Page 16 of His Forever

“Let me look, okay? Here’s your first bottle of water,” she told him, blushing at his compliment. “Do you want my latest one on those Saturdays?”

He thought about it and then thought of all the ways he could ease her into a relationship with him, specifically by being her last massage on those days. It would be easy to ask her to run with him to Walmart, or to grab a bite to eat. He still planned to take her on “real” dates, of course, but the spontaneous outings would give him a chance to woo her as well. “Si, that would work,” he finally said. “If you could make them around one o’clock, we could grab something to eat afterwards.”

She thought fast because she was usually done at noon, but the chance to work on him and be in his company was a compelling enough reason to extend her hours, at least on those Saturdays. “I can do that, but fair warning, I usually do my run to Walmart and the pet store on Saturday afternoons.”

“I don’t mind, mi siempre hermosa. I also run errands on Saturdays, so we can do them together and take some of the tediousness of running them alone out, okay?”

“Yeah, shopping with someone else is far better than shopping alone, that’s for sure. Okay, how about we set them up a month at a time, and if anything changes for you, let me know. I do have a portable massage table and since we live on the same property, if we have to do that, I’m sure your mom won’t mind.”

“Hopefully, we won’t have to do that, mi siempre hermosa. Now, if memory serves, we have a date tonight so I need to get home and get cleaned up. You still up to go grab dinner and see that movie?”

“Yes, been looking forward to it all day,” she told him.

“Will an hour be enough time? I think the movie starts around seven thirty, but there’s also an eight o’clock show if it takes too long at dinner.”

She looked at the clock and saw it was shortly after five. “We can play it by ear if we need to. It won’t take me long to go home and get cleaned up as long as you don’t mind a ponytail?”

He looked at her and could see she was a beautiful sweaty mess. “Mi siempre hermosa, I don’t mind at all. You’re beautiful no matter if your hair is fully styled or pulled up in a ponytail.”

“Then I guess we better both get home, yes?” she asked him.

“Si, let me walk you to your car.”

***

Arriving at home, she flew into her house, tossed down some food for the cats and then hurried into her room to grab the outfit she had chosen. A simple sundress, it wasn’t too revealing but made her feel pretty, and matching sandals. She was happy she had gotten her nails done by one of the girls earlier, the color complemented the dress perfectly. Smiling happily, she got into the shower and made short work of the shampoo, wash and shave before she got out and dried off. Looking in the mirror, she made the decision to dry her hair and set about getting that done so she could curl it. Thirty minutes later, she stepped out of her bedroom, dressed, made up and perfumed. Grabbing her summer purse, she transferred her phone and wallet. Seeing the wallet made her smile when she thought of the tip Zeus had left her. He was generous to a fault, and between him and her other customers that week, she had made more in tips than what she charged for the services performed.Sweet.If I keep this up, I’ll be able to replace more of what I left behind.

Hearing a knock on her door, she turned the light on over the stove because she hated coming into a dark house, then went to let Zeus in.

He took one look at her and said, “Mi siempre hermosa, you look stunning.”

“Thank you, kind sir,” she said, smiling at him. “I don’t get a chance to dress up often, even though I try to look neat and professional at work, you know?”

“Si, I wear coveralls most of the day at work, or a uniform shirt and jeans, so I enjoy when I can wear something different as well,” he told her. As she moved to exit, he caught a hint of the scent she was wearing and leaned down to brush a kiss on her neck. “You smell wonderful,” he whispered.

A shiver coursed through her body at his nearness. He too, smelled delicious, wearing a clean, crisp, masculine scent that wasn’t overpowering. Her first instinct was to turn in his arms and forget about the date, but her brain checked in to sayAll in good timeso she simply said, “Thank you. I like what you’re wearing as well. Most men wear stuff that’s overpowering but this is nice and subtle and suits you.”

With his hand on her lower back, he guided her to his truck and helped her inside. On the way to the restaurant, they talked about their days and he thanked her for using the cream on his hands during the massage. “Believe it or not, I learned that trick from my esthetician. She always rubs that cream on, then puts on the gloves and slides them into the heated mitts. My hands always feel like butter after she’s done.”

He reached over with his right hand and grasped her left in his. “Mine are much softer,” he told her as he intertwined their fingers.

“Yes, they are, but they won’t be so soft that you cannot work, if that makes sense. They’ve got a good build-up of callouses so that when you’re doing the hard things, you won’t have any problems.”

They reached the restaurant, a little Italian place that he knew of, and he helped her out, again guiding her with his hand on her low back. As they entered, the owner, one of his regular customers, smiled and said, “Zeus! It is good to see you my friend! And who is this lovely vision you have with you?”

“Hello, Carmine. This is Marleigh Cross. She’s new in town and agreed to be my date this evening. Let your beautiful Josephine know that she is Mamá’s new massage therapist and esthetician. I know she was looking for someone the last time we spoke.”

“Yes! Wonderful! I will tell her you are here, my friend. I’m sure she’ll come over and get the information.”

“We won’t mind, will we, Marleigh?”

“No, not at all. In fact, I think I have a few of my cards. They came in today, your mom ordered them that very first day, can you believe it?”

He chuckled because he knew how his mother was when she wanted something. “Si, I can believe it of her.”

Carmine led them to a booth near the back and with a flourish, helped Marleigh in. “Your server will be here shortly. Can I start you with something to drink?”

Zeus, looking at Marleigh, said, “Yes, I will have water since my massage therapist insists I drink plenty today and tomorrow.”

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