But he was nervous about meeting up with Pauline.
He knew hardly anything about her, but somehow he was convinced that she was a woman who wasn’t too interested in the wealthy businessman’s lifestyle. She seemed tough, and working as a waitress in a restaurant next to a national park probably meant that she’d seen it all.
Seen a lot of men come and go, that was for sure. And hardly dated any of them, from what Stella said.
So it was important that he treat her right.
He arrived early, so that he could be waiting for her when she pulled up. Her car was an older model, inexpensive, but it was spotless and seemed well-maintained
. That fit with his impression of her: careful, not the type to take risks.
The business world was full of ostentatious waste, and Carlos had always been a bit disgusted by it. He appreciated the opportunity to have nice things—expensive clothes, luxury cars—but that only made it more important to take care of those things, appreciate them, make them last, so that he could enjoy them for the full extent of their lifetimes.
He’d grown up having to make things last. It was a hard thing to learn, but not one he ever wanted to forget.
Pauline got out, wearing a lovely cotton dress that accentuated her mouthwatering curves, in a deep red that flattered her tanned skin and dark hair and eyes. She met him on the sidewalk, and hesitated, clearly not sure what to do for a greeting. Carlos took her hand, and for the second time, brushed his lips against it.
And for a second time, she blushed, hiding a smile. He smiled back. If she’d looked taken aback or put off the first time, he wouldn’t have tried it again...but it was clear that she enjoyed it.
This was a woman who worked hard at a tough job; she could probably use some pampering, some thoughtful attention. And Carlos was here to give that to her.
He gestured to the door of the restaurant. “Shall we?”
Pauline’s cheeks pinked a little more, but she let her smile through and said gravely, “We shall.”
He offered his arm, she took it with a little laugh, and they went inside together.
***
Pauline
Pauline knew this was ridiculous.
The hand-kissing, the arm-offering, the fancy restaurant, all of it.
It was just...trappings. Silly window dressing, that men used to impress women. It didn’t say anything about the substance or the character of the people underneath all of the games.
And yet.
It was fun.
Pauline didn’t have a very fun life, most of the time. She worked, she volunteered at the church, she spent time with a couple of friends she still had after the divorce, mostly talking about their kids. She cleaned her house, she worked in her garden, she read novels.
All of it was fine, and all of it could be fun if she was in the right mood.
But she was never playful like this.
Carlos pulled out her chair for her when they got to the table. Almost laughing, she sat down. He sat gracefully across from her, and smiled at the hostess as she handed them menus.
“All right,” he said to her, once the hostess had left, “now that we’ve done the dance of sitting down—”
Pauline snorted.
“—we can turn our attention to more important matters. Like food.” He opened his menu.
Pauline opened hers, and tried not to blanch at the prices. He was paying, right? He was certainly paying, given how he’d been acting with her so far.
Soon enough, her attention was caught by the menu items, though. A Korean burger? Sweet potato fries with sriracha aioli? Dumplings wrapped in prosciutto?