“Oh, Andy, I loved your speech. I always knew you were a hopeless romantic at heart. I hope you’ve let that girl that Frank said you met at AA see this side of you. You’ll have her hooked for sure.”
“Well, I’m hoping so, Red. And congratulations, you two, really. It takes a special woman to put up with Frank.”
“Oh, it certainly does.” She winked at them and made her way back over to Frank. Andy watched as the envy began to creep up on him. If he ever got married he wanted to model the relationship after theirs for sure. He’d never seen two people so in sync with each other, always there to help the other out, not complaining about each other’s flaws.
CHAPTER FIVE
“What are you doing here ,Caleb?” Melanie asked as she scrambled to find her shoes. It was just about time for Andy to show up for their date, and here was Caleb wandering around her house.
“I’m here to protect you, Lanie. You know, make sure he’s not an ax murderer or something. I mean, you met the guy at a meeting for addicts.”
“A meeting you sent me to because someone you know met his wife there!” she responded, exasperated. She’d finally found her shoes under her bed and was putting them on when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it!” Caleb called, practically running to the door.
“If he was a killer, Caleb, what would you do? Talk him to death. Besides, it’s going to look bad if a guy answers the door for the guy that’s supposed to be taking me out!”
“Oh please, honey, I don’t think for a second he’s going to mistake me for your boyfriend.” She heard the door whip open, and she stood up having gotten her shoe on just in time to see Andy at the door. He had a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Melanie smiled at him from across the room as Caleb grabbed the flowers from him and invited him in.
“Hi, Andy, this is my friend, Caleb. He came to make sure you weren’t a serial killer.” She smiled awkwardly at him.
“Ax murderer!” Caleb called from the kitchen while he put the flowers into water. She giggled nervously as Andy shifted weight between legs and stuck his hands in his pockets. He was cleanly shaven and was actually wearing a button down shirt. It was interesting, considering he seemed to always wear motorcycle jackets and baggy pants.
“You clean up nice, Andy,” she complimented, grabbing her purse. “Bye, Caleb.”
“I got my eyes on you, buddy, okay?” Andy nodded, and Melanie could see he was trying not to laugh. As they walked outside, Andy looked her up and down probably noticing her high-waisted shorts over black hose.
“Melanie, would you feel more comfortable taking your car? I can give you directions.”
Melanie shook her head. “No way. I wore shorts instead of a dress so that I could ride that Harley. Don’t disappoint me now, sir.” She shook her finger at him like she was mad and then grabbed the extra helmet from the bike, straddling the back of it. “Well, c’mon, I thought first dates were supposed to be fun!” Andy chuckled and put his own helmet on as he mounted the bike. Melanie thought he looked pretty hot getting in the zone and everything.
She wrapped her hands around his waist, and she could feel, surprisingly, that his abdominal muscles were pretty tight, very strong. He must work out or something. She wondered why he hid it underneath all the baggy clothes. “You ready?” he asked her as the engine revved.
“Yeah, let’s do this!” And then, they were off. He didn’t seem to hold back at all, which Melanie liked. She didn’t like being treated like some delicate little girl or something, like something that could easily snap. She had been through a lot, but that’s why she needed to have an adventure for once.
He was definitely going over the speed limit, but it felt great, like being on a roller coaster ride. They got to the other side of town in 10 minutes flat, and she was surprised when he pulled in to a seafood restaurant that she knew well. She’d only ever eaten there once because it was so expensive. Was he really taking her there on a first date? If that was the case, what did he call a second date?
He offered her his arm as they made their way to the door and were greeted by men in black and white holding it open for them. They were seated immediately, since he had made reservations, and in a section set higher up than the rest so they could have privacy but see the whole restaurant from there. She felt a bit of nerves come over her as she realized how dark it was. Mood lighting didn’t even begin to cover it.
“Would you like to sample the house wine?” the waiter asked, approaching them only moments after being seated. Before Melanie could protest, Andy ordered a whole bottle. That alone cost what most dates she’d been on in the past did other than vacations or something. Not to mention she was in AA for a reason. She tried not to react and just went about her business reading the menu.