Karen sat at the bar, sipping her dirty martini, and wondering how she had let her best friend, Simone, talk her into this blind date. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Did she look like she was trying too hard with her red dress and upswept hair? A few of the raven curls had gotten loose, and were delicately framing her face. She thought she looked pretty good for thirty-five, but she knew nothing about dating in the twenty-first century.
She had been divorced for a little over a year now and had managed to avoid the embarrassment of going on a first date. Her friends and family had been getting on her lately about getting back out there and having some fun. They were really starting to drive her crazy, which is the only reason she was sitting in a crowded bar on Valentine’s Day, waiting for some strange man to show up.
She thought briefly about leaving, and saving herself further humiliation, but she remembered how happy her kids had looked when she was getting ready to go out. Her youngest son had told her she looked hot, and her daughter had been so excited to help her pick out her jewelry, while her eldest son just stood back, taking it all in. He had been so strong and brave over the past year. She didn’t think she would have been able to get through such a difficult time without him, and as she was walking out the door, he had told her that she deserved to have a wonderful time and not to worry about the kids; he would take care of them tonight.
So, she continued to wait, her stomach dropping to her knees every time a man seemed to be approaching her. She had told Simone to tell him that she would be wearing red, but it was Valentine’s Day and everyone was wearing red! Simone had told her that his name is James, and that he would be carrying a single yellow rose. Simone would not tell her what his last name was, because she wanted there to be an element of surprise and no time to try and Google him.
Karen stirred the olives around in her drink and felt someone come up behind her. Her hand stilled and the little hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She felt the butterflies flutter in her stomach as she turned to see who had approached.
She looked up into clear blue eyes, the color of the waters off the coast of Hawaii, and shifted her gaze to his black hair, which curled slightly at his nape. His strong jaw and slightly crooked smile were set off by a single dimple. A sense of disbelief washed over her.
“Jimmy?” Karen asked, sounding as baffled and confused as she felt.
His smile deepened and his eyes seemed to light up as he responded, “Karen… it has been a long time!”
“Oh My God!” Karen exclaimed, jumping up off of the bar stool to grab him in a hug.
As she wrapped her arms around him and felt him return the hold, she became aware of the differences in his body. The last time she had held him like this had been the summer after senior year. He had been going off to college at State and she was going to stay home to help her father and go to the local community college. They swore they would keep in touch and that the love they had felt for each other in high school would never die, but that had marked the end of ‘Karen and Jimmy’.
She noticed that his body was thicker, and there was a lot more muscle rippling under his suit than she remembered from high school. As she became aware of what she was doing, she felt her skin flush with embarrassment and pulled away.
“How have you been?” Jimmy asked, not letting her fully out of his grasp.
“I’m good. How are you?”
“Things are going well. How about we grab our table and get comfortable, so we can catch up?” He asked, as he signaled to the hostess at the front of the bar.
She led them past the bar and through the dining room. They went into an alcove with just one table set with beautiful china, champagne glasses, and more yellow roses. Jimmy pulled out her chair and placed her drink in front of her, handing her the single rose he had brought with him before sitting across from her at the table.
“I can’t believe it is you! Simone didn’t tell me. She just said she was setting me up with a guy named James!” Karen said to him, feasting her eyes on his beautiful face as she spoke. She hadn’t thought it was possible, but he actually looked more handsome than when they were in high school.
“I have a confession to make, Karen. I asked Simone to set this up and I asked her not to tell you that it was me.” He explained, smiling at her. The waiter came up to the table and Jimmy looked at her and asked, “Do you still like your steak medium rare?”
“I do.”
“Do you mind if I order for you? I have been here a number of times and I would love to share some of their best dishes with you.”
“Of course.”
He ordered three courses and a bottle of red wine, and then thanked the waiter before turning back to Karen.
“So, you were saying you asked Simone to set this up. How long have you been back in town?” Karen asked, utterly flattered at the thought of him wanting to get together with her and setting up this date.
“I have been back for about four months now. I have just opened up an office here in town and I have been getting everything settled for the opening. I heard that you were divorced now, I have been divorced for three years, and when I ran into Simone last month, I asked her if you were seeing anyone. She said that you were not and I asked her to set this up.”
“Why didn’t you just call me?”
“Well, to be honest, I was nervous. We haven’t seen each other in so long, and although things between us did not end badly, they did end, and I was worried that you would say no. So, I set this up with Simone and figured I would get to see you and talk to you in person, and hopefully things would work out.”
“And… are you happy with the way things turned out?” She couldn’t help but ask. She looked down at her napkin and then back up into his eyes, afraid that he wouldn’t be as attracted to her now as he had been in high school.
He reached for her hand and grasped it in his. Rubbing his thumb over her palm and said, “I couldn’t be happier. You are more beautiful now than ever before, Karen, and I am honored that you didn’t run for the door when you saw it was me!”
“I just can’t get over my shock,” Karen responded, still holding his hand in hers. She felt those same giddy feelings she had whenever he held her hand back in school.
They talked, as their first course came, about their marriages and subsequent divorces. Over their main course they spoke about their children: told funny stories and discussed their dreams for their futures. As they shared dessert and coffee, they reminisced about their relationship together: the good times, the fights, and how they had felt when they left each other on that summer day.
He walked her to his car and opened the door for her, shutting it behind her when she was comfortable in his leather seat. As he walked to his side of the car, she allowed herself a tiny squeal of delight, hoping he did not hear her from outside of the car.
As they drove to his house, they talked about their dreams for the future… his hand slowly stroking her thigh as he navigated the darkened streets.
When they reached his home, he got out of the car and opened her door, offering her a hand out of the car. He held her hand as he guided her to his door, turning to smile at her as they walked up the steps.
She turned to him as he put the key in the lock and had to ask, “Where do you see this going, Jimmy?”
He stopped and turned to face her, his hands coming up to cup the back of her head and pull her into him. He stopped a breath away from her lips and said softly, “This is where we pick up where we left off and spend the rest of our lives together, they way we were meant to.”
As he closed the gap and took her lips with his, she felt the familiar feelings of lust, need, and love wash over her, and she knew… she had finally come home.