Mason was pleased that it hadn’t taken much convincing to get Jocelyn to come out with him. After all, as far as she knew he was just some bartender who may or may not be trying to get her in the sack. He’d promised to be on his best behavior, which was easy because he hadn’t considered making a real move on her. Jocelyn was beautiful, but tonight was more about making a pretty lady smile and laugh. Besides, he really didn’t have any other plans for the night.
“So, where do I go from here?” Jocelyn’s timid voice asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
“Just up this next block. That building,” Mason said as he pointed. “That’s the parking garage. We’ll park there and walk the rest of the way.”
“I could just drive us?”
“Joss, it’s downtown. It loses the ambiance if you drive past all of it.”
“I guess you’re right.” She gave him a half-smile as she turned into the parking lot.
This might be more difficult than I thought. The short car ride had been quiet, apart from directions he gave. It was starting to become clear that he was going to have to step up his charm game to loosen her up. If this backfired, he might ruin her sense of adventure, and her birthday. Why he cared so much was something he didn’t quite understand himself, but the thrill of an adventure was too much to pass up.
It was a miracle that she was able to find parking on the first level of the ten-story high garage. Mason hoped getting Jocelyn out into the fresh air would help her relax, or at least ease the tension of the car ride.
“This way.” Mason nodded toward the street level exit as they got out of the car, shutting the doors behind them.
The structure was empty, and with the exception of the quick beep from the car locking, and then the soft echo of her heels on the cement floors, it was silent. Mason’s cocksure attitude was starting to falter. He hadn’t thought his plan through more than getting her here.
Fuck it. Just be yourself. He agreed with his internal pep talk as they made it down the short block. He maneuvered himself between the busy road and Jocelyn as they fell in step together, making their way to the intersection.
As they stood at the crosswalk, waiting for the signal to change, Mason could feel a nervousness radiating off Jocelyn. He took hold of her hand to calm her and was surprised when a little zing ran through him. He was even more taken aback when a hint of first-date jitters hit him, even though he knew well enough this wasn’t a date. Being with a beautiful woman in downtown with the sun setting would do that to any man, he convinced himself.
“All right. First things first. You had all those cocktails and no food. There’s a food cart pod just a few blocks up the street. Are you good to walk in those heels?”
Mason smirked at her stunned expression before she nodded. He wondered if such a classy lady had ever eaten at a food truck. He was sure tonight was going to be something else.
Pulling her hand closer to his body, he intertwined their arms as they walked side by side down the thriving streets. With their bodies so close together, a thought hit him that hadn’t dawned on him before. “I hope you don’t have an insanely jealous husband or boyfriend at home.”
He felt her body tense, and she stumbled a bit over her own feet, quickly steadying herself.
“No. I’m a widow.”
This time Mason stopped, pulling her off to the side to allow traffic to move through. An angry boyfriend, sure; a divorcée, okay; a widow, what do you say to that?
“Joss, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“Please don’t. How could you know? We’ve only been friends for like a minute.”
“So, we’re friends, are we?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood.
The blush that reached Jocelyn’s cheeks was endearing. Each new emotion on her face was fun and exciting for him to watch. He was discovering something new about her at every turn, even if all of it wasn’t lighthearted. Why he was getting such pleasure out of it wasn’t something he wanted to explore; he just brushed it off as the thrill of winning a challenge.
“I’m not sure what else we would call it. We aren’t exactly strangers, now are we?” she bantered back.
Mason nodded, relieved at her words. She was already relaxing, and he saw an entertaining evening ahead of them. Wrapping her arm back into his, he gently led the way down the street.
“If we are friends, can I ask about your husband?”
Jocelyn cleared her throat, and after a pause, she began to speak. “Cliff was a good man, honest and faithful. I was luckier than most women. He was older than me and passed away three years ago. We were married for seventeen years. It gets easier every day, but I still miss him.”
Obviously uncomfortable, she changed the subject.
“Should I be worried about a jealous wife or girlfriend? I have to warn you, not all women take kindly to their men having female friends,” she teased him with a nudge that he found familiarity in.
“Nope. I haven’t had anything serious in the last year. I’m twenty-seven, so I’m not opposed to settling down. I’m just waiting for it to be right.”
That was the truth. Mason had been successful in life—he had his bar, stability, and good friends. In the next couple of years, he would like to top it off with a someone special. He didn’t exactly think himself a sentimental man, but he wasn’t like his friends who were still enjoying the bachelor lifestyle. Not that he was proud of it exactly, nor ashamed, but over the years of working at the bar, he had indulged in the opportunities to sow his wild oats. He wasn’t on the hunt for the one; he would let it happen organically.
“Look, we’re here.” He pointed up to the next block that they were coming up on.
* * * *
Jocelyn was in awe of the food cart pod as it was called per Mason. She’d heard that Portland was leading the trend on the food cart business, but she had never experienced it. The closest she got to something like this was a potluck or a bake sale. This, however, was a full square block of trucks equipped with kitchens that cooks and chefs sold food out of.
She knew her late husband would have never tried something like this; he’d be concerned about the cleanliness of such a truck. This was clearly a downtown hot spot. If all these people eat here, it must be safe, she rationalized. With at least forty or more choices, it was truly a melting pot that she would have expected from the downtown scene. All she could do was smile at the fact that she was about to experience something unexpected.
“Wow. This is intense.” She turned into Mason and put her hand on his forearm.
“Just wait until you taste the food. It’s better than any fancy restaurant you’ve ever eaten in. How do you feel about Thai food?”
“I love it. Lead the way, Yoda,” Jocelyn teased.
She was enjoying the easiness of the evening. From their introduction at the bar, to the ease of the potentially awkward revelation of her late husband, and then her blind faith in Mason’s promise of an adventure. She’d had a moment of regret in the car ride over, but that had passed.
“I think I’ve eaten something from each one of these carts, but this one is my favorite.”
Jocelyn just nodded, accepting his gentle pull to the line.
“I’m going to order for us, is that okay?”
Jocelyn bit back a smile. He was polite, but masculine in a way that surprised her for his age. She expected cocky, but this was more of a self-aware confidence. Maybe most women wouldn’t be so agreeable to having a man order for them, but she found the chivalry of it sexy.
“Of course, thank you.”
“Two orders of drunken noodles, and two Thai iced teas.”
“Oh, here.” Jocelyn reached for her bag to pull out some money for the dinner.
Mason gave her a horrified, wide-eyed look. “Put that away. This is my treat.”
“Thank you. Really,” Jocelyn conceded, and she was rewarded with a handsome smile.
Mason released her arm, handing her an iced tea before he gathered the boxes containing their food. He nodded away from the crowd, and she followed him toward an empty park bench. They sat in silence, slurping down their noodles. Mason didn’t disappoint with his selection of drunken noodles.
A thought hit Jocelyn, causing her to giggle a bit. “My friends are going to have a field day when I tell them about all of this. I’m supposed to be at the ‘Thunder Down Under’ show with them.”
It had crossed her mind to not tell them about her outing, but she wanted to tell them about the food carts and the excitement of the center of downtown. Not the ritzy restaurants they visited, but the real essence.
“Why would you pass on a wild night with the girls to hang out in a bar alone? It doesn’t seem like much of a trade-off.”
“Something about a forty-year-old woman gawking over twenty-somethings getting naked made me feel old and kind of creepy.”
Mason chuckled, giving her a sheepish look, and panic hit her. Had she offended him? Here she was avoiding the young, sexy strippers, only to go out with a young, sexy bartender.
“It’s not that…you know… I mean, I’m not so old that I don’t appreciate an attractive, naked man.” Jocelyn felt a mortified blush hit her cheeks as her eyes connected with Mason’s.