“Would you like another one?” he asked and pointed to her glass. “Or some of the merlot?”

  “I’m fine, thanks,” she replied. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back in a minute,” She was going to burn some time in the restroom, giving Thomas time to finish his meal so she could politely excuse herself from the table, and the date.

  “I could use another, where is that girl?” He gripped the edge of the table to peer around the restaurant. “I’ll be right back.” He stood up and marched over to the bar before she could leave.

  Serena realized that he hadn’t heard a word she had said. She picked up her handbag and made her way to the restroom. She took out her phone and scrolled through her social media feed, posted some of the photos she had taken of her dinner, reapplied her lipstick, and then snapped a selfie in the mirror. The bathroom was stark white with great lighting, her floral print dress and fuchsia lipstick popped against the background. Satisfied with her new posts, she popped her phone in her handbag and washed her hands. She opened the door to leave and practically ran into the hostess.

  She and the hostess both did an awkward step left and then right, that old dance, to try to get around each other, then laughed. “Whoops,” she said.

  “Are you here with Mr. Popped Collar?” the hostess asked.

  “Not for much longer,” Serena replied.

  “Good. I usually wouldn’t say anything, but he has another reservation here at nine p.m. under his last name, I checked, and the phone number is the same.”

  Serena nodded. It didn’t surprise her that she was first string in what was clearly a multi-date night. “And he’s cruising a dating site at the bar right now.”

  “Thanks for letting me know. This is our first and only date.”

  “Are they all the same?” the hostess asked. “I see this stuff all the time.”

  Serena paused with her hand on the sleek door pull, “I think they are.”

  Back at the booth, Thomas stood up as she arrived. “Where did you go? I ordered you another one of those spritzer things that you were drinking,” he said.

  “I’m ready to leave now,” she said.

  “Alright then. Let’s get out of here,” Thomas smiled and stood his words slurry.

  “What about your backup date? Just going to stand her up?” Serena slung her handbag over her shoulder.

  Thomas’s face blanched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His eyes narrowed and he changed his tone. “Fine then, leave. You’re old anyway.”

  Serena bristled. At twenty-six years old, she was ten years younger than he was. She hated the double standard, hated the fact that men could happily get crow’s feet and embrace their gray hair, becoming ‘distinguished’ as they aged.

  She had two choices: one was to walk out of the restaurant with her head held high and never see Thomas again; two, the option she took, was to pick up his precious glass of scotch and watch surprise register in his dark eyes as she slowly poured it down his crisp white shirt until the remaining cubes tumbled down into his crotch.

  Then, she walked away with her head held high, glad that she would never have to see Thomas again. As she passed the hostess stand, the young girl shot Serena a sly smile. Serena returned it and gave her a wink.

  The hot evening air hit her with a blast, driving away the chill of the restaurant and the heebie-jeebies from her date. She sighed as she realized that while it was bad, it wasn’t the worst date she’d ever had. At least Thomas was a jerk up front. She gave him a smidge of credit, Thomas was a grade-A asshole, but at least he owned it.

  She stepped into her condo, slipped out of her dress and had a cool shower. She pulled on her favorite cotton pajamas and a silk robe from one of her sponsors. She snapped and posted a photo of herself posing in the robe, then sat down on her sofa to mindlessly scroll through the social media feeds from her friends. She felt a tinge of jealousy as she checked out their photos. Their nights were still going and they looked like they were having a lot more fun.

  She sighed and opened up her sketchbook. Earlier in the day, she had seen some beautiful details on an old house and she lightly sketched the gingerbread pattern. Her phone pinged and she set down her pencil to check her email. She smiled when she saw the message. Her dress was ready. It was her very first, very expensive, designer gown.

  The road to her designer gown hadn’t been easy. A month earlier, she had arranged for a high profile ‘date’ to the film festival with a big-name hockey player, Logan Brush. She wasn’t a hockey fan, but her agent told her that he was a huge deal. He tried to back out of the agreement when he got serious with his new girlfriend, but not before the woman found out about Serena. A huge misunderstanding ensued and the woman, Charlotte O’Hare, had dumped a bottle of champagne over Serena’s head. Serena got it. She would’ve jumped to the same conclusion too. At the time, Serena was livid. The dress was ruined and her followers saw the entire thing happen in real-time.

  But Serena had come out on top. She didn’t lose any followers, as a matter of fact, she gained some; people loved the champagne pouring drama. On top of that, the hockey player had refunded her money and she had charged a hefty amount of interest. He also agreed to buy her the gown of her choosing, hence the gorgeous Dolce & Gabbana number she was checking out in her email. The scene had left her date-less for the biggest social event of the year, but it just so happened that Logan had a hot brother. Freddie.

  He wasn’t a celebrity or a sports star - but he was good looking and would photograph well. Unless, oh no! Serena hadn’t even thought about the possibility that Freddie might not know how to dress for a black-tie event. A pro hockey player would have an arsenal of expensive suits at his fingertips, but what would an electrician wear to a film premiere? Panic started to set in when a sea of brown corduroy started floating through her mind.

  This could be a disaster.

  Two

  The first hints of warmth were blowing in the early summer breeze, but Freddie didn’t notice. He was focused on installing an exterior light fixture on the new real estate office in town: O’Hare Real Estate, owned by his brother’s girlfriend, Charlotte O’Hare. He shoved the screwdriver into the metal ring on his toolbelt, climbed down the ladder and headed into the building to flip the switch on the electrical panel.

  “Charlotte,” he yelled from the utility room.

  She peeked in, “Yes?”

  Logan is one lucky man, Freddie thought to himself. Charlotte was the most sophisticated woman he had ever met. She was sweet and kind yet had a backbone of steel. She was smart as a whip and she was smokin’ hot. After meeting Charlotte and seeing a complete package, he realized that he needed more than looks.

  “Can you go flick that switch at the front and let me know if the exterior light is working?”

  Charlotte raised her eyebrows at him; she probably wasn’t used to being ordered around by tradesmen. “Sure, Freddie.”

  Her heels clicked on the hardwood floor as she walked to the front of the building. “Okay,” she shouted.

  He flipped the breaker. “Is it on?” he shouted back.

  “Yes.” Her voice echoed through the office.

  Freddie emerged from the utility room. “Thanks, Charlotte. I just have the ceiling fans left to wire, but I can sign the inspection papers to get you your occupancy permit.” Freddie was the sole electrician in town and also the electrical inspector. Conflict of interest? Yes, but it worked for everyone in Chance Rapids.

  “That’s perfect. Thanks, Freddie,” Charlotte said, but her eyes were glued to her phone. The woman was always working. She had moved to Chance Rapids in April, and it was only July and she was responsible for ninety percent of the home sales in the small mountain town.

  “Charlotte, can I ask you something?”

  She raised her eyes from her screen. “Sure, Freddie. What is it?”

  “It’s just this date…”

  Charlotte groaned. “Your big date with Serena Sticklegs?”

  Freddie knew that he’d been driving his friends nuts talking about his big date with the model, but now that it was only a week away, he felt something he never ever felt before when meeting up with a woman – nervous.

  “I know that she’s not your favorite person…”

  “Listen, Freddie. I can tell that you’re excited. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. That’s all.”

  Freddie chuckled. Only one woman had ever hurt him, but that was years ago – and he was damn sure it was never going to happen again. “I’m a big boy, Charlotte, but can you tell me what this means?”

  He pulled out his cell phone and showed her the latest email from Serena. It was an itinerary for their ‘date’, complete with pickup and drop-off times. “Read that last line, what does that mean?”

  He watched Charlotte’s eyes widen as she scanned through the email. He knew that she had reached the line in question when she snorted and proceeded to read aloud, “Contemporary, yet edgy, black-tie attire to coordinate with a coral sheath dress required.” She handed him back his phone, “Oh Freddie, good luck with that.”

  “I know. I didn’t realize that going on a date with her was going to be so…”

  “High maintenance?” Charlotte finished his sentence. “Did you think that you two were going to a movie and then for wings and beer? This is a business arrangement, that’s it. Your job is to shut up and look good, Casanova.”

  Freddie unbuckled his tool belt and it clunked as he set it on the ground. “Guess I’m going shopping then.” He had no idea where he was going to find a contemporary, edgy, coral dress matching suit in this town. “Do you think they have suits at Fine Thredz?” Thredz was the only clothing store in town. All of the other stores catered to the outdoorsy crowd.

  Freddie felt self-conscious as Charlotte looked him up and down. “No, Thredz isn’t going to have what we’re looking for.”

  “We?”

  “You think I’m going to let you do this on your own? I have to make a trip to the city.” Charlotte said as she consulted her calendar. “I was going to go next week, but you’re definitely going to need something tailored.”

  “Tailored? Like by a tailor?”

  “Oh, Cinderella.” Charlotte smiled. “I’ll pick you up at six. We need to get you ready for the ball.”

  Freddie shook his head. “She’s hot, but this is a lot of work.”

  “Well, you can’t get out of it now,” she replied. “How about I make you look so good that you might get something out of the deal?” she winked.

  Freddie felt the crimson rushing along his jawline with Charlotte’s uncharacteristically lewd comment. Sleeping with Serena had been on his mind for two months, but now, he was starting to wonder if it was worth it.

  “Thanks, Charlotte. I’ll buy you lunch.”

  Charlotte smiled. “Just be ready at six. You know that there’s a six in the morning, right?”

  “I’ve heard.” Freddie picked up his tool belt and paused, his hand on the heavy wooden door. “Hey, Char.”

  “Yeah,” she turned, her phone already to her ear.

  “I hope you like wings,” he grinned and winked at her.

  She shook her head and shooed him out the door. The maple leaves rustled in the breeze as he walked over to his pickup truck, which was his pride and joy and had his tagline ‘Get electrified!’ emblazoned down the side in red.

  She thought he was joking, but he knew the best wing place in the city.

  Three

  The Mountain Film Festival changed location every year, and this year it was in the foothill town of Buffalo Springs. Serena spent the entire morning getting ready for the premiere and had opted for beach waves with a loose bohemian braid along the side of her head, and her nails were the same coral as her dress. She set up a light ring in her bathroom and filmed her makeup application. It took over an hour, but she condensed the video into a high-speed version suitable for social media. The dress fit her like a glove, and she loved the way that the silk sheath skimmed her body yet clung in all the right places.

  She checked the time on her phone and paced her condo. She had instructed Freddie… ugh, Freddie was just not a sexy name, but Fred was even worse, to arrive at 3:30, just in case there was traffic on the expressway.

  Visions of her date showing up with a five o’clock shadow and some hideous suit had been running through her mind all morning. She did one more spin in front of her mirror and continued pacing. He had responded to her very detailed email with a one-word response -- ‘okay.’ She was prepared for the worst, and if he was going to embarrass her, she’d ditch him and show up solo. Her disaster planning was interrupted as she heard the buzzer.

  “Coming down,” she yelled into the intercom system. She grabbed her lipstick, phone, and keys and headed out the door. As she crossed the modern lobby, she saw him standing outside with a bouquet of coral-colored roses. She pushed through the circular door and stepped into the heat of the day. He turned and smiled at her.

  She faltered a step and then continued to greet him.

  He was perfect.

  His charcoal suit was professionally tailored, the pants tapered to reveal argyle socks featuring hints of coral. From his brogues to his polka-dotted blue bowtie, he was completely on-trend. She met his gaze and wondered how he had found a bowtie the exact same icy shade of blue as his eyes. His wavy hair was combed back and curled lightly, flicking out from behind his ears.

  The corduroy and beer t-shirts vision evaporated. The suit managed to show off his perfect muscular thighs and v-shaped torso, his face and hair were gorgeous, with perfectly white teeth and a grin that could rival Denzel’s.

  “These are for you,” he said as he handed her the flowers. “I know that they weren’t on the instruction sheet, but they caught my eye in the Windswan roadside stand. I’ve never seen roses this color before.” He thrust the paper-wrapped bouquet at Serena.

  “Thank you. “She was shocked. She had never been presented roses on a first date before, let alone a pretend first date. As she took the roses, she saw a slight tremor in his hand and realized that he was nervous. Oh no, he thinks that this is a real date. “I’ll have to put these in water when I get home. Thank you.” She smelled the roses and then handed him her lipstick and keys.

  He hesitated. “What do you want me to do with these?” he asked.

  “Put them in your pocket,” she ordered. “Your brother wouldn’t loosen up the purse strings for a matching handbag.”

  Freddie dutifully pocketed her lipstick and keys. “What about your phone?” he asked.

  “I’ll hold onto it,” she said.

  “Shall we?” Freddie gestured to the stairs and rested his hand on her lower back, just above the fabric of her low-cut dress, to guide her forward. Serena stiffened as the heat from his unexpected touch sent a shockwave through her body.

  As they reached the sidewalk, he crooked his arm and she slipped her hand into the crease of his elbow. They looked like they had just stepped off the set of a luxury photoshoot. Even with her strappy heels, Freddie’s 6’2” frame towered above her nicely. Each had golden manes that glinted in the sunlight, perfectly tousled by the warm breeze. They were turning heads as they looked damn good together.

  “Where is the car picking us up?” she asked after a block. The walk had been nice, but her shoes were meant for looking good, not setting mileage records.

  “Right. I called this morning, but all the cars were booked,” he said.

  Serena stopped. “This morning?” Of course, they were booked.

  Freddie took a deep breath. “I didn’t see the car instructions until today.”

  “It’s all the way in Buffalo Springs. I hope we’re not walking there,” she held her breath, she was only partly joking.

  He laughed. “Of course not.” She relaxed.

  “I’m driving,” he said and pulled out a set of car keys and pressed the unlock button.

  Serena snapped her head around as she heard the honk. It wasn’t a car. It was a truck. A fucking giant pickup truck complete with bright yellow lightning bolt decals.

  “M’lady,” he said as he opened up the door.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she paused.

  “You want to walk?” The jovial tone had left his voice.

  Serena looked around to ensure there were no witnesses. She grasped the handle at the top of the door and stepped awkwardly onto the chrome bar with her leather-soled heels, all while Freddie held her other hand. She smoothed her dress carefully underneath her and slid onto the seat. As her date walked around to the driver’s side, Serena looked around the cab. It wasn’t as bad as she thought. It had a leather interior and was sparkling clean.

  Freddie hopped in and fired up the engine. The air conditioning hit her immediately and she relaxed into the seat. They could park down the street, out of eyesight, and she and her feet would just have to tough out a long walk to the red carpet.

  Freddie reached into the back seat and opened up a cooler. He pulled out two bottles of sparkling water and set them in the cupholder. “I have some beer if you’d prefer, but it’s the middle of the day…” his voice petered out.

  “Thank you, water is perfect,” she said.

  He screwed off the cap before handing it to her, the effervescence floated out and sparkled in the sunlight. She smiled and took a sip, careful not to mess up her lipstick.

  Freddie put on a pair of gold-rimmed aviator glasses and navigated the beast of a vehicle through the tight downtown streets.

  “Those are nice sunglasses,” she said as she placed the water bottle in the cupholder.

  “Thanks, they’re Chanda’s.”

  “Nice,” she replied. “They look good on you.”

  Freddie blushed. “I bought them for fishing. They’re polarized,” he said, not acknowledging the compliment. He turned on the stereo. “What would you like to listen to?”