Perfect Summer by Bethany Lopez
Faith
“Here she is now … Ms. One-Thousand-Dollar Basket,” Cheryl called out as I walked into the salon.
“Girl, your coochie must be magical to bring in that kind of dough,” Anna quipped, causing Cheryl and Stacey to erupt into peals of laughter.
“Oh my gosh, Anna,” I chastised, feeling my cheeks flame.
Thank goodness we’re the only ones in the salon.
“But seriously, how’d your date with Mitch go? Did it bring back memories? Restart your heart?” Stacey asked, taking me by the hand and spinning me around.
“It was really nice,” I said lamely. “I couldn’t believe he spent that much on me, but I thought it was a really sweet gesture. We had a good time.”
“A good time? Lame,” Anna said, sticking her tongue out. “Did you at least make out a little?”
“No, there was no making out or anything else. Totally PG.”
“Well, that’s disappointing,” Cheryl said. “I was hoping for at least a little hand stuff.”
“He held my hand. That’s about as intimate as it got,” I lied, thinking about our conversation and how great it felt to get it all off my chest. Then, not wanting to come off as too much of a prude, I said, “But he did ask me out for Saturday night.”
“Yes!” Stacey cried. She was currently styling her hair for the day, so her eyes caught mine in the mirror. “Where is he taking you?”
There weren’t a lot of options in Mason Creek. We had Wren’s Café, the Deli, Sauce it Up, which was Italian, and about five items on the menu at Pony Up. Not exactly the food mecca Chicago was, but I was getting used to it.
“I’m not sure. I figured either Sauce it Up or Pony Up. I guess I should ask so I know what to wear,” I replied, although pretty much everywhere in town was pretty casual.
“You know if you share dessert, the calories don’t count … just a little tip,” Stacey said with a wave of her flat iron.
I chuckled and said, “I’ll try and remember that.”
I took my phone out of my pocket and shot off a text to Mitch, figuring he’d get it at some point during the day when he had a break.
My parents can watch Hope on Saturday. What time and where should we meet?
I knew he’d said it was a date, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous over exactly how datey it was, so I figured I’d give the option of us meeting at the restaurant, rather than assuming he’d pick me up like he had when we were younger.
I was about to put my phone away when it vibrated in my hand.
Awesome, can’t wait. I will pick you up at five if that works. There’s a place in Billings I’d like to take you to, and it takes about an hour to get there.
My tummy tickled with delight, and I told the girls, “He’s taking me to Billings,” which earned some awws and ohhs.
Five works. Dressy?
“I wonder if he’s taking you to Jake’s Downtown, oh, or Stacked?” Anna mused.
“I’ve heard Walkers is really good,” Cheryl added.
“I like that he’s taking you to Billings for your first real date and not somewhere in town. It shows he wants it to be special,” Stacey said, a dreamy look on her face.
Yeah. Not formal but dressed up. I’ll be wearing slacks and a jacket, but no tie.
That made me smile to myself. Mitch had always abhorred wearing ties. The only time I’d ever seen him in one was for his father’s funeral senior year and he’d taken it off as soon as the service was done.
It was comforting to know some things didn’t change.
Thanks. I’ll see you Saturday at five then.
“Hey, guys, I don’t have a client in for another hour, so I’m going to run to One More Chapter to grab a book for Hope. Does anyone need anything while I’m out?” I asked as I grabbed my purse.
“I’m good.”
“Me, too.”
“I wouldn’t mind a scone or a muffin,” Stacey said with a shrug.
“You got it,” I said, giving a small wave before reaching for the door.
It was a beautiful day, so I decided to walk around the square to the bookstore. I passed the bank and police station and then crossed the street. The smells from the deli were already permeating the air, causing my stomach to growl, so I hurried passed it and Sauce it Up, before turning to go into One More Chapter.
“Welcome to One More Chapter,” Laken, the owner, called out, looking up from the book she was reading with a smile.
“Good morning, Laken,” I called back. “I’m just here to grab something for Hope.”
She nodded and said, “Let me know if you have any questions.”
I said I would and made my way over toward the bright-green circle rug where Laken hosted kid’s reading hours, which was where the children’s section was located.
Hope loved coming to the bookstore, especially for the reading hours, and she thought Laken was the coolest.
I crouched down and looked through the covers until I found an Angelina Ballerina book and a cute book called Katie and the North Star. Once I was done, I got up and took them to the register to check out.
“Hope’s still into dancing, huh?” Laken asked as she scanned the back of the book.
“Yes. She had a blast at the festival, dancing the day away. I’m going to get her started in dance classes in the fall.”
“I’m sure she’ll love it.”
We said our goodbyes and I headed back toward Town Square and the salon.
As I walked, I looked around and allowed myself to really take it all in, and I realized how happy I was now that Hope and I were back in Mason Creek and had really immersed ourselves in the community.
I loved Chicago, but it’s so good to be home.