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“Yep, but I’ve been here since I was three,” he explained.
“When did your folks move to the suburbs?”
“My dad bought the garage soon after they moved to Detroit, and they wanted to live closer to it. He saw the For Sale sign on our house, and the rest is history.”
“Lucky for me,” she said, smiling.
He didn’t respond, but he did smile, and when he pulled away from the curb, he glanced over at her and winked. The gesture was so sweet, so corny, so breathtaking, she had to look away.
Pull yourself together, woman, she thought.
All of her radar swirled around the danger of his career—a medical residency forthcoming could take him to the other side of the country, and she was ready to embark on her own career right there in the suburbs. If he asked her to get married…You moron, why are you thinking about that? she asked herself.
“So where did you apply for residency?” she asked.
“Well, here, of course, here in Detroit, Philly, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio. I don’t want to be too far away.”
“You’re pretty close to your mom and dad, then?”
“Yeah, and my brother and sister. I like my sister’s kids, too. Do you have any siblings?”
“Gosh, not a one,” she said. “I’m the typical only child. I don’t like to share, and I like my space.”
“Thanks for the warning!” he said, laughing.
She looked at him sidelong and sized him up. “I might change,” she said in a soft, sultry voice, teasing him. “You never know.”
“Okay, well, it will be interesting to find out what’s in store—” He almost said “for us” but caught himself, fumbling.
“It’s all about compromise,” she said, not noticing his awkwardness. “At least, that’s what my married friends tell me. Hey, I’m an attorney! At least I soon will be. I can debate any topic to get what I want.”
“Uh-oh, I’d better be careful, then,” he said.
He merged on to the highway, and they didn’t talk, looking at the lights of the city.
“This is really exciting for me. I rarely go into the city after dark. It’s not that I’m afraid or anything, but after being there for school, I’m happy to get home. If I go out, it’s usually somewhere not far from home. Once again, it’s the dilemma of living with mom and dad.”
But Jason smiled. “I told you at the café, I think it’s nice. What’s everyone in such a big rush to grow up for? You have to adult soon enough. Frankly, I’m sick of it. And I don’t see an end in sight anytime soon.”
“Gosh, I guess you don’t,” she said compassionately. “How many years is an emergency medicine residency?”
“Four years, but I really want that. It’s all the rest of the stuff that’s exhausting.”
She looked at him, at how handsome he was, and wondered what it was that he found difficult to face. But it was just their first date. Probing into his intimate thoughts and worries could be saved for another time.
Biting his tongue, he was sorry he’d complained to Lily. She was so easy to talk to; he could see how that might be a caveat in a new relationship. She was his date, not his therapist.
“Tonight, we’ll put all those concerns aside. We aren’t going to be adults tonight. I want to twirl you around the dance floor.”
“I’m so ready for that, whether I can dance or not!”
“Here we are,” he said, slowing down.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you lived in Greektown, were you?”
The huge neon sign flashing casino was across the street from his apartment. Familiar landmarks signified that this was in fact Greektown—restaurants, the Hellenic Museum, and Gus’s Greek Grocery, the last Greek grocer in the city.
“If they ever shoveled the driveway, I’ll park in the garage so I’ll still have a radio when it’s time to take you home.”
