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“We’re going on this boat?” she asks in wonder.
“We’re going to take a river cruise and eat dinner on this boat… or yacht. I think it’s a yacht.”
“You don’t know?” She laughs.
My grin is impish. “I just wanted something big and someone else to drive it.”
“This is not what I was expecting for a first date,” she muses, eyes still huge as she takes in the boat, the river, the captain and then back to me. “It’s overwhelming.”
“It’s nothing,” I say, attempting to play it down but truly… it’s a little overboard. No pun intended.
I just want Lilly to have an amazing experience and honestly, the city of Pittsburgh at night is spectacular. Viewing all the lit buildings from the river is going to be phenomenal.
“Shall we?” I say, indicating the gangplank flanked by a roped railing. It’s only wide enough for one.
Lilly shakes her head in disbelief as she precedes me up the inclined ramp. The captain offers a slight dip of his head and sticks out his hand. “Hello… I’m Neil Sharpe, your captain. Welcome aboard theSteel Stream Sovereign.” Lilly steps off to the side and I shake his hand. He motions for us to follow and gives us a tour of the boat, ending at the front, which has a table with four chairs under a slight overhang and padded seating along the perimeter of the bow. The picnic basket awaits and a silver bucket wet with condensation holds the wine.
“If I may suggest,” Capt. Sharpe says as he moves to the wine and expertly works to uncork it, “I won’t cast off until eight p.m. That will give you time to eat. You can then move to the padded seats for your cruise and there are plenty of heavy blankets if it gets too cold. Until then, you should be quite comfortable at the table as I’ve got the deck heater on while you dine.”
I will leave that guy a huge tip because in my mind, I had hoped we’d be able to sit together—cuddle, even—under blankets as we talked while taking in the scenery.
“That’s a great suggestion,” I say, taking the bottle of wine from his hand. “Thank you.”
He gives a slight bow and leaves Lilly and me, heading toward the back of the boat.
“Wine?” I ask her.
“I’m nervous, so yes,” she says, pulling off her knit cap. She then removes her gloves and tosses them on one of the chairs.
She looks so lovely tonight and I want to tell her that, but I can tell she’s in overload. I went über-romantic on this date and while I know her dating history has been sparse, I’m going to go out on a limb and say no one’s ever done something like this for her before. And I’m not talking about the wad of cash I put down on this little excursion, but the insistence she take the time to do something nice for herself and the attention to detail I put in to make it special.
I pour two glasses of wine, nodding toward the basket. “They offered to do a fancy five-course meal, but I thought it would be more relaxing to have more of a picnic this evening.”
Lilly comes to my side and rummages through the basket. “That is so much more my speed.”
She efficiently removes all the food, arranging it on the table and removing platter covers. The yacht company did a nice job, even including real plates and utensils wrapped in blue gingham linens. Lilly is quiet as she sets the table, but she’s in her element. It’s her career to serve and cater to others. Tonight is about getting her to relax but in this moment, I gladly let her do it, enjoying the fact that she’s busying herself to expel her nervous energy.
When she’s finished, she stares at the table, almost willing another chore to pop up to occupy her hands. I offer her a glass of wine before grabbing my own.
Lilly turns to me, her shy smile making her pretty face prettier. “This is so bizarre for me.”
She’s being transparent in her feelings but I can already tell she’s so far out of her element that she’s off-balance. I love that she can easily admit that to me because she’s affording me the opportunity to put her at ease.
She knows I’ll take care of her in that respect.
“You and I are going to have a low-key time just relaxing and talking. As much as I’ve gotten to know you recently, I have a million other questions. I’m an open book, so you can pick away at me too. Let’s focus on the friendship we’ve developed with no other expectations.”
Lilly holds her wineglass out toward me, her eyes swimming with a bit of relief, but I also see excitement. “Here’s to a wonderful evening. I know I won’t forget to thank you later, but I’m going to thank you now for the most wonderful date I’ve ever been on.”
I tap my glass against hers. “It’s just getting started.”
Inclining her head, she replies, “And yet… still the most wonderful.”
♦
Capt. Sharpe musthave been surreptitiously checking in on our dinner because no sooner had we pushed our plates away than he magically appeared to clean up. He efficiently settles the containers and dirty plates in the basket, offering to refill our wineglasses, but we both decline.
Lilly tries to help, but I touch her arm gently. “You are relaxing. Not working.”
