Like You Read About (9 page)

Dan

O
kay, back to work for him, not sure what possessed him to gush about his house, but he was proud of it, it was a find and it was currently his most prized possession.  Hadn’t Raj joked that owning a home, and a cat made him a catch?  He was starting to think he might want to be caught.

Chapter 11

Kaelyn
had a doctor’s appointment at lunch so Cora decided to eat at her desk, watch a little TV online and maybe check her email, you know, in case something important was there that required attention.  He emailed her during the workday, he sat in his office and used company property and resources to chat her up, and somehow that was a heady feeling.  After reading and re-reading the email, she couldn’t get the bed out of her mind, it was just like the one in her fantasy at the DoubleTree in Norwalk.

To:
[email protected]

From:
[email protected]

Date: January 17
, 2008 12:36 p.m.

Subject: Would you rather play
$64k Pyramid?

Dan,

First kiss: Edward Brooks, we were 14, totally in love and he had braces. It was awkward at best.

F
avorite childhood memory: Going to stay with my grandparents in Rhode Island between wherever we were stationed. They had a yellow house with a lot of rooms and a really big dining room table and my grandpa always bought the biggest Christmas tree he could find, even if he had to saw three feet off the top.

W
hat would you do if you weren’t doing what you do: I’d be a librarian, or own a little book store.

W
hat is your guilty pleasure: Currently it’s emailing this IT guy, but the other is my Kindle, you can read any kind of book you want on there and no one knows what you’re reading. ;-)

W
hat would people be surprised to know about you: I failed math in high school—twice.

My favorite color is green and my most prized possession is my emerald ring
; it was my grandmother’s. When she started to show signs of Alzheimer’s, she gave it to me, she wanted to make sure she remembered giving it to me and that she could remember the story behind it before she forgot the story, and the ring, and me… Okay, now I’m crying at my desk, thank god for the hidden cube.

I live in a small second floor apartment
. I have a sunny living room with a giant chair and a half with an ottoman and two other wing chairs I’ve picked up at yard sales and reupholstered. I have a TV that would make most men jealous.  I, too, have a sunny yellow eat in kitchen with lots and lots of counter space. I decided to become more adventurous in my cooking endeavors over the last two years and some days, even cooking for one, I use every square inch.  I’ve got a small bedroom with slanted walls and ceilings painted a calming blue, heavy blue drapes and a brass double bed which is currently covered with two comforters and a blue, green and yellow lacy quilt my grandmother made me, even with all those blankets I am almost always cold.  I have an old bath as well, a nice deep tub and a view of the house across the driveway from me.  I never leave the bathroom curtains open as there is a pervy old man who lives next door who I’m pretty sure uses binoculars to try to watch me take a bath.  It’s not too big, and not too small, it fits Guinevere and me just fine.  You said you were firmly team cat, do you own one; does it have a name? 

O
kay, it’s time for me to get back to work, I’ll come up with some questions later.

Smiling on the
third floor,

Cora

Chapter 12

Another week went past, at least a dozen
emails a day, they were both addicted to it. He had a cat, named Lancelot (freaky), she learned about the time his sisters dressed him up and put their mom's make up on him.  Each one a little flirtier than the last, but neither ever took it too far, and as an internet-dating veteran, Cora appreciated that more than Dan could ever know.  They were no longer strangers, or work acquaintances, they were becoming friends, with possibilities.

Joe popped his head in the door, cautious of flying desk supplies, “Can I come in?”

Dan waved towards the guest chair as he closed the window with Cora’s latest email. She was spouting the merits of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and how it was really a well written show that no one ever took seriously, it had much smarter dialogue than most stuff out there.  Apparently, Buffy was a strong female character. 

“What can I do for you
, Joe?”

“I’ve given you a week, I haven’t hounded you, or hacked in to your computer to find out what’s going on,
which I can totally do by the way, but as your friend, and someone who would like to see you get laid before the decade is over I’ve come for a status update.  Have you gone out on a date yet?  Where did you take her?”

“No, no date, but dozens and dozens of funny flirtatious emails
. Man, she’s something else. Yesterday I spent five minutes trying to plug in a monitor into the wrong port, she’s invaded my brain.”  Leaning back, Dan ran his hands through his hair, a nervous tick for sure.

“So you’re obviously still interested in her, or you wouldn’t keep this up
. Are you liking what you’re learning about her?” 

“Everything about her is interesting to me
. She’s quiet, but we knew that. She really is funny, she reads, is a music fiend and loves movies.  Except for the movie thing, I think we match well, and I can deal with the movie thing.”  Dan stopped to take a drink from his ever present coffee. “Lynne likes movies, do you know if she’s seen ‘Say Something’?  It’s apparently her favorite and a chick thing, I was told I wouldn’t understand.  I like how she’s sometimes a little feisty.”

“
Yeah, it’s ‘Say Anything’ and you’re screwed. It’s Lynne’s favorite too, guys like you and me cannot compete.  That’s it, you either set up a date or I
will
hack into your email and set one up for you. You are never going to know if this is going to go anywhere if you just keep pussyfooting around.” Joe was pointing repeatedly at Dan, enough that Dan was kinda scared and leaned back a little.

“O
kay, I will come up with a plan and ask her by the end of the day, scouts honor, any suggestions?”

“I’ve been married 17 years, I’m happy with a dinner without the kids at Applebee
’s and some sex before someone wakes up for a glass of water or had a nightmare. You need to bring some serious game.”

Dan set about scouring the internet looking for the perfect restaurant, casual, but not too casual, a place where they could sit and talk, and a movie
. She’d love to see a movie, blargh, there was crap playing as far as he could tell.  How about an activity; just dinner wasn’t enough time with her. Bowling, at Kings over near Berklee.  Yup, that’s the plan.

That’s
right, he not only asked her on a real date, but did it through run of the mail email at work. If he was doing this he was doing this whole hog.  He started a new project, pretending not to be anxiously awaiting her response.

Chapter
13

*tap tap tap tap tap*

“Seriously, if you don’t stop I’m going to take away that fucking pen,” Kaelyn growls while throwing the stink eye across the conference room table. “What the hell is up with you today?”

“I don’t think this is going anywhere
. We’ve been doing this awesome flirty email thing for a week. But he still hasn’t suggested an actual date or even coffee, and he hasn’t stopped by my cube, and… oh I don’t know, I’m probably being paranoid.  And then there’s the other problem, with all we’ve told each other in these emails I haven’t mentioned my Mom, or the giant barren elephant in the room.  I know it’s too early to start having the heavy conversations, like do you want to have kids someday, because if you do you shouldn’t be dating me.” And with a sigh, Cora went back to tapping her pen.

“Giving birth isn’t the only way to have a baby, and if he loves you in the end t
here are ways to move past that; but like you just said you haven’t even had a real date yet. There’s time for the heavier shit if a relationship comes out of this, but now is not the time to second guess yourself or chase him off because you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared
,” Cora huffed.

“Oh please, don’t try to pull that shit with me
. I’m your best friend, I know how you like to self-sabotage and that’s usually most evident when you’re scared.”

“I just don’t want to be
fifty, and alone living with three cats and eating ice cream while I watch '80s movies trying to recapture my youth.”

“We’re not getting anything accomplished here
. I’m going back to my desk, reschedule when your head is screwed on.” With that, Kaelyn picked up her things and left.

Shaking her head at herself and
sighing a deep, depressed sigh Cora picked up her notebook and coffee cup and trudged back to her desk.  She’s had three voicemails; two were cold sales calls. Apparently word is out they are looking for a new HR vendor software rep, but she isn’t making that choice so those get forwarded along. The third is her mother, it rambles on for about ten minutes.  It’s the same type she gets at least once a week, even though Mom knows she isn’t supposed to call the office phone unless it’s an emergency.  It’s one of the boundaries Cora set up with her, but as always her mother tends to trample all over the boundaries and borders of Cora’s life, especially because Kathleen is so far away and she isn’t allowed to make long distance calls.

Logging back in to her email there is an email from
Dan, she moves her mouse and hovers the cursor over it. Her initial excitement tempered, he’s emailing her at work, so this is not fun and flirty and she doesn’t like the pouty way it makes her feel.  

To: Cora O’Malley

From: Daniel Santagata

Date: January
23, 2008, 11:30a.m.

Subject: biting the bullet

Cora,

I have been enjoying our emails immensely
. I honestly cannot remember when I’ve had as much fun, but now it’s time for me to man up.  That’s right, Cora, I’m making the bold move, and asking you on a date, a real live I pick you up, take you out to eat, see if we’re as interesting in person date.

Are you free Friday night?  Dinner, I can pick you up at
six thirty, and then I thought maybe we’d do something fun.  How do you feel about bowling?

So, what do you say bonnie lass, are you brave enough to try this whole thing in person without all these circuits and wires between us?

Dan

Was she brave enough?  Ten minutes ago Kaelyn had basically called her a chicken, and as a species chickens are not known to be a brave bird.  But fear was for the birds, she was a grown woman, so she hit reply and crafted something she hoped would convey her excitement but not make her sound overly eager or desperate, even though she was very much feeling both.

*ping*

Dan just about jumped out of his skin when the email alert tone sounded. He really needed to turn these speakers down.  He hoped to hell she said yes. He’d been sitting at his desk for forty-five minutes waiting for a reply; didn’t she know he was dying up here?

To: Daniel Santagata

From: Cora O’Malley

Date: January 23
, 2012, 12:15 p.m.

Subject: Be careful with those teeth
             

Dan,

Biting bullets is dangerous work, you have lovely straight teeth, which probably never suffered the indignity of braces or retainers or headgear.

I’ve heard about this date thing you’re talking about but always thought it was an urban legen
d like the chupacabra, or Area 51.

I am free, and
I’d love to have dinner with you. We can put out laptops and cell phones on the table while we eat if you think we might still need the circuits and wires to bolster our confidence.

Using work email, a bold move
. I’ll text you my address so you’ll know where to find me.

Cora

To: Cora O’Malley

From: Daniel Santagata

Date: January 23
, 2007, 12:30

Subject:
I made that headgear look *good*

Cora,

Sometimes bold moves are necessary when you want someone to know you’re serious.  Friday night, I can’t wait.

Dan

Wow, ‘serious’, okay. Cora could handle serious, hell, she was all about serious when it came to Dan, and after just a week of heavy flirtation, after two years of unrequired lusting she had to remind herself to put the brakes on her brain, for a while at least.

She made an appointment for a
haircut after work and then decided a new outfit was in order as well, nothing too fancy since bowling was apparently the plan, but she didn’t want to look like a slouch either.