Chapter 12

            Regina was excited about her date with Scott tonight. She had actually gone to the mall to see if she could find a new outfit. She ended up bringing four bags full of clothes home.

            Scott and his men had finished working for the day. She had stood out on her front porch and waved goodbye to them. Scott winked at her as he got in his truck. She giggled like a teenager, which surprised her.

            As she nervously looked at her new outfits in her bedroom, she felt like she was going out on her first date ever. She finally decided to wear a purple sundress with straps that curved behind her neck, making her breasts look bigger than they were, to her delight. She had thought about getting implants in the past, but she never got around to really investigating the procedure.

            She slipped on a pair of white, high-heeled sandals. Regina didn’t wear lipstick, but she did wear eyeshadow. She was careful not to put too much violet powder on her lids. She didn’t like it when her makeup jumped out at people. She grabbed her white handbag and headed downstairs.

            She wondered if she should have a glass of wine to relax because she was still nervous. “Just one glass isn’t going to hurt.” Regina poured a glass of white wine for herself and sat down in the living room. She took a sip of it, and then her cell phone rang.

            The caller ID said it was Rachel. “Hey, Rachel. What’s up?”

            “Hey. Lisa and I are going to have a girls’ night out. We were going to swing by Mika’s to see if she wanted to join us. How about you? Wanna come with?”

            “No, I’m not in the mood to go out tonight,” Regina fibbed with a cringe.

            “Oh, come on,” Rachel urged. “It would do you good to get out of the house.”

            “I went to the mall earlier, and now I have a headache. I was going to lie down for a while.” Regina didn’t like lying, but she didn’t want to tell Rachel she was going out on a date, because as far as everyone else knew, she was still happily married – not separated.

            “Well, I understand. I’m sure all that banging the construction guys are doing in your backyard would give anyone a headache.”

            “Thanks for understanding.”

            “No problem. We’ll have other girls’ nights.”

****

            He had been married for three years and divorced for seven. It had been ten years since Scott had been out on a date. He thought it would be like riding a bike; however, he kept telling his sweaty palms that, and they weren’t listening. He had changed shirts three times. He didn’t want to wear a suit because it would be too formal for where they were going. After forty minutes of trying to figure out what to wear, Clay had decided for him.

            Scott had liked his son’s recommendation of black dress shoes, a light blue dress shirt, and dark beige pants, so he put them on.

            He pulled into his father’s driveway. His dad was gracious enough to let Clay spend the night. They walked into the house.

            “Hey, boy,” Scott’s father greeted.

            “Hey, Grandpa,” Clay chirped.

            “Are you ready for a man’s man night?” his father asked.

            “I sure am, Grandpa,” Clay said happily.

            “Good. Put your stuff in your room. The sooner you do that, the sooner we can get to havin’ fun.”

            “Okay,” Clay said. “You and Ms. Regina have fun, Dad. See you tomorrow.” He started climbing the stairs.

            “Ms. Regina?” Scott’s father inquired. “When you asked me if Clay could spend the night, I thought it was because he wanted to, but I guess I assumed wrong.”

            “Yeah,” Scott mumbled shyly.

            “So, you finally got the balls to ask her out. Good for you, son. Now, don’t be discouraged if she doesn’t give you any on the first date. Nowadays, women don’t want to give it up right away like in the old days, for some reason.”

            Scott chuckled. “God, Dad. That’s why I didn’t tell you I had a date. I don’t need a pep talk or advice.”

            “All right, all right. Just have fun.”

            “I’ll try, and you and Clay have fun, too. Just don’t let him stay up too late, and don’t let him eat too much junk food.”

            “I know how to take care of my grandson,” his father stated with conviction.