and since then, she insisted on using the phrase “knock that wall down.” But I didn’t have such unrealistic expectations. I wanted to enjoy my time with Dylan while it lasted. And that was the key, to keep in mind that this was temporary, not forever—because Dylan didn’t do forever.
I took one last glance at myself in the mirror. I was happy with the results. I looked ready for a date.
As I slung my purse on my shoulder, my phone rang. It was probably Dylan, telling me he'd arrived.
It was Dad. Smiling, I answered. "Hey, Dad, how are you?"
"Darling, sorry to spring this on you, but I made a mess in the kitchen."
"Oh no! What happened?"
"I dropped a lot of the jars, and now I'm surrounded by pieces of glass. I'm even afraid to move because it might ruin the wheelchair tires."
"Oh no, no, no. Is Buddy around too? Can you keep him away from the glass?”
Dad’s German shepherd liked to butt his nose into anything.
“He’s in the yard, so he’s safe.”
“Let me think.” I paused a moment. “Well, just stay put, and I'm going to drop by and clean it up, okay? But I'm at home now, so it's going to take me about fifty minutes."
"I'm sorry. But my neighbors are on vacation, and I don't have the phone number of the couple who moved across the street."
"Don't worry, Dad. I'll be there as soon as possible. Okay?"
"Sure. I can keep myself occupied on YouTube." He sure could. Dad had embraced technology more and more over the past few years.
After hanging up, I called Dylan. I didn't want to cancel on him. Maybe we could meet up later in the city. He answered on the fourth ring.
"Hey, did you leave your office yet?" I asked.
"Yes. The GPS says I’ll be there in ten minutes."
"Can we meet later? Dad called me. I have to go over to his place. He's dropped some jars, and he can't move around until I clean it up."
"Is he hurt?" Dylan asked. The concern in his voice warmed my insides.
"No, no, he's not. But if he tries to maneuver the wheelchair out of the mess alone, he might make even more of a mess."
"I'll pick you up in a few minutes, and we can drive there."
I blinked rapidly, stunned. "You don't have to do that. I'll take the train. It's okay. We can catch up later."
"Mel, I'll pick you up. It sounds like you might need a hand there. I'll help you."
I had no idea what to say. I had not been expecting this at all. "Wow. Okay. If you're sure."
"Okay. I'll be there in ten."
"Thanks.”
I was still a bit in disbelief as I hung up. I couldn't believe he wanted to come with me. Who did that?
I walked outside a few minutes later, smiling when he stopped his BMW in front of me. He was at the wheel.
“You really didn’t have to do this,” I said as I opened the door.
“Get in the car, Mel.”
Biting my lip, I slid into the passenger seat, fearing this was our last date. I was sure Dylan didn’t want to deal with these types of interruptions and complications.
“Thanks. What were your plans for tonight?” I asked. He said he wanted to surprise me, and I was still wondering what he had in mind.
"I'm not telling you. We'll do it another time."
"Later this evening?" I asked hopefully.
He shook his head, focusing on the street. "No, it has to be at a specific time. Can you punch your dad's address into the GPS?"
"Sure." While I did it, I mulled over his words. He must've had some restaurant reservations, even though it was a bit early.
Then it hit me.
I pressed enter on the address, looking at Dylan out of the corner of my eye.
"Does this plan of yours have anything to do with a sunset?" I asked.
He grinned. "It's difficult to surprise you. Anyone told you that before?"
Well, no one tried before, I thought.
I smiled, looking out the window.
"What's that? I can see you smiling," he said.
I shrugged. "Nothing. I'm feeling terrific about myself. That my sunset thingy is captivating.”
"You are captivating, Mel."
“Is that so?” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, seeing him in a different light. Dylan was focused and hardworking, and I felt like he could do with a time-out now and then. “I have a list of things I want to explore in New York.”
“Why? You’ve lived here since college, right?”
“Yeah, but I