Saturday morning, I worked at home, trying to finish the AR analysis. Lena had written good notes, so I didn’t have a hard time understanding the report, but it was time-consuming. Rowena wanted me to analyze each client who was overdue for more than 365 days. And Myriad Beverage had seventy-five overdue clients!
At 3:20 PM, I stopped. Stretching my arms up, I rose from my seat and looked down happily at my work spread over the coffee table. I’d already analyzed forty clients and could finish the rest tomorrow.
“I’d better prepare for dinner with Jason,” I mumbled, walking to my closet and pulling out a white blouse and jeans.
Around 4 PM, my doorbell rang. I opened the door for Jason, seeing he’d dressed up nicely.
“You look great!” I said, gazing at his clothes.
Jason beamed. “Thanks! And you too,” he said, smiling.
I looked down on my jeans and blouse. “Do I need to change my clothes? I look shabby compared to you,” I pointed to my clothes.
Jason shook his head. “No need, you look good in anything,” he said thoughtfully.
“Thank you. Hey, wait a minute. Let me grab my bag, OK?” And I turned to get my bag from my room.
When I came out, Jason was in the living room, holding Peter’s gaming headset up for inspection.
Damn, I should have moved it to my room!
“I didn’t know you liked playing online games,” he said, pointing at the headset. “I love this SteelSeries Arctic Wireless Headset. This is the best for gaming because it is sweat-free and very comfortable!”
“Oh, that belongs to my roommate,” I said. “Let’s go. I’m ready.”
But Jason didn’t seem to be in a rush as he kept staring at the headset. “I love online games too. Hey, ask Peter about his username, and what game he plays so we can play together,” he said casually, putting the headset back on the table as he looked straight at me.
My eyebrows wrinkled. “How did you know his name?” I asked, searching his eyes.
Jason lifted his chin, showing Gwent, the Witcher card game, with something written on the tiny label.
To Peter. Happy Birthday. Love, Jane.
“I see. Sure, I’ll let him know,” I said, turning toward the door.
Jason followed. “Great,” he said. “Let’s get some dinner.”
In the parking lot, he opened the car door for me.
“Thank you!” I said.
He nodded and closed the door, then walked around the front to the driver’s side.
“Where are we going?” I asked as he buckled his seatbelt.
“A surprise. But I promise you that this place is wonderful, and you won’t forget it,” Jason said, smiling.
I grinned widely. “OK, then! I love surprises.” Noticing his knuckles were red and blueish as if they’d been used for punching something hard, I looked up at him and asked, “What happened to your knuckles?”
Jason glanced at his knuckles and shrugged. “That’s nothing. Just from exercising.”
And I didn’t ask more.
The weather was perfect, and the I-5 South freeway was not too crowded. In this warm weather, I bet all the beaches were crowded.
Jason took me to a seafood restaurant right on the beach at Crystal Cove. It was a perfect place to have a drink, unwind, and enjoy the beauty of the orangish sky before sunset. So relaxing!
I was overwhelmed by the list of foods on the menu. Jason noticed and suggested I try the pan-seared striped sea bass. He ordered the Scottish wild isle salmon for himself and a bowl of jumbo shrimp cocktail for both of us. When he offered to order a bottle of white wine, I refused gently.
After a delicious meal, we sat on the beach and watched people light up the bonfire. The sky darkened, slowly revealing the stars that were always seen more clearly at the beach.
“What a lovely evening, don’t you think?” asked Jason, looking around with a smile as he slid his arm around my shoulder.
Surprised, I didn’t feel comfortable because for me, Jason was a friend, and I didn’t want our friendship to change. Trying not to be too obvious, I leaned forward and picked up a shell, then said, “What a beautiful shell,” as I showed it to him.
Jason’s arm fell away. “Ah, yeah, that’s pretty,” he said a little too enthusiastically. His ears turned red as he looked at the shell.
After that, we walked along the beach and let the waves wet our bare feet. Jason laughed each time I shrieked when a wave brushed my feet. The weather was warm, but the water was cold! Before we left, we ordered ice cream and enjoyed it while watching people singing and dancing around their bonfire.
I enjoyed going out with Jason because he was a gentleman and knew how to treat a lady. When the weather turned a bit colder on the beach, he ran back to his car and offered me his jacket. Peter was a nice person, but sometimes he was childish too.
“Thanks for tonight,” I said, looking down through his car window. “I really enjoyed it.” Under the bright sky, I could see his eyes sparkling.
“Likewise. Could we do it again?” he asked.
“All right,” I nodded.
Jason smiled and started backing his car out without letting his gaze drop.
“Bye!” I waved.
Jason waved back and then drove slowly toward the exit gate.
When I was about to turn back to my apartment, my eyes caught a lady standing behind the maple tree thirty feet from me. She was looking at me. Curious, I walked toward her.
The lady took a startled step backward.
“Hi, can I help you?” I asked, walking closer to see her clearly. Under the garden path light, I could see her face. She was a petite girl with an oval, pretty face and long brown hair cascading over her shoulders. Her big eyes looked at me, sorrowfully.
“Are you Rory?” she asked timidly.
“Yes,” I answered. “How do you know my name? Have we met?”
“Don’t go out with Jason anymore. He is not who you think he is,” the girl said and then turned away quickly.
“Hey!” I called, but she ran to a blue Toyota Avalon and got in. I was too stunned to chase her.
“Remember what I said,” she screamed as the car passed me by.