to you...which I haven’t gotten to that age myself yet...then you’re off limits. So, yeah, twelve years is a bit much, but it’s not that bad, Katy. And the guy doesn’t even look that old. He could easily pass for being thirty if he wanted.”
“Okay, Eve,” Katy said. “Okay. Well, then there’s the family connection.”
They turned a corner, heading towards the park along the river – the very same park where Katy had gone on a walk with Brennon. She reminisced in the memory – an enjoyable memory that was laced with a bit of guilt because of Katy’s apprehension toward the idea of getting romantically involved with Melanie's older half-brother.
“Katy, you said he’s your father’s cousin’s older half-brother, right?” Eve said. “You two aren’t related, but I can see what you mean, though. So, tell me this… Are you scared that maybe your family would have a problem with it? Is that what scares you about that kind of situation?”
Katy sighed. “Well, yeah… Kind of. I can only imagine what my parents would say. My dad loves Brennon. They take part in some of the same committees and boards and stuff like that.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean, Katy,” Eve admitted. “But I don’t think you really should let that stop you. So, tell me this… Do you like Brennon in that way? Are you romantically attracted to him?”
Katy shrugged then smiled, not even realizing she was doing so. “I mean...yeah, I do.”
“What do you like about him, Katy?” Eve asked as they crossed the street at the Statehouse. “Spill.”
Katy sighed as she gathered her thoughts. With a smile on her face, she explained how she felt like she could talk to Brennon for hours. They had so much in common from the looks of it, and far beyond just the fact that they both were in the teaching profession, even though that fact was enough for them to build a strong bond.
“Katy, look at you,” Eve said, smiling. “You’re blushing when you just talk about Brennon. Did you even like him like that when you were a teenager?”
“Oh, shut up, Eve,” Katy snapped, looking away like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “Anyway, no not really. That’s what makes this feel so weird. When I was a teenager and would hang out with Melanie, Brennon was just her older brother. I didn’t see him like that. But what worries me is that if we were to get romantically, my family might think we had something going on back then and, well, you could see how people might see that.”
“Yeah, it does look a little fishy,” Eve said. “But you yourself said that wasn’t the case. Katy, I’ve known you for a long time, you know. And we’ve talked about other guys, but you’ve never seemed that excited about a guy the way you are now. I say to not even worry about all that. Follow your heart. And plus, is he bothered by it?”
“I guess not,” Katy said. “Well… He is the only who asked me on the dinner date.”
Eve shrugged as they entered the park. “Go for it and keep it a secret. That’s what I would do.”
Katy glanced over at Eve. “Keep it a secret? What do you mean?”
“I mean don’t tell anybody, Katy,” Eve explained. “At least until you’re sure it’s going to be worth whatever you think might or would or could happen. Let’s say the two of you go on a date and you say ‘okay, this isn’t going to work’ for whatever reason. Well, then, nobody has to know and everything can go on the same way it had been. You see what I’m saying?”
Katy looked out at the well-landscaped park as it spread away from the high rises and toward the river. “Yeah, I see what you mean,” she said. “But, still, something about that just doesn’t seem right.”
“Well, then plus,” Eve continued, “I think it’s better to have a secret relationship...at least based on what I’m hearing. Think about it, Katy.” She smiled and rubbed her shoulder against Katy’s. “It might even really be better to keep it all a secret. You might not know, but I do. I remember back in college I was dating this guy and I guess if people would’ve known we were dating there might’ve been some talk and stuff. Katy, let me tell you...it was so much fun having a secret thing going on. Nobody to but in and say what they think. Nobody to spread any kind of rumor. The two of you can enjoy one another without someone trying to butt in and change the direction of everything completely with what they think.”
Katy listened closely to what Eve was saying as they continued navigating through the park. They came to the river. There, they leaned against the banister and peered over the edge. Ducks waded downstream; a random turtle popped out of the water and up onto a floating log. Katy smiled then looked at Eve. “Yeah, a secret...at least in the beginning. We’ll keep it a secret.”
Chapter 6
“Okay, let’s see how this goes.”
Brennon finished putting on his dinner jacket as he stood in front of his floor-to-ceiling bathroom mirror. It was a bit tight, but that was the style nowadays. “I see guys wearing it like this all the time on campus.” He tugged the sides a bit, turned around so he could be sure he didn’t need to pull out his lint brush.
With roughly an hour before the arranged time he was supposed to be meeting up with Katy so they could go on an official date, he took his time perusing through his several bottles of cologne spread out on his dresser. Just as he’d been taking a whiff of his Musk, his phone rang. Anxio
usly, he made his way to his kitchen to where his phone had been resting on the counter on the charger. He had thought it might be Katy answering, but it was in fact his brother’s call. “Hello?”
“Hey, man,” Carl said, his voice always upbeat. “What’s up? What do you have going on tonight?”
Brennon chuckled as he headed back to his dresser in the bedroom. “Oh, not much. Well, I guess I shouldn’t say that. I have a date tonight...supposed to be meeting in an hour.”
“Oh, well, well, well,” Carl said, imitating a British accent then chuckling. “Is that so? Well, I’m glad to hear it. It’s about time you start to try to settle down. You know forty is really only around the corner for you, bro.”
