A couple hours later she had managed to dig up some old records on the Blakemore property. It had been mishandled, that was obvious by the hodgepodge of paperwork and receipts found inside. They were still a smaller city than some, so digitizing the files was something they were working on, but she didn’t have time to wait until then. She would help him as much as she could, and do it by staying away from him at the same time.
She finally organized most of it, and set it aside. As much as she wanted a quick fix for him, she had other projects that were ongoing as well, and she would have to come back to it. Some things were easy to work through and she tackled them first. A new stop sign here and there and a sign for children’s play area. There were some tax adjustments that needed to be handled, which took longer than expected but were still completed after a couple of days. Finally, by Wednesday she had carved out some time to focus on Blakemore.
She still thought about the kiss, despite her efforts to try and pretend it never happened. He probably had already pushed it aside, just like in high school, and moved on to the next thing. She was still day dreaming like a teenager, and it was obvious to her that some things couldn’t be changed. With a long sigh, she slipped into the change of clothes she brought to work with her. Going over to Mrs. Blakemore’s was closer to work than her apartment so it only made sense to change into something more relaxed hand a suit to go for dinner. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Some jeans and a T-shirt, her hair straightened that morning, pulled back, she looked like she was relaxed and ready to enjoy herself. She wanted to erase the business image altogether, she didn’t need the reminder over dinner that he wanted her to do him any favors.
She grabbed the bottle of wine she had chosen to give as a gift and slid into her car. She wanted to be relaxed when she saw him again, not let him know the kiss had bothered her at all. She made the short trip over and was about to knock on the door when it swung open wide.
He smiled at her, his smile reaching his eyes and staring at her intently. “Well, you came.” He said it, though it didn’t seem like a question at all.
“Well, I was invited, so yes.” She gave him a half smile, which made him grin at her even more.
He opened the door wider, letting her in, coming in behind her. She found a smiling Mrs. Blakemore sitting at the table welcoming her over.
“Jessie, come on over here and sit with an old woman. Tell me all about how things are going for you.” The older woman patted Jessie’s hand as she slid into the chair beside her.
They chatted, swapping stories about things in the workplace. Jessie found herself laughing more than a few times as Mrs. Blakemore shared stories of her and her husband as they had worked to build a life together. Jessie was well aware of the fact that Randy was the one in the kitchen doing all of the cooking. She caught his eye more than a few times, always glancing away and jumping back into the story Mrs. Blakemore was sharing.
Soon both women found themselves being served a beautiful meal. Lasagna, crusty fresh bread and a green salad. He delivered it all with such flair even Jessie found herself laughing at his antics. He jumped in adding to the stories from time to time.
“So did you know Randy much in school Jessie?”
Jessie felt herself blush. “Well a little. We didn’t exactly run in the same circles, but from time to time we would run into each other.”
“Is that so? I can’t imagine that, you two would have made such a cute couple back then.” She gave Randy a wink who rolled his eyes at the older woman.
“I was very different back then, much more of me than now.” She started.
“She was still beautiful, even then.” Randy added, this time her blush was quick and true.
She changed the subject quickly.
It was obvious that the combination of the wine, and that kiss had left her weak to some of his even basic flirting. She brushed it off by taking another long drink from her glass.
“I wanted to let you know Randy, if you have time tomorrow morning I’d like you to come by. I found a couple things I have questions about.”
He stopped for a moment, thinking about it. “I can do that definitely.”
“I think I need to go sit a spell, that was delicious Randall.” Mrs. Blakemore let him lead her into the living room where he helped to settle her in a chair.
She jumped into the dishes, knowing that he would be back soon, not wanting to have another conversation alone with him. She felt him return, the heat of him close to her as he picked up the drying towel on the other side of her. They worked in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Dinner was lovely Randy, thank you.” She whispered.