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“Yeah.” I’m half paying attention, trying not to get sideswiped by someone in too much of a hurry.
“I know I said I was a hiker, but I was probably exaggerating my skills.” She looks chagrinned to admit she might not be capable.
“You'll be fine. I’ll be with you the whole time.” I try to focus more on her so I can figure out what's bothering her.
“But don’t hikers have, like, special shoes and backpacks and things like that?”
“You won’t need special shoes; the trails are pretty flat.” I can see her getting more anxious, but I’m not sure what else to do to ease her nerves. “And I've got a backpack we can use to bring anything we might need."
“Okay.”
Maybe it’s the party that has her antsy? Thinking more details might help her feel prepared, I bring it up to reassure her. “Steve’s fundraiser starts at five-thirty, so we’ve got some flexibility with when we go to the park.”
“Kind of a relaxed, all-day thing?” She looks slightly more relieved by that idea.
“If we’re going to make a day of it, we might as well go to the park in the morning. The crowds come in more as the day goes on, but if we go early, we'll probably have it pretty much to ourselves.”
She looks like she’s facing a firing squad again, and I hope it’s not at the prospect of being alone with me.
“If you’ve changed your mind, I understand.”
Startled, she looks over at me. “It’s not that. I just. . .” She blinks and searches for a way to explain what she’s thinking. “I don’t do this very often. Or more like never. And I’m nervous, and when I’m nervous, I act like a loon.”
Her eyes grow big with the realization that she's probably said too much. “If you change your mind now, I get it. I’m not like a lot of other people my age, and I’ve had some things happen in the past that make me, well, complicated.”
“Ten sound okay?” I want to reassure her that she won’t scare me off that easily. I’m in deep already.
“Okay.” She looks at me, then smiles, relief slowly erasing the worry lines from her face. “Ten’s good.”
“Good.”
“For dinner, do you want to bring your stuff and just get ready at the cabin?” I’m surprised she’s offering so easily.
“That’d probably be best. You’ll need more stuff than me anyway.” I widen my eyes and wink. “Girls and their makeup, you know.”
She whacks my arm. “I’m not that bad. You’d be surprised.”
“Then we can also check on Norm during the day.” I pull into the other lane to pass a slower-moving van.
“Too bad we can’t put him on a leash and bring him with us. Something tells me he might like it.”
She scratches under his chin, and he purrs.
“Or he might’ve had enough of the great outdoors and wants to live the luxurious life of a house cat,” I say. Even though he enjoys riding in the car, he hasn’t once begged to be let outside again after Lenore found him.
She picks Norm up and turns him to face her.
“What do you think?” she asks him. “Do you want to be a spoiled house cat?”
He lets out a yowl that sounds about as close to a yes as a cat can get.
“Alright. We won’t make you go for walks outside.”
She tries to settle him back down, but he jumps into the back seat and starts cleaning himself. I glance in the mirror before focusing back on the road, making a mental note to fasten his car harness properly to a seatbelt next time. I wouldn’t want him to get hurt.
When we reach Egg Harbor, I slow down and make the now-familiar right turn past the trolley station. There’s less traffic on these side roads, and we quickly reach the cabin.
I pull as close as I can to the garage and hold Norman while she opens the door. Instead of inviting myself in again, I force myself to pass her the little guy and say, “Have a good night, Lenore.”
I’m gratified to see she looks reluctant to leave.
“See you in the morning, Matt.”
I nod, and she turns away, Norm now perched on her shoulder.
Waiting in the driveway to watch for her wave to let me know they got inside alright, I pull out and head home. I’m reminded of my missed lunch as my stomach grumbles, and I swing through a drive-through, wishing I was still with Lenore.
