Overall,
it's sort of a confusing conversation for Elizabeth. She hasn't ever
met a man like Dylan before and he puzzles her. Despite that, she
finds herself interested. When he calls to reschedule their
appointment for the following day, she isn't quite sure what to
expect.
“Why'd
you leave, if you don't mind me asking.”
“Never
date a cowboy.”
“I
don't plan to. But why?”
“I
never met one who could spell or adhere to monogamy.”
“Oooh,
gotcha. So, you're single?” He sounded way too happy to hear that.
“I
don't date my bosses, Mr. Marshall,” she replied in a bone chilling
tone.
“No
worries. We just sometimes keep some odd hours. I don't want a
husband or boyfriend thinking I'm getting a lap dance from my
secretary after hours.”
“Tops
and Bottoms is close, you can always go there.”
“Exactly!
That's what makes this location ideal.”
She
sincerely hoped he was kidding, and strongly suspected he was.
“You're
actually more qualified for my job than I am. I'm not that close to
my masters. I've got the in-house experience. I've been doing this
sort of work for seven years now. How fast do you type?”
“I
can do a hundred words a minute. I know Word. . . .”
He
made an impatient noise. “Do you have an above average IQ?”
“I
graduated with a 3.9,” she reminded him.
“Can
you put up with a man who's slightly ADD and hops from subject to
subject like a squirrel on crack?”
“I'm
not sure I'd describe it that way, but if you're describing yourself,
I'm keeping up with you.”
“Can
you multi-task?”
“Depends
on the tasks. I can't type and stand on my head, but I can jog on a
treadmill and read.”
“Can
you eat and talk at the same time?”
“Not
with food in my mouth. I mean, I am physically capable of doing that,
but ew. Why? Is that part of the job description?”
“No.
I'm inviting you to dinner. It's early yet, I'm hungry and a girl's
gotta eat.”
“Mr.
Marshall, I. . . .”
“Have
no plausible excuse,” he concluded. “And please call me Dylan.
You can meet me somewhere, if you like.”
“I
don't know where anything is around here. And I'm a little nervous
going out in this weather. I'm not used to it.”
“Okay,
tell you what. I'll come pick you up and I'll risk the shitty
weather. Will you join me then? Please? I'd really like to get to
know you.”
Elizabeth
sighed. “All right. I don't usually go out with men I don't know,
Mister... Dylan.”
“I
don't usually ask out complete strangers, Elizabeth. But I hate
eating alone. I have no food whatsoever at my place.”
“How
soon will you be here?”
“Twenty
minutes okay?”
“Yes.
That's fine. Don't expect perfection. It's dark and I can't see to
put on makeup.”
“I
don't care. We won't do fancy. Do you eat meat?” He paused.
Elizabeth thought she heard him curse softly. “I mean like steak,”
he added sheepishly.
Elizabeth
burst out laughing. “I wish I could see your face! I bet it was
priceless. Yes. I like steak. And I occasionally eat meat.”
Dylan
groaned softly.
“I
mean like chicken and pork, duh!”
“I'll
see you in twenty minutes. I'll be the guy who's got his foot in his
mouth.”
“Neat
trick. Isn't it hard to drive like that?”
“Amusing.
Yeah. . . .”
“Bye,
Dylan. See you soon!”
“Bye.”
He hung up.
©
2015 Dellani Oakes
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