Background
While Col. Joe Barnes visited his parents, he was reacquainted with his best friend's baby sister, Sara. Sara became pregnant during her senior year and raised her daughter, Cassie by herself. His best friend, Josh, was killed during Desert Storm.
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Joe glanced at his watch. It's exactly 1800 hours. I wonder if Sara's ready. He knocked on the door and heard the hurried clicking of heels on the tile floor.
"Come in." As Sara opened the door, she smiled and stepped aside.
"Let me look at you." He circled around her, sighed at her flat stomach, and perfectly flared hips. Wow! What a figure! "You look fantastic. That dress makes your eyes sparkle."
"I'm not quite ready." She glanced around the room. "I need Cassie, but she's at softball practice."
He noticed frustration in her voice. "Maybe I can help. What do you need?"
"I got the zipper up but I can't get the hook-n-eye fastened." She turned her back to him. "I'd be embarrassed if my top fell. Just imagine the talk around town."
"As tight as it is, I'm pretty sure it isn't going anywhere. Can you breathe?" He laughed, fastening the hook.
"This is supposed to be tight." She held out the sides of the eggplant colored, long flowing skirt. "It's not tight here."
Making an effort not to stare at her, he searched the room. "I see the florist delivered the flowers."
She walked to them, bent down, and inhaled the aroma of a rose. "This is the first time in my life someone's sent me red roses. When I delivered Cassie, my parents brought a mixed-flower bouquet to the hospital." She turned toward Joe. "Thank you, but you didn't need to send so many. One rose would've been plenty. Two dozen are too much."
She's about five feet six inches tall and weighs maybe one hundred twenty pounds. His eyes continued searching her petite body. That strapless gown shows a slight muscle definition in her arms and upper back. Probably from the lifting, she does at the hardware store. "When the florist delivered them, did you smile?"
"What woman wouldn't smile? But I would've smiled at one rose."
"I bet two dozen received a bigger smile and your dimples were so cute the delivery man wanted to kiss you himself." He grinned as he thought about that image. "Your blue eyes must've sparkled. Did you do a little dance?"
A blush covered her face. "I refuse to answer that."
"You did." He chuckled. "I should've brought them myself. I would've enjoyed seeing that." He glanced at his watch. "Ready?"
"Can you do one more thing for me?" She stared at her right hand.
"Sure, what do you need?"
With her pointer finger held up, she glanced at him. "I chipped the nail polish when I put on my earrings. If I fix it, I'll smear the other nails. Will you take it off, then polish it?" She held up polish remover, a cotton ball, and a bottle of deep red polish.
Joe shook his head and sighed. "This is the first time I've polished a lady's nails." Under his breath he added, "What Task Force men won't do for the women in their lives?" He reached his hand out. "Give me that remover." With a cotton ball, he rubbed. "Can I add this to my resume?"
"You can add it to your resume for being a nice man, but not your professional one." She giggled. "Unless you're applying for a job as a manicurist."
At least it's not the little finger. The one she's wrapped me around. Joe admired the fresh coat of polish. "Looks good. Can we go, now? I'm afraid of what else you have for me to do." His grin reflected how much he enjoyed teasing her.
She blew gently on the fingernail. "It's almost dry." Again, she glanced at the roses, walked over, and smelled them, before she looked at Joe and smiled. "Thank you so much. You've made tonight perfect."
"Tonight hasn't happened, yet," he teased.
"It has for me." She studied her fingernail. "It's dry." A deep breath escaped. "There's going to be comments about ...."
"My shoulders are broad and strong." He put his arm around her waist and drew her close. "Anytime you need to lean on them, I'm here for you."
Moisture filled her eyes.
Reaching up, he caressed her cheek. "I turn into putty when you cry. Can we do this without tears?"
"I'll do my best, but I can't promise."
He opened the door, took her hand, and led her onto the porch.
"No, you didn't, no!" She grabbed his arm and stared at a white limousine.
"How else were we going to get to the reunion?"
"You own a new Porsche. That would've been perfect."
"It's almost a year old. I wanted to take you out in style. We can stand here and admire it all night or get in and go to the reunion." He searched her eyes and grinned. "Good, no tears."
*****
As Joe and Sara walked inside the restaurant, the hostess led them toward a back room with a long table set up for the reunion. The closer they came, the more former classmates stared at them.
"Excuse me, ma'am." Joe reached inside his pocket, removed some bills, and handed it to the lady. "I'm selfish. I prefer not sharing my date with anyone. Could we sit at that table?" He pointed to a table across the room.
After Joe held the chair for Sara to sit and seated himself, she stared into his eyes. "You can't protect me all night. I'll be all right, really."
"You're my date. It's my job to protect you and make sure you have a good time." His eyes twinkled, and he grinned. "You're stuck with me for the night, but I'll do my best to show you a good time."
"See those men sitting over there?" She patted his hand and glanced toward the classmates. After he nodded, she said, "Not one of them holds a candle to you." With her head tilted, she smiled. "Not only are you the most handsome man here, but you're always a perfect gentleman."
She readjusted the water glass and silverware. "I've been in awe of everything you've done for me tonight and forgot to tell you how handsome you are in your uniform. Your medals are very impressive." She stared into his eyes. "I'm a sucker for a man in uniform."
"You should never admit that. Not all uniformed men are gentlemen." He stood, walked toward her, and held his hand for her to take. "Care to dance?" He led her to a small open area between the tables. As he put his arms around her, he kissed her.
When the kiss ended, she gulped. "You didn't need to do that for their benefit."
"I didn't. I did it for my benefit, and hopefully yours. I've wanted to kiss you since we first met, but I didn't think I should in front of your fourteen-year-old daughter."
She tightened her arms around him. "As usual you're a perfect gentleman. How many men would be concerned about the effect something might have on a child, especially a teenager?"
Ginger appeared beside them. "Excuse me. I don't mean to interrupt this little dance, but the ballroom is already set for dancing. Think you can wait an hour?"
Joe chuckled and shook his head as they watched her walk away.
Author Notes
Thank you Snopaw for your beautiful artwork, "Dreaming Roses. Again, I appreciate all my fans for your continued support and the wonderful reviews.
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