She began to walk again and Nick followed. She had the strangest urge to grab his hand, but thought better of it. She put her hands back into her pockets for safekeeping.
“What else do I need to know about you?” she asked, looking ahead as they walked.
“Well, let’s see,” said Nick. “I’m a Leo, I love warm puppies, quiet sunsets, and it’s past my bedtime.”
Shelly glanced at her watch. “Wow,” she said. “How did it get to be twelve-thirty? Time flies when you take a leisurely walk in a park, doesn’t it?” They turned down the next path leading toward the street.
They returned to the spot where Shelly had parked her car. “Thanks for a lovely evening, Nick.” She turned to face him. “And tell your dad dinner was wonderful.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him. May I call you for coffee once in a while?” “That would be wonderful,” she said, flashing her knee-melting smile. She knew her best attributes; she just chose to use them sparingly. “And thanks for not telling me to get lost after I told you off this morning. As I said, I don’t go out much, so a lot of this is pretty foreign to me. But, it’s something I think I could get used to.
Especially the food.” Her eyes dropped a bit.
“I think you’ll find I really do like warm puppies,” said Nick. “Well, I’m glad to hear you’re not a cat person.” She stepped into
her car as Nick held the door. “Cat people need to be with cat people and dog people need to be with dog people.” She started her car and closed the door, but rolled the window down before driving away to thank him again and wish him pleasant dreams.
She looked back in her mirror. Nick stood in place, waving his hand in the air until he was out of sight. He had not kissed her goodnight, something she usually expected after a date. But the smile he left her with felt better than a kiss. It felt real. It felt sincere. It felt right.
She kept the window down as she drove away. The crisp night air made her feel alive. She couldn’t get “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” out of her mind.