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“I am, but not for his job, but for who he is as a husband and father. He’s got his values straight,” I said.
We arrived at the restaurant and the parking lot was beyond full. People were waiting for a place to park, never mind eating. “Maybe coming here was a bad idea.”
Randi pointed to a food truck down the street. “Maybe not. If they have something good, we can eat it on the beach. What do you think?”
“It’s a hotdog truck,” I said. I’d eaten off many of them over the years, but not where I’d bring a woman out for dinner.
“Hope they have sauerkraut,” she said.
“Are you serious? You want a hotdog?” I asked.
“Not going to say it compares to sea scallops, but since I haven’t eaten since breakfast, then a hotdog sounds amazing,” she replied.
My stomach rumbled in response, and I headed to the food truck. We placed our order and headed across the street for the beach.
“Sorry, I didn’t plan this too well. I should’ve brought a blanket or something for us to sit on,” I said.
Randi sat down in the sand and said, “Sand shakes off nicely.”
I liked her. She was confident, funny and not…needy. But I had to remind myself that she wasn’t here because I’d officially asked her out. She’d agreed to dinner before we disassembled the room. After that, there was no reason for her to see me again.
We ate and then took a long walk on the beach letting the waves crash over our feet. I learned a lot more about Randi than I had about women I’d dated for months. But I also found that she enjoyed listening as much as she did talking. Surprisingly, I found I shared more with her than I ever thought I would. Even showed her pictures of my grandchildren.
“Your grandchildren are adorable,” she said.
“They’re a ball of energy. I can’t remember ever being so tired as I was after the amusement park. They just don’t….”
“Stop. I know. That’s why I had to retire from teaching. It’s a shame all that energy is wasted on the youth. I could use some of that now,” she yawned.
I nodded. “It has been a long day for me as well. Why don’t we head back home.”
“Good idea because I still have to pack up that room for you,” she said, yawning again.
This time I yawned as well. “Why don’t we leave that for tomorrow?”
She looked up at me puzzled. “You said you wanted it gone.”
“I do, but it’s not in my way and we’re both tired. So there’s really no rush. We can do it when we both have time and energy.” And I’ll have an excuse to see you again.
“I usually sleep in on Sunday, but I can make an exception and be at your house bright and early,” she said.
“I have to go meet with a client in the morning. How about five and I’ll throw some steaks on the grill,” I suggested.
“You don’t have to do that Sam.”
“I know, but I want to. What do you say?” I asked.
“Okay, as long as you let me bring the side dishes,” she replied.
“Vegetables?” I asked and made a face just thinking about broccoli. I’d hated it since I was a kid and yet everyone seemed to try to get me to eat it.
“I was thinking more like potato salad and a bottle of wine,” Randi stated.
“Now that sounds like a dinner we should’ve had tonight,” I smiled.
“I don’t know. The hotdog wasn’t totally horrendous,” she teased.
“Nope. The sandy grit just added to the flavor,” I joked. “I promise tomorrow’s dinner will be much better.”
And I am not planning on spending it cleaning out that room.
