truly impressed with this woman. She’d been through a lot, and she kept going. Maybe that was why he was so interested in her. She didn’t seem to be the type of woman to ever give up, or to live in the past.
“So, what are the plans for the day?” she asked after they were in the vehicle, and moving onto the freeway. “It looks like we’re moving toward Seattle.”
“You just have to be patient,” Brackish told her as he reached over and grabbed her hand. He constantly wanted to touch her — and he liked it.
“A lot of people hate surprises. Lucky for you, I actually love them. It makes life more exciting,” she said.
The rest of the drive went by in a flash as they got to know each other a little more, laughed a heck of a lot, and even sang a few verses from the eighties station he’d managed to find. When she knew the entire chorus for Baby Got Back, he thought he might be falling in love.
All too soon they were downtown. He found parking, jumped from the truck, and rushed around to open her door. He held out a hand she easily took, giving him another smile that had his pants feeling a little too tight.
“I can’t complain about how you treat a woman,” Erin said. The connection between them seemed surreal. She slid from the truck, their bodies brushing together. Neither of them stepped away. He’d never wanted to kiss a woman more . . . but finally, with willpower he wasn’t sure he had, he managed to step back. He wanted a perfect date, and he feared if he kissed her, he wouldn’t stop.
They didn’t speak as he took her hand in his and moved down the street. He noticed her glancing at him as they moved, but maybe she was as confused by the electricity between them as he was.
They moved several blocks, and when they turned a corner he stopped. She looked in front of her, then at him, those luscious lips turned up more than earlier.
“Are you taking me to a museum?” she asked, clear delight in her voice.
“Yes, for the first part of our date,” he told her.
“The first part?” she asked.
“I want today to be memorable,” he said. “It can’t be just one activity.”
“I’m sure today will be very memorable,” she said, her smile permanently in place. She tugged on his hand as she began moving, obviously excited to get inside.
By the time they entered the third door, he was pleased that she stopped trying to grab the handle. It might be a small thing to some, but to him it was a gesture of respect to open her door. He wanted to show her that he saw her, he appreciated her, and he respected her. Besides, if his mom ever heard he didn’t open the door for a woman she’d whip him up and down the street before the scolding he’d receive. She might be near the end of her life, and more than a foot shorter than her son, but none of that would stop her from teaching him a lesson in life that truly mattered.
He and Erin moved through the museum together, both of them laughing at certain paintings, and stopping in awe of others. Some were two thousand years old and had been maintained so well, it looked as if they’d been created the week before.
“I chose this museum because it covers so many eras of art. The way some of these artists had no training and painted beyond the scope anyone could imagine fascinates me,” Brackish told her as they moved to another exhibit.
“I know. I have zero artistic ability, and that’s why I appreciate art that much more. I can’t comprehend how someone can take a blank canvas and create something that inspires millions of people around the world. It’s a gift, and those who have it and don’t use that gift . . . well, I feel sorry for them.”
“What if they don’t know they have the gift?” he asked.
“I guess there could be some who don’t know. But from the time a person is in pre-school they are given pencils and crayons. You’d know pretty soon if you have a true talent or not.”
“Most artists don’t believe their work is that good, though,” he pointed out.
She looked at another painting and thought about his words. The one they were currently looking at had a young woman in a