“I’m not sure, Em,” she said, hesitating. “Pop needs an extra set of hands to keep things going here, and my brother isn’t up to the task right now. I’m going to stay a while and see what happens.”
“What about your job?” I asked, as I tried to hide how lonely I was without my best friend, but I also knew that KO loved her family.
“Eh, they don’t need me to keep things going,” she scoffed. “The guys can pick up a shift or two and cover it for a while, and Arnie said that he’d keep the job open as long as he could.”
“I see,” I said softly.
“Hey, buck up buttercup,” KO urged. “This won’t be forever, and I’ll be back before you know it! Besides, it’s better for you to have the house to yourself right now so you can sneak off and have a roll in the hay with the fireman!”
“Oh God, KO!” I groaned, as I thought about my date with Blake. “I can’t do this!”
“Of course you can,” she said. “You go get yourself a blowout and a manicure, and maybe even a new outfit, then you seduce him and have your way with him. It’s easy!”
“You’re killing me, KO,” I laughed, as I considered her advice.
“Go do it,” she urged. “Don’t argue with me. I might not be there, but I’m still right!”
“Fine, I’ll do it,” I said, giving in. She told me to call her later in the week so she could live vicariously through me. I told her I would and then hung up.
I stared at the phone for a few minutes before I picked it up and dialed the salon and booked an appointment for Wednesday morning. Then I grabbed my purse and headed out to do some serious shopping.
Chapter Nineteen
Blake
After what felt like more than two days, date night finally arrived. I’d just finished picking out a tie to go with my shirt when Nina walked into the room and shook her head.
“Dad, no. Just…no,” she said, digging through my closet and pulling out a tie I hadn’t even known was there. “This one is way better. You won’t look so old in it.”
“Thank you, my incredibly young daughter,” I said dryly. I took the tie from her and began knotting it the way my father had taught me. It had been years since I’d worn a tie with anything, and it definitely wasn’t like riding a bike.
“Oh my God, let me help you,” Nina sighed, as she quickly undid my handiwork and slid the fabric under my collar before deftly weaving it into a stylish knot at my throat.
“Where in the hell did you learn
to do that?” I asked, as I examined the effect in the bathroom mirror.
“Gramps taught me,” she grinned. “He was pretty sure you’d never remember how to do it yourself.”
“Why, you sassy little—” I exclaimed, as Nina danced out of reach. I turned back to the mirror and ran a hand over my closely cropped hair and then over my freshly shaved face, wondering if I should have left the scruff.
“No, you were right to shave, Dad,” Nina nodded.
“Are you eavesdropping on my conversation with myself?” I asked.
“No, it’s just obvious that you’re nervous and I wanted to reassure you that you were right in shaving,” she grinned. I chuckled as I shook my head in disbelief. Nina continued, “Okay, now there are a few rules about this dating thing. You need to make sure that you stay away from the inflammatory topics, like politics or religion. You should ask her questions and then listen carefully. Don’t spend your time lost in your head thinking about how you’re going to respond.”
“What in the hell is this?” I asked. “You think you can tell me about how to go on a date? I was doing this long before you were a gleam in my eye, little girl!”
“Oh my God, Dad!” Nina protested. “I’m trying to help you here! You haven’t dated in almost 20 years; that’s a lifetime! Things have changed!”
“And you would know this because…” I asked.
“You are so difficult sometimes,” Nina said, rolling her eyes in disgust.
“Lights out by 10, young lady,” I warned, as I grabbed my keys off the counter and stuffed my wallet in my back pocket before pulling on my parka.
“Right, like you’re going to be here to monitor that,” Nina said, rolling her eyes again. She reached into the fridge and pulled something out before walking over and handing a bouquet of fresh flowers to me. “Women like flowers. Just saying.”