Elise sat in the coffee shop with exposed brick walls and overstuffed chairs with her laptop open in front of her. She'd been grading papers for hours - her mug of chamomile tea long empty - and her eyes were blurry from staring at the screen. When she finished scoring the last test for the online class she taught she looked up and realized the place had emptied out. There was one person behind the counter, the cute kid with the brown eyes who gave her a sweet smile along with her tea.
She recognized him as a former classmate of her twin daughters. Actually, he sang at the graduation ceremony, with bare feet and an acoustic guitar. Elise thought he was soulful and talented and said as much to the twins. She called him doll baby, which reduced her girls to giggles. "Mom is a perv," one of them said.
She saw that he was a pretty boy but she never lingered on the thought. He was like the diamond necklace in the front window of the jewelry store - gorgeous to look at but she knew she would never own it. In fact, she'd watched him in a restaurant once, enjoying the way he tore into his food aggressively, the way his jaw moved. He was dining with another kid about his age, 19 or 20, and she fantasized they were lovers. It was a nice thought, the barista with his lean but toned physique, his longish hair tied up in a way that managed to look masculine.
Elise had a list of fantasies she could summon up at her will. She loved being 40 - the confidence, her devil-may-care attitude. There was nothing left to prove so she did as she pleased. She got up early to run because she wanted the high not because she needed to mold herself into a particular shape. If her ass was firmer for her efforts, that was fine, but it wasn't her aim. She had a casual confidence and easy sensuality. Her hair was loose, curls spilling over her shoulders and down her back, and she twirled at a strand that framed her face.
Men didn't notice her the way they did when she was the twin's age. She'd searched her own name on the internet and found a rating of her skills as a teacher and more than one student made the comment, "easy on the eyes". On her last trip to the city a young guy in a suit bought a bouquet from a street vendor and chased her down the block before she slipped into a cab. The Dean of her department at the small college where she worked hinted that he wanted to take her to dinner. Maybe men still noticed her.
"I hate to throw you out, but I have to lock up now." It was doll baby with his tight jeans and his sheepish smile.
Elise started to pack her computer into her bag and gather up her belongings.
"Not a problem. I didn't realize the time. Let me get out of your hair so you can go home. You probably have a hot date to get to."
"Not at all. I could look at you all night," he said.
"Excuse me?" Elise asked, eyes wide.
"I'm embarrassing myself," he said. He dropped his head and rubbed his eyes with his thumbs. Eyes closed and cheeks flushed, he said, "I remember what you wore on the day of my graduation..."
"Are you kidding me?
"I'm not. It was red dress and cowgirl boots - the same pair you have on tonight."