"Oh!" she gasped as I held her tightly for a few seconds longer than absolutely necessary before setting her back on her feet. She turned and looked up at me. "Thank you, Cam. I guess it's a little more slippery than I thought it would be tonight."
"No problem." I smiled as I held out my arm so she could hold on to it. "That's what your friendly neighborhood firefighter is here for."
Alex laughed out loud as she gripped my arm and walked a little more cautiously. At the truck, I unlocked the door and helped her up into the cab before hopping up into the driver's seat.
"This is a really nice truck. It's so modern," she said, looking at the dashboard, which had the appearance of the control panel for a small aircraft. "These things must cost a fortune!"
"It's all in the financing." I laughed as I sidestepped the issue of money for now. It wasn't that I wanted to hide the fact that I had money, it was more that before I'd learned to be careful about who I let into my life; I'd been burned and had emerged wiser in the way I allowed women to know things about me. Now, when I went out on dates, I tried to give the impression that I was a normal guy rather than trying to impress my dates with how much money I could spend on them.
"I guess it would have to be, wouldn't it?" She nodded as she ran her hands across the smooth leather seats and then let out a little laugh as she realized the seats were warming up. "Oh my, now that's nice! I wish they had this feature on the buses!"
"If they did, no one would ever get off of them," I observed as I backed out of the parking space and headed toward my favorite downtown pub. "Is O'Neil's on Wells okay with you?"
"I've never been there," she said. "Do they have good burgers?"
"The best in the city!" I said as I headed down Van Buren. "Do you live downtown?"
"I have an apartment near campus." She nodded. "It's small and a little cramped, but it's convenient for school and work. Do you live downtown?"
"I have a house over on the West Side," I said, not wanting to be too specific. "Just me and my dog."
"Oh, what kind of dog do you have?" she asked as she squirmed a little in her seat. The movement of her hips made me very aware of the fact that it had been a long time since I'd seen, let alone felt, a woman moving like that, and the blood began to flow from my brain.
"Um, what?" I said, trying to pretend that I'd been concentrating on finding a parking spot rather than on fantasizing about what it would feel like to have her squirming like that on top of me.
"Dog? What kind?" she repeated as I pulled into a spot and parked the truck.
"She's a yellow Lab. I got her from the pound," I said as I looked across the street and said, "We're here!"
"Oh good, I'm starving!" Alex said as she hopped out of the truck and waited for me.
The bar was mostly empty, save for a few of the regulars, so we found a table at the front and quickly placed our order. I grabbed the beers from the bar and got a knowing wink from Billy the bartender before returning to the table.
Alex was a lively conversationalist, and after she grilled me about how I found Tesla, we quickly fell into a discussion of career choices and the ups and downs of public service. In addition to being pretty, she had a good head on her shoulders, and I immediately felt comfortable with her. But not comfortable enough to reveal the secrets I'd learned to hold close to my chest. I'd have to wait and see if this turned into anything before deciding whether to let Alex in to that part of my life.
"...So, I told the guy that while I wasn't sure where he came from, where I came from hands were meant to be kept to oneself." She laughed before popping the last bite of her burger into her mouth.
"It sounds like you've got a good sense of humor." I laughed. "That's going to be a really good asset as you move into nursing."
"I know." She nodded. "My mother was a nurse and she always said that if she ever lost her sense of humor, she'd know it was time to get out of the field."
"She sounds like wise woman," I said. "Does she live in Chicago, too?"
"Um, no," Alex said, looking down at the table and for the first time becoming quiet. In a low voice, she said, "She passed away a few years ago."
"I'm so sorry," I said, reaching out to touch her hand. Alex pulled back before looking up and nodding.
"Thanks. Me, too," she said, letting me know that the topic wasn't open for discussion. I understood wanting to keep things compartmentalized and respected it, so I changed the subject and started talking about the firehouse. After a few minutes of my monologue, Alex relaxed and began asking questions about how everything worked.
"Do you want a tour of the station?" I asked.
"Oh gosh, I'd love that!" she said. "But can you do that when you're on duty?"
"I'm not on duty now," I said. "And we're right next door, so now's as good a time as any."
I paid the bill over her protests that we should split it, telling her that next time she could pick up the check, but that I was raised to be a gentleman, and since I'd asked her out it was my treat. She laughed and said she appreciated the logic of my answer, and promised that she'd treat me next time. I liked the sound of that -- next time.
We walked next door and found that the crew was just sitting down to dinner after a routine call to a medical emergency. I waved to the guys and told them that I was just taking a new nursing student on a tour so she could see how we operated, and after a few teasing comments, proceeded to do just that.