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I sat up straight and looked him in the eyes. "You're kidding?"
"Nope. Not kidding."
"Oh, my, God, that's perfect for you!" I howled with laughter. "Tit for Tat!"
“She’s 45’ long and came with that name. I can't take credit for it. I thought about having it changed to something else.... but I'll admit, it does suit me," Chase said, downing the rest of his rum. "Why don't you come with me next weekend. We'll take her over to Catalina.... enjoy a relaxing evening on the boat one night and in Avalon the other.... just you and me. We can hit the reset button and call it our first date, round two."
"I'd love that. Catalina. I've never been there."
"Me either," Chase said, helping me up off his lap before he gathered the empty mugs and started for the kitchen. "I'll call you Friday an hour or two before I leave work. You can meet me at Bayside Marina...."
"Chase, remember I don't drive, but maybe I can get Amy to take me. She drives me to my doctors and therapy appointments and helps me grocery shop."
"Oh, wait. That's not right. It's our first date. What kind of a jerk would tell his gal to drive to meet him? Of course, I will come here and pick you up."
"I didn't even think of it either," I said, shaking my head. "We both have a lot to learn about dating."
Chase warily kissed me on the cheek, careful not to ignite the fires of passion. "Can I call you tomorrow?"
"You don't have to ask permission anymore. We’re dating, remember?”
"Thank God. Night, Megs, sleep tight.” Chase winked and blew me another kiss.
I stood on the porch, watching him drive away. “Friday can’t come quick enough!”
Turning off the porch light, I realized Chase was right and shivered in earnest this time. It was cold as hell in here. Quickly fetching my throw off the floor, I wrapped myself up and hastened to bed. I had two video conferences back-to-back tomorrow to discuss my progress and the next steps on my journey to becoming a grant writer. Now that things were getting settled with Chase, my anxiety was ebbing away. Finally, I could get a good night’s sleep!
Chapter Six
Meagan
With a gentle yawn, I kicked off the covers and stretched my arms toward the ceiling. Taking a moment to wake up, I made a hot mug of coffee and slipped a bagel into the toaster. The kitchen was filled with warm light as the sun peeked its head over the vineyard. Then smiling to myself, I shot off a 'good morning' text to Chase, who sent a sun and a smiley face emoji in return with a promise to call me later. Finally, I sauntered out to the patio and settled into a chair, enjoying the morning air. Soon I heard the familiar sound of crunching gravel from down near the barn. As the security detail changed shifts, one of the gals paused to scratch Cookie on her nose. Then startled by my negligence, I sprinted back into the bedroom, realizing it was an hour past Cookie's feeding time.
Pulling on my jeans and a baggy t-shirt, I made my way down to the barn. When Cookie saw me round the corner, she pawed at the ground in anticipation before I led her from the pen into her stall. I ran my hands along her velvet-soft coat as I filled her feed bucket and hung up the fresh hay. With a pat on the nose, Cookie pushed against me, nuzzling into my neck. Smiling up at her, I realized the morning was slipping away and checked my watch. "Oh, no, pretty girl, I’ve got to go. Class starts in fifteen minutes. I'll spend some time with you later."
Trotting back to the house, I quickly ate my bagel and grabbed my laptop, positioning it so the webcam would pick up the fireplace as my backdrop. When I tested the image, I discovered that I hadn't brushed my hair or my teeth. Thus, forgoing a pearly white smile, I tied up my dark locks into an untamed bun and applied some glossy lip balm. Just as I logged into my virtual classroom, the professor appeared onscreen. Zoe had been my instructor for a couple of courses by now, and her friendly face instantly put me at ease. We exchanged greetings before diving into the evaluation she’d prepared for grading the budget assignment I’d been working on.
She complimented my work and gave me a few pointers that would improve the budget template. Then Zoe told me, "Using the grading rubric in the course documents, I'm giving you a nine out of a possible ten points. Great job!" My grin widened as I thanked her and she continued, "You know Meagan, you don't have to be so hard on yourself. I never expected you to turn in perfect work every time. Sometimes it's okay to take a break and relax."
I nodded in agreement, understanding what she was saying without needing an explanation. Zoe didn't have a clue about my injury, or that I did struggle sometimes with anxiety and my memory, and I certainly wasn't going to say anything about it now. So instead, I asked, "What will be my next steps after I make the suggested changes to my project?"
Zoe clapped her hands as if she was amazingly happy about my success. I had noticed these instructors went to great lengths to keep things upbeat and fun. I guessed for some people learning online was boring and detached, but for me, it was the perfect setup. "Your next segment is on writing the grant narrative. As I'm sure you noticed in the curriculum. This is a meaty course.... Jelli will be your instructor. You'll love her!" Zoe clapped her hands again, unable to contain her delight and continued, “She's written grants for years. So, don't hesitate to reach out to her if you need help."
"Oh, I can't wait to meet her and get started," I said, smiling widely while tamping down the dread that was gathering in my chest. With that, Zoe provided the link to my next webinar and signed off. I took a few deep breaths and reminded myself that I could do this. I had already worked so hard to get to this point in my coursework, and I didn't want to give up now. I had just enough time to grab another cup of coffee and take my mid-morning meds, before signing into my next meeting.
The hour flew by quickly as I engaged in the discussion and took notes. With each passing minute, my confidence was growing, and I felt proud of myself for being able to focus on the material despite everything going on in my life. I was sincerely looking forward to working on writing the narrative for my project and couldn't wait to start the first lesson.
After saying goodbye to Jelli, I closed my laptop with a smile. Earlier my phone chimed, so I hurried to check it, hoping I'd have another text from Chase telling me how his morning was going. Instead, it was a text from Ariel.
Ariel: Jonathan is missing his Auntie Meagan and wants her to come over for a lunch date.
Me: Tell my handsome suitor I'll be right over. :-)
With a newly purchased onesie in hand, I strolled down the sidewalk adorned by small bursts of vibrant spring flowers before entering through the back door of the mansion. "Where's my little man?" I yelled making my way toward Ariel who was holding Jonathan in outstretched arms. "Look what I got for you." I waved my present in front of him, watching him grin.
"He loves it. See." Ariel giggled, "He's smiling ear to ear... but I'm pretty sure he's beaming at you and not at the onesie."
As I glided across the kitchen floor, pretending Jonathan was my dancing partner and commenting on his exceptional waltzing skills, his mother spoke to me about how quickly her son was growing up. "It seemed like only yesterday he had been a tiny baby! Check out his new bottom tooth that's peeking its head through his gums," she said, not waiting for me to check and showing me herself. My heart swelled, holding my favorite bundle of joy.
