Curse of the Second Date

Curse of the Second Date

By J.A. Marlow

Exclusively Published By
Star Catcher Publishing – Smashwords Edition

Starcatcherpub.com

Description

Abandon all hope with the second date…

Jack desperately wants the second date with
the woman of his dreams to go as well as the first. Instead, an
unbelievable cascade of disasters threaten to torpedo the
blossoming romance. Attempting to turn the night around, he escorts
Millie to her door… to find his next obstacle in the form of her
waiting cat.

A humorous romance short story.

Copyright

This ebook is licensed for your personal
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other people. If you would like to share this book with another
person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If
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your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this
author.

Dedication

To Mother Hen, who taught the entire family
how to love.

Table of
Contents

Curse of
the Second Date

About the
Author

Star
Catcher Publishing

CURSE OF THE
SECOND DATE

WHOEVER SAID FIRST dates were the hardest of
any new relationship was a moron.

But then, so was Jack. Who really ran out of
gas on the way to a restaurant except losers trying something on
their poor dates? In this day and age? No one. Except him.

Slammed the car door on his date's fingers?
No one. Except him.

Spilled wine down his new girlfriend's new
blouse? No one. Except him.

A wonderful new girlfriend, until this
horribly cursed second date. All hope now lost thanks to him. All
his fault. No one else to blame. He figured he had until he drove
up to her house before it all ended.

"How is the ice working?" Jack asked. Then
cringed to himself. He shouldn't have reminded her.

Millie shifted the ice pack on her poor
fingers. Such delicate lovely fingers, too. "They are much better
now, thank you. You didn't get them really hard."

Jack didn't know if she said that to make
him feel better. Whatever. Tonight he would take what he could
get.

"The dinner tasted great." Even though the
restaurant ran out of the first three dishes they tried to
order.

"Oh yes. Very good," Millie said.

Jack turned the car down her street, his
throat tight. He didn't know what else to say. What other
conversation to attempt. Not much good to talk about tonight.

Jack's hands gripped the steering wheel so
tight the skin stretched white over the knuckles. Why? Their first
date went so well. Why couldn't this one? After two dates they
would have had a good chance of riding out one bad day.

But right now? Only after the second? Millie
was history, and he really didn't want her to be. They had so much
in common.

"The weather is supposed to improve by the
weekend. Have you thought of hiking the new trail up at the park?"
Jack asked.

"Hmm. Thought about it."

Oh no. Minimal answers. Not interested in
talking.

Yep, Millie was history.

His time also ran out. He slowed for her
driveway, and reluctantly pulled in. Why couldn't he have a few
more miles to come up with something else to talk about? FInd a way
to soothe over such a bad date? To kick his brain into gear to
think of something!

The moment the car stopped, he was out the
door. Even though she was already opening her door, he opened it
the rest of the way and extended a hand to help her out. Instead,
she handed him the icepack, taking it back only once she was
out.

"Thank you for the lovely evening," Millie
started to say.

Jack's heart sank. The standard line at the
end of a date. No, he wasn't ready.

She fished the key out of her bag and
promptly dropped it. He barely avoided hitting her head as he bent
to pick it up. With the key in hand he guided her hand to better
hold the ice pack. "Please. Allow me. It's the least I can do."

"Oh, that's really not necessary," Millie
said as she followed him up the walk.

"Yes, it is. You are the type of woman who
inspires me to do the little things. Like what I saw my grandfather
do for my grandmother. A real lady." The short little speech
sounded so corny, and yet he meant every word.

"Your grandparents sound lovely," Millie
said.

And he'd never talked to her about them. Why
not? But then, this was only their second date.

"They are. You would love them. In their
eighties and still flirting with each other." How he would love to
have a relationship like theirs. To know the love of his life
shared his. Every day a delight with that special person by your
side. Up until Millie, he hadn't thought he'd ever have a chance at
it.

The key slipped easily into the lock. With a
click, the doorknob rotated freely.

"Oh, be careful of the cat. He keeps trying
to get out, even though he's too old to be running around outside,"
Millie said.

With that warning, Jack only cracked open
the door. Sure enough, yellow slit-eyes peeked through, staring up
at him.

"Was he once an outdoor cat?" Jack asked,
finding something about the staring eyes unusual. But then, weren't
most cats unusual? All the ones he'd had growing up seemed to all
come from a different end of the 'weird' and 'strange'
spectrum.

"No, he's always been an indoor cat. He just
thinks he's an outdoor cat," Millie said with a laugh.

Jack smiled. "Ah. Now that I
understand."

"You have cats?"

"Not right now. Apartment won't allow it,
but I grew up with one in the house all the time."

*Let me out, dimwit.*

Jack stared down at the cat, not believing
his ears. So much so, that he almost missed Millie saying with more
interest in her voice than he'd heard in a while, "I didn't know
that. A cat person?"

Jack cleared his throat. "Yep, a cat
person."

He kept his feet together as he shuffled
into the house. The cat backed up, and then dodged to the right.
Jack was ready for him and moved in the same direction.

*Out of my way.*

The surprise of the clear words almost made
him freeze. Almost. But, not enough to lose this opportunity to use
this small new-found thing in common to keep this relationship
going. He dodged every direction as the cat.

He heard Millie come in, felt her lovely
body slide by his back so she could close the door.

With the door safely closed the cat sat
down, staring at him. No, glaring at him with an intensity that
should set him ablaze and render him to ashes.

"Welcome to my home," Millie said as she set
her purse on a small antique table in the foyer. She resettled the
icepack on her fingers and nodded forward. "Come in and sit
down."

His hopes rose at the simple words. She was
still being hospitable, friendly, and had invited him to sit down.
This was a good step!

Jake didn't hesitate a moment. Soon he was
in a small and cozy living room with a river-stone fireplace as a
focal point. The room wasn't big enough for a couch, but just right
for the recliner and loveseat. The inside reflected the small charm
he'd noticed from the outside of the house. Something Millie
reflected, as well.

"I'll get us some water. Need a new ice pack
anyway," Millie said. She gestured to the room with her uninjured
hand. "Make yourself comfortable."

The stupid car door. Never again would he
close it without ensuring no appendages were in the way. "Thank
you. And again, I am so sorry."

"Accidents happen," Millie called out behind
her as she headed into the kitchen-dining room through a wide arch.
"What types of cats did you have?"

"The first I remember was our siamese,
Bernie. He couldn't stand being on the lowest level of any room. He
climbed everything," Jake said. He paused as the orange and black
cat slinked into the room, rubbing against the back of the
recliner.

*Stupid creature. Too much work.*

Jake swallowed hard. The cursed second date
was continuing with him losing his mind.

"What about your second?" Millie asked. He
heard the sound of a freezer door. Then the clink of glasses.

In his minds-eye, he could picture her
getting the glasses out of the cupboard, dropping in a few cubes of
ice, and then pouring water into them. Each of the movements
performed with her natural grace. The way her hands moved and
wrists angled as she worked fascinated him. So natural, so
unconscious. So a part of her. It made him wish he was in the
dining room so he could watch.

*She asked you a question, dimwit.*

The cat now sat in the middle of the
recliner, as if a king on his throne. Head high, back straight. The
end of the tail leisurely moved back and forth.

"Our second was a bit of a mix of
everything, but it had a nice calico pattern of orange, browns, and
whites," Jake said. He forced himself to look away from the
unblinking stare of the cat. Instead, he focused on the pictures on
the mantle. Photographs full of family portraits, as well as
children he assumed must belong to the brother she spoke so warmly
about.

"And what quirk did your calico have?"

*Boring, Romeo. You expect
her to be impressed with this conversation?*
The sound of a cat yawn did not move his attention to the
cat. Jake refused.

"Heather preferred people food to cat food,
and yet she was the best hunter we ever had. She used to leave us
gifts on our pillows. She always looked so pleased."

"Ick." Millie made a face as she came back
in with a glass of water that she set on the coffee table next to
him.

"Yes, it was a big ick," Jake hurriedly
agreed. Millie shooed the cat out of the chair. With a graceful
leap, the cat jumped to the floor. "But, for some reason, she
thought we needed them."

He was a bit disappointed she sat in the
recliner instead of on the loveseat with him.

*Loser. You are so out of here.*

Oh great. Now the cat was at her feet,
staring up at him with as much disdain as a cat could muster. And a
cat could muster a lot.

"Anyway, yes, had cats around all the time
we were growing up," Jake said forcing himself back to the true
subject. And the attempt to find a way towards a third date. "My
brother and sister each have one. What about you?"

"I've had both dogs and cats in my life."
She reached down to scratch the cat between the ears. Her attention
did nothing to diminish the glare. "But, this guy and I decided
there was only room enough in the house for one of him."

He bet. The cat had the feline superiority
thing down exact. Even now, sitting at her feet, its posture told
him loud and clear that this cat owned this place and this
human.

"And what is your guy's name?" Jake said
sweetly towards the cat.

"Reginald. He chose it himself. I read
through lists of names and he meowed on the one he liked."

"Huh. Even named himself. Sounds like a
cat."

Millie smiled at him. A true genuine smile
unlike what she'd worn for the past hour. But then, it was hard to
smile when her hand hurt so much that she'd had to eat with her
other hand. "Very true. Very much like a cat. I like that you like
to have animals around. I find it very telling."

Oh, how he loved the way she looked at him
now. With real and true interest. Listening to what he said. Not
avoiding his gaze. Wanted it to go on forever.

"I would have one now if I could," Jake said
into the silence.

*Liar. Don't think you can deceive me.*

Jake started sweating a little. He couldn't
be hearing these little comments. No way were they coming from the
regal Reginald.

"Millie, I know pretty much everything was a
disaster tonight," Jake started. He scooted to the end of the
loveseat, leaning towards her. "But, I don't want it to end here
and now. If you are willing, allow me to try and get it right the
third time."

"Meeeoooooowwwrrrr!"

Millie rolled her eyes at Reginald's loud
protesting cry. "Sorry. He likes to have a small snack at night.
I'll be right back."

Jake pointed to her hand. "You may also want
to get the ice pack. I think you left it in the kitchen."

"Oh, right! I swear, you'll have to remind
me of everything when I get older. I forget all sorts of things
now!"

Jake knew she'd said it light-hearted and
probably didn't meant it literally, but he couldn't stop his heart
jumping at the prospect. Of something long-term with a woman the
likes of Millie? Who could program a computer like no one's
business, but had a cozy little home such as this complete with a
knitting basket next to her recliner? From the looks of it, there
was even a half-knitted sweater in the top of it. Loved hiking?