By Proxy(13)
He chuckled again. “Jenny Lindstrom. I would love to take you out to dinner. If you’re still free tonight.”
She tried not to smile, but his laughter was contagious. Well, she might be smiling, but he didn’t have to know. Anyway, two could play at this game. “Well, now I don’t know if I am.”
“Aww, Jenny. Come on. I promise I won’t tease for the rest of the night.”
She jumped on that. “Really?”
“Really. No more teasing. And if I do, you get to choose a punishment for my bad behavior.”
“It’s a deal. I’ll be there soon.” She smiled merrily, as she thought of “punishments” to fit a big-city blowhard and hung up before he could answer.
Tonight might be fun, after all.
***
Sam was unexpectedly pleased with the quaint downtown area of Gardiner as he walked alongside Jenny on their way to dinner. The village had a surprising variety of restaurants, probably owing to the Yellowstone connection, and it was like a movie set out of an old cowboy picture suddenly updated for the twenty-first century. Neon signs cheerfully beckoned folks into western-styled saloons and grills, and storefronts were so authentically Old West he would have sworn they had been regenerated from abandoned ghost towns.
Jenny seemed to know everyone they passed. He couldn’t count the number of times he heard “Hey there, Jenny” or “Hi, teach!” from passersby. Jenny always answered with a cheerful smile and wave, often answering back more personally: “How’s the ankle, Clive?” or “Wonderful singing in church last week, Mary Beth.” She was clearly a fixture in Gardiner.
He also noticed the curious looks he received, walking next to her. Some approving, mostly from the ladies, who nodded or simpered. Some suspicious, mostly from the men, at least one of whom tried to stare him down as they walked by.
Only one older lady actually stopped to ask, “Now who’s this a-walkin’ with you, Jenny?”
She looked up at Sam then answered the lady with a friendly smile, “Kin of Ingrid Nordstrom’s fiancé.”
Without another word, the lady stuck out her hand and offered Sam a beaming smile. “Thankey for what your kin’s a-doin’ out there in Afghanistan.”
Sam was caught off-guard by her kindness yet confused by her handy knowledge of his cousin. Kristian was from a small town five hours north and, as far as Sam knew, had met Ingrid at college and never spent much time in Gardiner personally. It seemed unlikely the woman would know him. After she walked on, he looked at Jenny quizzically.
She grinned. “Prayer Circle at Grace Church. They pray for Ingrid and Kristian every week. Especially for Kristian’s safe return.”
Sam walked beside her in wonder that small towns like Gardiner still existed, where everyone knew and looked out for one another. Wow, that’s nice. He looked beside him where she strolled along, hands in her parka pockets, white earmuffs covering her ears. She was kind to everyone they passed and so pretty in her jeans and boots. That uncomfortable feeling rolled around in the pit of his stomach again: the beginning of a foreign, instinctually inconvenient feeling he wanted to ignore.
“Here we are!” Jenny exclaimed, gesturing to another western-style storefront where a royal blue neon moon wearing a bandit’s mask blinked jauntily overhead. The Blue Moon Raccoon Saloon. Oh, good Lord, that doesn’t even make sense! He raised his eyebrows at her and followed her inside.
***
He was behaving himself. Jenny smiled as she looked at the menu. And she had thought of such a terrific punishment for him too. She sighed. Oh, well, the night is young.
“What?” he asked.
She peeked at him over the menu.
“You sighed…nothing look good?”
“Oh.” She looked away. Poor Sam! If you only knew… “No, I love it here. The pizza’s very good.”
“I tell you what, Jenny.” He smiled back at her and closed the grease-stained paper menu. “Your turf, your choice. You order. I’ll go along with whatever’s good.”
“Then I choose pepperoni pizza. It’s good. I promise.”
A blonde, chubby waitress came over to take their order.
“Heya, Jennnn,” she drawled with a guarded expression, chewing her gum like cud. Her bovine eyes flicked to Sam sitting across from Jenny and brightened. “Now who is this?”
“Hi, Tess.” Jenny’s nose turned up a touch and she pursed her lips, ignoring the question. Great. If it isn’t Fast Tessie. “Large pepperoni and two Cokes, okay?”
“Oh, I’d like a beer, please,” Sam interrupted. “What have you got?”