Make Your Move - By Samantha Hunter Page 0,41
figured it was time to introduce her to some of his buddies. Dan had work friends at the university, and in various areas of life, like most people did. But the people he was introducing her to today, they were special.
“Hey, I know you’re beat from the deluge of customers, but I wondered if you’d want to make a stop on the way back to your place?” he asked as they left the store after a busy afternoon.
He’d been helping out more at the shop and enjoying that, too. It was the nice thing about his academic schedule—he could be very flexible. He could see why she enjoyed working at the shop. It was a very different kind of gratification than what he got from intellectual work, but no less important. She made beautiful pastries, not just the cookies, and people enjoyed them. She had regulars who came by all the time, and Jodie always asked about their families, their lives. She connected with people, and they liked her. She was extremely good at what she did, which made the business more of a success than any secret formula ever could.
She looked at him with sexy mischief. “What did you have in mind?”
He chuckled. “I’d like to introduce you to a few of my friends here, at the park.”
“Sure, who?”
“You will love these guys. And they are going to think you’re the cat’s pajamas.”
She wrinkled up her brow at his phrasing and he smiled, putting his hand out for hers as they closed up and walked along the streets of Old Town, past the quaint specialty shops and beautiful historic houses. Jodie turned to him.
“Where are we going, exactly?”
“Just over to the shore.”
She eyed him speculatively, shrugging, and Dan enjoyed every moment of strolling along the street with her hand in his. They stopped to buy some drinks, and turned out toward where the busy Lake Shore Drive was between them and the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan.
People ran along the paved walkway past the looming structure of the Chess Pavilion, where he’d spent many of his off hours since living in Chicago.
“My dad taught me chess when I was three, and he told me if I knew chess, I’d always have friends. That there would always be someone to play with,” he explained. “Ended up being the truth.”
“Oh, is this your chess club?”
“Yeah. They’re a bunch of great guys. They have a group at the university, too, but I like this better,” he said.
He’d mentioned playing chess to Jodie from time to time, and had even tried to teach her, but she didn’t really get into it, which was fine. But he wanted the guys to meet her. His parents were in Florida, and they had met Jodie plenty of times, though he hadn’t told them yet about the new turn in their relationship. He figured it wasn’t safe to say anything until he knew for sure how Jodie felt about him. But meeting his chess friends was almost like having her meet his parents.
His entire body relaxed as it always did here by the water. Several pairs of players concentrated fiercely on their game on this gorgeous afternoon, several of them with money on the table.
Dan pulled Jodie along to a group of older men at the rear of the pavilion. Two played while four more looked on.
He glanced at Jodie and lifted his finger to his lips, until the move was made. Then another, and another in quick succession until a queen was toppled and a shout of success went up from the winner, a moan from the guys on the other side of the table.
“That was the whole game? I thought people took a long time between moves in chess?” Jodie blurted out, and Dan laughed.
“Sorry I’m late, fellas. I brought someone by for you to meet,” Dan said, and all of the men turned to look, their faces lighting up as they saw Jodie.
He’d told them about her over the years, of course. He never revealed his real feelings, but his friends weren’t stupid. They’d advised him from time to time, and he valued their age and their wisdom.
“Why this must be Jodie,” Jerry Saunders said, standing to take Jodie’s hand, which he brought to his lips in a debonair gesture. Jodie chuckled and turned a little pink.
“Jerry is the playboy of the bunch, watch out for him, honey,” Clip said, pushing his way forward and breaking Jerry’s hold. “You stick with me, beautiful.”
Dan watched