Chapter 1
I stared at the bag of granola on the top shelf that was out of my reach. Well crap.
Okay Maddie, think tall thoughts.
I stood on my tip toes, closed my eyes as though it might help, and reached in vain.
"Need some help with that?"
I turned to see where the voice had come from to find that I was eye level with a chest- a very manly chest, at that. My eyes traveled to his face. He was handsome. His dark hair and bushy Paul Bunyan-esque beard were offset by the brightest green eyes I had ever seen. I couldn't read any thoughts on his face except that he was patiently awaiting my response.
"Wow." I winced at my own stupid response then stuttered, "I mean yes. Thank you. It's just that I was thinking tall thoughts, and then suddenly you appear out of nowhere, so I guess that means my tall thoughts worked!" I was rambling, and I felt nervous. What the hell was wrong with me?
His expression changed to bemused. "Apparently so," he chuckled as he handed me the successfully retrieved bag of granola. "I'm Ben. And I'm guessing you're not from around here?"
"Maddie. And no, I'm not from around here, not by a long shot. I just moved here from the Midwest."
Ben smiled, and I moved my shopping basket to the other arm to reach for his proffered hand. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Maddie. I hope to see you around."
"Likewise," I said and returned his smile. As he walked away, I was silently admonishing myself.
Get it
together
Madeline! Honestly, two weeks in a new town and already you're weak in the knees for a man you don't even know. You just ran away from one failed relationship and now you're headed directly for the next one. Put your head on straight.
I finished my shopping and headed back to my little one bedroom apartment. It wasn't much to look at, but it would serve me well. I'd left most of what I owned back in South Dakota anyhow, so it wasn't like I needed the space.
I heard my phone ring from across the room. The screen displayed the name "Ryan," so I clicked on the button labeled "ignore." The last thing I needed was to talk to my ex. The reason I had moved 1500 miles from home was to get away from the last four years of my life. It wasn't that they were so bad, necessarily, but I knew I wasn't strong enough to keep the relationship over if I stayed.
The clock on the wall read 6:30 PM. I decided that was as good a time as any to over pour a delicious glass of pinot noir and whip up a first class dinner of mac and cheese for one. Being single again was going to take some getting used to.
The week seemed to be flying by. I was still getting settled in to my new position at the local mental health clinic. It was my first official position as Dr. Madeline Benson. When Friday after work rolled around, I decided to take my jog to the path around the dog park just a few blocks from my apartment. My iPod was set on something upbeat and the volume was up way too loud, so I didn't hear the "watch out" as a Frisbee came careening into my arm. I yelped, more startled than anything, and stopped to pick up the offending Frisbee. A black lab was bounding my direction while a man followed behind her.
"This must be yours," I said to the pooch who sat down and wagged her tail as she waited for me the throw the Frisbee for her.
"Sorry about that, the wind must have taken it. Are you okay?"
Of course, it was the man from the grocery store, Ben. This time I would maintain much better composure. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just startled me is all." I handed him back his Frisbee.
"Maddie, isn't it? I met you at the grocery store last week."
I nodded my head, and then the look on his face changed to apprehension.
"Hey, so, I don't know if you're interested, and if you're not then that's fine, but if you're not busy tonight, would you like to get a drink or something?" He looked confident now that he'd finally said it.
"Okay," I replied "but just one. I don't want to give you the wrong idea. I just got out of a long relationship, and I'm not looking for anything but friendship right now."
"Great! That's fine. How about Connolly's at 9?" he asked. "Do you know where it's at?"
"I'm certain I can manage to find it. I'll meet you there then." My heart was pounding, but I knew it wasn't from the running. I didn't know what it was about this guy that had me feeling like a lovesick school girl again, but it needed to stop. If I couldn't get a control over it after tonight's drink, I'd have to make sure things got cut off completely.
I finished my run and made my way back to my apartment. Dinner was quick, as was my shower. I stared at myself in the mirror, trying to decide what to wear. I didn't want to look too sexy and send mixed signals, but I hadn't been out in a while and didn't want to look frumpy either. I settled on a tank top that just barely showed my cleavage and my favorite jeans. Cute, but not misleading. I threw on a pair of heels before I walked out the door. It might have been a bit too much, but hey, Ben was tall. That was good justification. I debated momentarily about taking a cab.
If you do that, it's giving yourself too many options for things to go wrong. You could drink too much, which is bad either way. And instead of taking a cab back home, you might end up going home with him. Not an option, lady. One drink, then leave.
It was settled then. I arrived at Connolly's and checked the time. 9:03 PM my car informed me. Perfect. I walked through the door and scanned the room. Ben waved at me from his seat at the bar. He already had a drink in his hand, Shiner Bock.
"Hey," I greeted him. "You have fantastic taste in beer."
"Could you grab a Shiner for my friend?" Ben asked the bartender. "Put it on my tab."
"Ben, you don't have-"
"No, I insist. I did hit you with a Frisbee today, after all." He smiled at me. Why did his eyes have to look so bright in this dim lighting?
"Okay." I smiled back at him. "How about we find a table? Might be easier to talk that way," I said as I took my beer from the bartender.
"Sure!" Ben replied. I followed him as he found his way to a booth in the corner. It seemed a bit too intimate now that I thought about it, but I couldn't back out now. We each took a side, his facing the door. "So tell me about yourself. You're from the Midwest. Where abouts?"
"South Dakota. Or, more accurately, Iowa. I was raised there, then moved to South Dakota, now I'm here in South Carolina." I took a long drink of my beer. It tasted far too delicious.
"Why such a long move?" he asked.
I decided to keep this part of the story short. "Fair question. I just needed a change. Relationship ended and I needed to get gone." The look on his face said that he could tell we were headed the wrong direction for safe conversation.
"Cool. So what do you like to do for fun?"
An easy question. I liked that. "Everything. I love the outdoors- camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, canoeing. I like to read books and write them, too. I crochet stuff. I love old muscle cars even though I don't know anything about them, really. I like woodworking and crafting things and trying to be creative. I am a foodie and a wino and a big fan of craft beers. And I love zoos and science centers and watching all of the incredibly dorky TV shows." I finally realized I was rambling again. Ben was staring at me with a little half smile on his face.
"You're entirely fascinating," he said, "and a bit eccentric. I like it. I, too, am a fan of the outdoors and partake in all of the things you mentioned. I don't know how to crochet. I also love food and craft beer, but not so much on the wine. I collect oddball currency. I hang out with my dog, who you met today. Her name is Nells, by the way. Oh, and I also watch all of the dorky TV shows."
"Oh good. I like that. Tell me, what is it you do for a living?" I asked. It was fun getting to know another person again. I hadn't realized that it was something I missed.
"Well, I own a gun shop here in town. We've got a range and everything. We host weekly shooting matches. It's a pretty great gig." He said it so matter-of-factly but with a tinge of pride in his voice. "What is it that you do, Miss Maddie?"
"Nothing as exciting as a gun store, I assure you. I'm working at the mental health clinic here in town. I'm a clinical psychologist there."
"Oh, man," Ben feigned a look of incredible concern. I laughed. "You aren't shrinking my head as we speak, are you, Doc?"
"No, I'm not shrinking your head. I'm a clinical psychologist, so as long as you don't suffer from schizophrenia or you're not a sociopath, I won't be plopping you on my couch any time soon to ask 'how does that make you feel?'" I rolled my eyes at him, and he laughed.
I picked up my beer for another swig and realized the bottle was empty. I stared at it in dismay. Of course, Ben noticed.
"Let me get you another one," he said, hopping up from his seat.
"Ben!" I hesitated, debating. He turned to look at me. I had said only one, but I was enjoying the evening, and Ben's company was nice. One more couldn't hurt, right? "Okay, but last one. Then I really ought to be going."
He smiled at me, and then returned moments later with a full beer for each of us. I didn't even feel the time slip by. One hour turned into three and two beers into five. When we stood up to leave, I felt the alcohol go to my head.
"Oh wow. That was far more than I had intended to drink. I'd better call a cab. Will you be okay to drive?" I wasn't sure what his tolerance was, but I knew mine had certainly been surpassed. I felt slightly less than confident in the heels I'd so foolishly decided to wear.
"Yeah I'm fine, but I'll wait with you until your cab gets here." Ben took me by the arm and guided me out the door into the warm night air. I was torn between savoring the feel of his hand on my arm and wishing that he'd just keep a safe distance.
It didn't take long for my cab to arrive. I turned to look at Ben.
"Thank you for the lovely evening out." I rummaged in my purse for a scrap of paper and a pen. I scribbled my number onto it. "Here, in case you'd like to chat again sometime. It's so nice to have made a new friend." I put a slight emphasis onto the last word. Then, I shook his hand in parting. "Good night, Ben."
"Good night, Maddie." He waved goodbye at my cab as it pulled out of the parking lot.
Chapter 2
Ben and I texted each other nearly every day for the next couple of weeks. The list of things we had in common seemed to grow with each conversation. We met up a few times during those weeks, but tonight was going to be dedicated to a girls' night out with a friend I'd made at work. We were headed out for sushi then going dancing, and I could not wait.
I met Kristen at the restaurant for our 6:30 reservation.
"Hey lady, you're looking fabulous tonight!" Kristen said when she saw me.
"You too," I told her. "And I hope you don't mind my saying, but your tits look hot in that shirt."
