It was Mason’s turn to blush. Not that she didn’t appreciate a naked man. He wanted to tease Jocelyn about the comment, but the blush on her cheeks was replaced by a pale look of dread, so he decided to let it go. He didn’t want to scare her off.
“So, are you almost ready to go see some more sights?” he asked.
“I think I’d like that.”
“All right, let’s go.” Mason held his hand out for her food box, then disposed of both empty cartons.
It was the most bizarre thing, but he was enjoying how much Jocelyn was letting him take the lead. Maybe she had an opinion, but he liked that he was the one taking charge, that she was letting him be the man. Taking care of her. Women he’d gone out with in the past, even first dates that went nowhere, the women were more…dominate was the only way to explain it. But tonight, he was the man, even if he wasn’t her man.
“Let’s go to the square. You’ve been there, right?”
“Yes, actually.” Jocelyn stood a little taller, with obvious pride. “One year for Christmas we came to see the tree. It was magnificent.”
“Good. They always have something neat going on, especially this time of year.”
Mason locked arms with Jocelyn once again as they made their way down the city blocks. Occasionally, she would stop them to admire the architecture of historical buildings. It opened his eyes to a whole new light of the city. They were little things that he expected most people took for granted, but it didn’t change the fact that they were spectacular sights.
“What’s that?” Jocelyn asked.
Mason too noticed the large projection screen erected in the middle of the spacious, open, brick, square block, airing a black-and-white film.
“Oh yeah, I forgot. They do Movies at the Square. Once a month they show a classic movie for free. It’s pretty neat.”
“That’s so cool!” she exclaimed, “And I love this movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, what a classic!” She turned to him with a big smile. “Would you mind if we stayed a while?”
Mason studied the screen, trying to figure out if he’d seen it before, but it wasn’t ringing any bells. Chick flick?
“It’s your birthday, we can do whatever you want. Let’s find a seat and I’ll go grab us some coffees.” He motioned to the cement steps that created a half-circle around the screen, doubling as bleacher type seats.
* * * *
It was pushing midnight as Jocelyn pulled up to Mason’s place. He’d promised to have her home by midnight, but in all honesty, he hadn’t expected them to stay out as late as they had. He’d made assumptions about her that she had corrected at every turn. It was enlightening.
Jocelyn cleared her throat, and Mason realized he’d been silent too long, reflecting on the night. He’d enjoyed the evening, and he already knew that he’d like to see her again. She was one of those women that was easy to be around. Or maybe it was the absence of pressure from the non-date date. It was a nice change. Maybe a perk of hanging out with an older woman? Not that age ever mattered to him, but this was a first.
“Thanks for sharing your birthday with me. I had a lot of fun. We should do it again.”
When Jocelyn didn’t respond with anything other than a smile he knew she was going to need some convincing. In all fairness, she’d told him that she wasn’t the adventurous type, and taking a chance on a random guy might have been all the excitement she was up for.
“Come on, don’t overthink it. I just think since we are friends and all…you know, friends hang out.”
“Mason…” She paused. “Thank you for tonight. I really had a great time. Probably one of the best birthdays I’ve had in a long time. But this,” she said, gesturing between the two of them, “isn’t a good idea.”
“Why?” he asked, needing to understand her hesitation. Was it because they hardly knew each other, or had he offended her on their outing? Did she think he was a creep?
“I just don’t think it would be right. I’m thirteen years older than you.”
Mason couldn’t help but smile when she turned away from him, looking out the window, hiding the blush on her cheeks. As much as Jocelyn talked about wanting adventure in her life, she was timid and shy at times. And he assumed that was exactly what had stopped her in the past. He’d enjoyed the challenge of pulling her out of her bubble tonight and watching her experience new things.
With a heavy sigh, she continued. “What will people think? You’re an incredibly handsome man, but I’m not looking for anything like that. People will assume we’re lovers, or worse…that I’m your mom.” She paused before speaking again with a smile. “Thank you for tonight. I had a great time. I’ll see you at the bar from time to time.” She gave a hopeful nod.
Mason nodded with a flat smile. The concerns she had weren’t anything he was worried about; they hadn’t even crossed his mind. He didn’t hate the idea of people thinking they were lovers—she was stunning—and he couldn’t imagine anyone thinking she was his mom.
Jocelyn took a deep breath and let it out, and Mason couldn’t help but notice the rise and fall of her breasts. Though her cleavage wasn’t visible, the dress was tight enough around the bodice that he would have to be blind not to notice. Too bad lovers is off the table. But settling for friends didn’t seem like settling at all. The idea of not seeing her again other than at the bar bothered him, and he wasn’t about to give up.
“Okay, Joss,” he politely conceded and turned to get out of the car. “Shit,” Mason swore as he patted his pockets. “I think my cellphone slipped out of my pocket. I had it when I got in the car. It must be around here somewhere. Can I use your phone to call it?”
“Oh, sure, of course.”
He accepted her cellphone, using it to call his own. Mason tried to hold back the grin spreading across his face when he heard the ringing in his pocket, knowing the phone had been there the whole time. He hit end on her phone, adding his contact info to it before handing it back to a confused Jocelyn. He had picked up a few tricks in his years of dating, and this was worth a shot.
“So now you have my number, and I have yours,” he announced, flashing his phone toward her. Her eyes widened with what might be considered horror, and that had him worried. “Shit. That came out a little creepy. I promise, I’m not a stalker. I just think we should give a friendship a shot. Text me sometime and we can hang out, but expect a text from me. If you don’t reply, I’ll take the hint.”
He leaned across the center console, staring into her nervous, green eyes before swiftly planting a kiss on her cheek.
“All right, Joss, take it easy.” With that, he hopped out of the car, not taking a second look as he jogged up to his apartment.
Mason didn’t know what had compelled him to give her the simple kiss on the cheek. Thinking back now, he had enjoyed spending time with her more than he had expected to, almost regretting that their evening wasn’t considered a date. And a part of him wondered if he should be offended that she couldn’t wrap her head around the idea of being lovers. Regardless, he had a chance to be friends with her, and he wouldn’t pass that up.