20A/N: This is my first fanfiction story, written for the Perfect Date Contest. It won a favourite judge's pick award – thank you AddictedtoFic.
A huge thank you to Honeymoon Edward and ghostreader24 for pre-reading and holding my hand throughout, and to Alice's White Rabbit for the great beta job!
Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong solely to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.
Weekend Fishing
The television in the living room hummed in the background as the commentators gave an update on the weekend preseason scores. The Seahawks had played well against the Broncos, and I hoped it was a good sign for the coming season.
Earlier on, I had opened the windows to let in some fresh air—the house was always locked up tight when I was at work—and as the curtains fluttered in the breeze, I could smell the fresh cut lawn. This had been my first full weekend off in a month, and although I would have preferred to be down by the river throwing in a line, yard work called my name today.
My spoon scraped against the empty bowl as I finished off my solitary dinner of leftover stew that Sue had sneakily added to my fridge at some stage this week, I couldn't help but grin. That woman sure was a good cook. Sue Clearwater was a good woman, period. The widow of one of my best friends, Harry, Sue and I had grown closer over the last two years since his unexpected death from a heart attack.
Sue and I would often spend time together on the weekends, fishing and sharing tales from work, and sometimes having a meal or two. With my job as a policeman and Sue's as a nurse, our stories sometimes overlapped, and we'd laugh at how some of our locals had ended up in the emergency room, often with the police right on their tail. She sure was a bright spot in my otherwise routine life.
I was brought out of my musings by the sound of the home telephone ringing. The shrill echo sounded loud in my near-empty home. Looking down at my watch, I could see it was right on time for our weekly call.
My old joints groaned as I pulled myself up from the chair and walked into the kitchen to answer the phone. "Chief Swan." Just because it was a regular thing for my girls to ring at 7 p.m. every Sunday didn't mean it would definitely be them calling. As the police chief of our small town of Forks, I was always on duty, even at 7 p.m. on a Sunday.
"Hi, Dad. How was your week?"
This was the standard first question from my daughter, Bella, and I smiled at her predictability.
"All good here, Bells." Even though she couldn't see me, I nodded as I answered her. Yep, that was my standard reply too.
I walked over, pulled out a kitchen chair, and settled in for our weekly conversation.
"No big drug busts, kidnappings, or school riots this week?" She chuckled.
"Nope, I dealt with all those last week." I laughed with her.
"The criminals of Forks don't stand a chance against you, Chief, that's for sure!"
Well, that was certainly true. Forks may be a small, isolated town in the heart of the Olympic Peninsula, but we had our fair share of criminal activity, and I was proud of our station. My team did a great job of keeping this town safe and as crime free as possible.
We caught up on our week and chatted for a few more minutes before the phone was handed over to my other girl.
"Charlie, you asked Mrs. Clearwater out on a date yet?" Rosalie asked in a sing-song voice.
I laughed loudly at this. Rosalie didn't scoot around issues like my Bells, she always jumped right in.
Rosalie Hale had shared a room with Bella in their first year of college at U-Dub. You couldn't find two more different girls if you tried. In looks and temperament, Bella and Rosalie were night and day, yet surprisingly, their friendship bloomed, and they were rock solid. "Sisters from another mister," as they liked to call themselves.
It took awhile for Rosalie to open up to me. I could tell from the first time I met her that there was something dark, lurking in her past; it was practically written all over her. I doubt most people saw it because they were too busy taking in the model good looks in front of them. The long blonde hair, the stunning blue eyes, the tall, athletic physique. But I could see past the façade; as a police chief, I was trained to look beyond the mask people wore. As I slowly peeled back layer upon layer, I uncovered the reasons why she had built up such a façade in the first place, and I really couldn't blame her one bit.
I still remember the day of their graduation when Rosalie proudly introduced me afterward to the Vice-Chancellor as her dad, Chief Swan. She had hugged me tightly and whispered gently in my ear, "Charlie, you've been a better dad to me over the last four years than my biological father ever was. I hope you're prepared to keep me."
I hugged her back just as tightly and whispered back, "Always."
Yeah, one of the proudest days of my life, without doubt. I've had two daughters ever since.
"Charlie, are you still there?" I'm drawn back to the phone in my hand.
"Rosie, Rosie, Rosie! I keep telling you—it's not like that with Sue." I sighed heavily as this was not the first time this question had been posed to me.
"Yeah, I know that's what you say, but really, Charlie, why not? I mean, you two are perfect for each other, and it really wouldn't hurt for you to do a bit more than just fishing together, if you get my drift. The widow Clearwater would be a fine catch, and we all know how you love to fish." I couldn't see it, but I could well imagine the cheeky grin on Rosalie's face.
"I really wish you would stop calling her that, Rosalie. Her name is Sue, so use it, please," I reprimanded her lightly.
"I only ever call her that when talking to you. You know I'm just teasing, Charlie."
"I do, honey, but you can stop with the teasing any day now. This is getting old."
There was a long enough pause on the other end for me to wonder what may be coming next.
"Listen, Rose, …"
"Dad, Bella and I ..."
We both talked at once, ending the awkward silence. I knew if she was using the "dad" card that whatever she wanted to say had meaning.
I took a deep breath. "You first then," I replied gruffly.
Her voice wasn't much more than a whisper as she began to talk.
"Bella and I just worry about you being on your own so much." Her voice took on a stronger tone as she continued. "I know it's your choice, and really none of our business how your friendship with Sue develops, but just consider one thing, please. How would you feel if someone else came along and started fishing for Sue, not with her, but for her? We really just want you to be happy, and if you lost her before you ever really had her, we all know you would be far from happy."
That stopped me right in my tracks. This was something I hadn't really considered at all.
I wasn't blind to Sue's good looks; she was a mighty fine looking woman. If I were being honest with myself, I knew I sometimes took a longer look at her than I politely should. I felt that we'd always have this friendship we'd developed, and I didn't think much beyond that despite the regular teasing from the girls. I had to admit whenever I'd seen anybody else dare takes a second look if we were out somewhere together, I quickly gave them the Chief Swan death stare—worked every damn time!
"Do you really think Sue's looking for something more than just … ummm … weekend fishing?" I stumbled over the words with a shrug they couldn't see.
Jeez, this felt awkward, but now that the words were out there, the thoughts sure were swirling in my head.
"Look, Sue's been widowed for well over two years now, and I've seen the way she looks at you when she thinks nobody's watching. She's keen to do a little more than just occasional fishing, Charlie. I'm sure of that."
There was a teasing tone in Rosalie's voice, and by goodness, I knew she was right. I'd be damn unhappy if Sue started spending her spare time with anyone else, and just maybe, she was ready for more than just friendship.
"Well, um, how do I go about checking if she's ready to move on?" I asked, feeling like a damn fool, being completely clueless in this matter. Argh! It had been so long since I'd had to think about any of this.
I rubbed the back of my neck and thought this conversation should be going the other way. It was usually me asking them who they may, or may not, be dating.
There was some added noise in the background, and I realised Rosalie had put the phone on speaker.
Damn, I was about to get tag-teamed, and I know from experience that this never ended well for me.
"Dad," Bella chimed in with a much gentler tone than Rosalie has just used. "You just ask her out on a date, which maybe, you know, doesn't include fish guts, and feel her out a bit."
"Or feel her up a bit and see how that works out for you," Rosalie yelled out, giggling like a schoolgirl.
"Rosalie, I'm glad this whole situation is amusing you." I groaned in reply. I was so out of my element here that I didn't even have any decent come back lines.
I could hear them both laughing on the other end of the line, and I could well imagine them sitting side by side, chortling away at my expense.
"Look, Dad," Bella started again, still with a bit of humor in her voice. "I know it's been a while but asking someone for a first date hasn't changed that much."
Like hell it hasn't was all I could think. It was well over 25 years since my last first date.
This was not the conversation I was thinking we'd be having tonight, at all.
"Seriously, Charlie," Rosalie piped in. "Just ask her out for dinner one night, not at the diner though ..."
"And not in Forks," Bella almost yelled. "Take her to Port Angeles."
"Oh, yeah, great idea, B," Rosalie agreed.
"Take her for a walk along the pier afterward and tell her how you feel," suggested Bella. "That you'd like more than just a casual friendship with her, if she's ready."
"I'm sure she's ready, Charlie. Just wiggle that porn stache at her, and she'll be putty in your hands," Rosalie teased.
"Rose, just no," I heard Bella grumble at her.
"Okay, okay, that's enough amusement there on my behalf," I gently chided them.
So, ask for a date, then dinner, a walk on the pier, and a suggestion for more than weekend fishing.
I could do this. I was a police chief, for crying out loud. A confident man, a man to look up to, a man to be respected, a man to be feared, a man who deserved more than just weekend fishing.
I was a man just about shitting himself at the mere thought of asking Sue out on a date, that's what I was.
"Come on, Charlie. You can do it," Rosalie encouraged.
Yes, I thought. Maybe I could do this.
"Okay, you two, you've had your fun for this week," I told them. "You both take care, be safe, and ring me anytime if you need me, otherwise, I'll talk to you next Sunday."
There was a chorus of "Bye, Dad" and "Bye, Charlie" from the other end of the line before I hung up the phone.
I walked back into the living room and sat in my trusty chair as I thought over the phone conversation and what the girls had to say. As I did, my eyes wandered over the room, taking in photos and mementos of my life that had gathered on the walls and mantle over time. I thought about Sue and the friendship we had built over the last two years. We'd always gotten along well, but since Harry had passed, our friendship had certainly strengthened and deepened, that was definitely true.
Before I could think about it any further, I walked back to the kitchen, grabbed my phone, and dialled Sue's number.
***WF***
Pulling up beside the Clearwater home, a modest red bungalow much like all the other homes here at La Push, I parked my truck and turned the ignition off. I sat for a moment just to collect my thoughts. I'd been here numerous times before, way too many to count, but this was the first time I'd arrived to take someone out on a date. Dear Lord, I was going on a date. I ticked things off in my mind and figured I was as ready as I was ever going to be.
I had never given too much attention to how I dressed. Police uniform for work, jeans and flannel for the weekend, a suit and tie for weddings and funerals. That was pretty much it. Tonight, I was dressed in my best casual, or snazzy as the girls called them, clothes. Black jeans and a light blue button-down with a sports coat. Now all I needed was the girl. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the truck and headed for the front door.
As I stepped up to the porch, I saw a couple of fishing poles standing in the corner among the bright pots of flowers. It'd been a bright sunny day, a bit of a rarity lately, and I guess Sue had been sitting here this afternoon checking the line on the poles. I know the larger of them was one of Harry's favorites, and I gave it a long look as I stood there. I could only hope my old friend is okay with this—me dating his wife. I gave the pole a nod and raised my hand to the door.
Sue must have heard me pull up as she had the door open just as I was about to knock. The thought that she could have been sitting there by the window, waiting for me, makes me think that maybe she's just as nervous, yet excited, about this date as I was.
"Hi, Charlie," she greeted me warmly. Not a hint of nerves in her voice.
Sue looked beautiful. She stood in the doorway wearing a black dress with thin straps that showed off her shoulders and sandals with pretty pink toenails poking out. Her hair was all glossy black and shiny as always, and she was in the process of pulling on a light jacket.
I stepped forward to help her, but I had the flowers I brought along for her in my hand, and for a moment, I wasn't sure what to do with them.
I looked back up, and Sue had a big smile on her face and a raised eyebrow. It's only then that I realise I've not spoken a word.
"Umm …" I cleared my throat—I sounded like a 15-year-old boy all of a sudden. "You look lovely tonight, Sue. These are for you. I picked them from the woods behind the house this afternoon. I remembered you telling me once that you loved the local wildflowers, and I know you picked them sometimes after walking back from First Beach." I stopped and took a breath as I realized I was nervously rambling.
Sue had managed to get her jacket on by now as I stepped forward to present the simple wildflowers, which were held together with fishing line as I had no idea how to keep them all in a bunch or wrap them nicely for her.
"Thank you, Charlie. These are just lovely," Sue declared as she pressed her nose right into the middle of the flowers and inhaled. "Just let me put them in some water, and we can be on our way." She smiled up at me.
I waited just inside the doorway, and as I looked around, I noticed her coat hanging on the hook in the hallway. "Do you mind if I grab your coat here, Sue? You might need a heavier one." I called out. "I thought we could go for a walk along the pier after dinner if the weather holds."
"That sounds like a lovely idea. Let's get going, then," she agreed as she walked back toward me.
Sue turned, locked the door behind her, and placed the key under one of the pots I had noticed on the way in. I almost made a comment about this not being safe, but we'd had this conversation one too many times before, and I didn't want to get things off on the wrong footing from the get-go.
"Oh, Chief, no flashing lights for us tonight," she teased, noticing that we'd be travelling in my truck and not the police cruiser.
I laughed along with her. "Not tonight. I thought we'd travel in style," I joked and gave her a wink.
I led her to the passenger side of the truck, opened the door for her, and once she was settled, walked swiftly to my side, then we were on our way.
The last few days I'd been a nervous wreck whenever I thought of tonight and how it may turn out, but a few simple words from Sue had managed to put me and my mind at ease as I felt the tension drain away.
The ride to Port Angeles went by swiftly as we exchanged our usual weekly updates, and before we knew it, we had arrived. I pulled up into the public car park across from where I had made a reservation for dinner.
At the end of the summer season, the restaurant was still fairly busy, and I was glad I had reserved a table. This restaurant had only been open a year or so, and it distinguished itself by offering various options on a lot of old-time favorite meals, as well as local seafood, which the area was renowned for and was always a good choice. The floor-to-ceiling windows in the front were a definite selling point as well.
As we were led to our table, both Sue and I saw people we knew and greeted them with a wave or a nod. We were seated by the large window overlooking the pier and water, and as we removed our jackets, we both commented on the lovely view before us.
We ordered drinks—Sue one of the signature froufrou cocktails and a light beer for me, as I'm obviously the designated driver for the night. As we waited for our drinks, we made small talk and glanced over the menu, discussing the various options available.
"Thanks so much for changing our reservation, Charlie." She smiled at me. "I really appreciate that you were okay with the switch."
"Oh, it wasn't a problem, just a quick phone call, that's all," I reassured her.
"When Leah rang and told me she wanted to come home this weekend, I wasn't thinking of our date, and I was just so surprised," she explained.
Sue's daughter Leah had left La Push with a broken heart almost two years ago after catching her fiancé Sam with her cousin Emily in a compromising position. Coming so close on the heels of the death of her father, it was a double blow for her. Sam had admitted the affair had been going on for some time, but it was Emily's silence and deceit that had hurt Leah the most. The two had grown up together and were almost like sisters rather than cousins. The betrayal had cut deeply.
"I think now that Emily's baby's been born, Leah can finally put all this to rest and move forward. At least, that's what I'm hoping. It's not been good for her to hang on to all this anger," Sue muttered, shaking her head.
"Oh, I agree with you on that." I nodded. "Since we're on the topic of daughters, I have to fess up to you that it was Bella and Rosalie who gave me a gentle push on organizing tonight," I admitted with a nervous shrug of the shoulders.
Sue didn't look at all surprised and laughed heartily when I told her that Bella thought it was time we had a date that didn't include fish guts.
We're interrupted by our server, who delivered our drinks and went through the specials with us. A comfortable silence ensued between us as we both took a sip of our drinks.
I now felt more at ease and confident enough to jump into the conversation I'd been working up to all night. I looked across the table at Sue and hesitantly smiled before jumping in.
"What is it, Charlie? You're looking terribly nervous over there," Sue interrupted me.
"It's been so long since I've been out on a date like this," I admitted, looking over at her. "Did I tell you that you look beautiful tonight?"
Sue blushed and reminded me that I told her she looked lovely when I arrived to pick her up.
"Well, that was my first mistake. You look far more than just lovely," I told her.
"Charlie, are you trying to woo me?" She giggled.
I laughed gently and admitted I would have no idea how to woo someone if my life depended on it.
"Oh, I don't know. I think you have it in you if you really want to," Sue encouraged me with a wink.
I reached across the table and took her hand in mine, gently rubbing my thumb over her knuckles. I'm thinking this could go well, or go up in flames, but I have to take the bait she's just thrown out to me.
"Sue," I started anxiously, looking down at our joined hands. "We've known each other a long time now, been good friends for a long time." I took a deep breath and continued. "You've been there for me so often when I felt I had nowhere to turn, especially when a teenage Bella returned to live with me, and I was clueless about things like"—I lowered my voice—"boys and periods and tampons and such." I shook my head, remembering those conversations, and I heard her gentle laughter in response. "I hope I've been there for you when you've needed me, through your struggles and hard times too." I looked across the table, directly into her eyes, and she gave me an encouraging nod and a gentle squeeze of my hand.
"That's all true, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat, Charlie." I could hear the truth of those words in her murmured response.
"I wanted to ask you if you felt ready to maybe …" I stumbled over my words now, not so sure of how to spit out what I want to say, what I felt I needed to admit to her. "Sue, you know I'm not so good with words, and I'm even worse with feelings, so this isn't easy for me," I whispered, feeling all kinds of vulnerable now.
"I think I know what you're going to say, Charlie, or what you may want to say, but I'd still like to hear the words," Sue gently encouraged me.
I held her hand a little tighter to anchor myself and nodded back at her.
"What I do know is that Harry was a great man—a loyal friend. I also know he was a loving husband and father. I'm not sure what he'd think of this—his buddy and his wife out for a dinner date." I chuckled lightly and looked over at Sue, keeping my eyes on her now. "I can't say I'd want to step into his shoes because they would be impossibly big to fill, and I doubt you would want that either," I acknowledged truthfully.
"I feel that you and I have developed a special friendship, a bond of our own, and I really enjoy the time we spend together and …" I stopped and breathed deeply for a moment before changing tack.
"When I was talking to the girls on the phone on Sunday, Rosalie asked me how I would feel if someone else came along and started fishing for you, not with you like I do, but for you. I then realised that I didn't like that idea, at all, because I already feel like you're ... mine," I admitted to her nervously.
I looked into her eyes, seeing hers shine back gently at me. It's as if there's nobody else here, just the two of us, in our own little bubble.
"I'm unclear how it's done these days," I admitted. "We're not school kids sitting out on the bleachers, and I'm not sure I have the right words," I floundered. "You know I'm an old-fashioned kind of guy, and I can't see that ever changing." I laughed, shaking my head. "So, I guess what I'm trying to do here is ask if you feel ready to move on, if you'd like to move forward … with me, together, as ummmm ... like a couple?" I implored with a shrug.
Sue squeezed my hand and leaned farther across the table toward me. Her expression was open, and although her smile was encouraging, I anxiously awaited her words.
I just hoped that whatever her reply was that things wouldn't change too much between us, that I wouldn't lose her friendship by pushing for something she may not be ready for.
We're interrupted by our server, who gently cleared his throat to announce his arrival at the table with our dinner.
I wanted to tell him to back off for five minutes, but instead, we both sat back in our seats politely as he placed the meals on the table.
"Oh, this looks delicious," Sue exclaimed as she leaned forward, admiring her plate.
We waited for a moment until the server had walked back toward the kitchen area.
"Charlie, I know what a great friend you were to Harry, what a wonderful friend you've become to me. Your support and encouragement are what has helped not just me, but also Leah and Seth, through these last two years," she murmured.
"I think we're both too old to play games or for me to be coy about this situation." She waved a fork she'd just picked up between the two of us. "I say let's just jump right in. We can skip the whole getting to know you bit as I know exactly what kind of man you are, and I'm definitely ready to move on and give this a go. So, that's a yes from me," she told me quite enthusiastically, nodding at me, and I couldn't help the wide grin that broke out on my face.
"Now, that's enough of the heavy," she declared. "Let's enjoy this dinner." She indicated her plate with the fork. "It's not often I get to enjoy a meal like this that I haven't cooked myself."
We finished dinner and went for a walk on the pier where we talked about moving forward, how some things are hard to let go of, and how some things feel as easy as breathing.
I informed her we can take things easy, go slow. "Isn't that what they say—that they're taking it slow?"
Sue looked at me with a cocked brow. "Who says that, Charlie?" she questioned.
"Ummm, the kids?" I shrugged, feeling all kinds of stupid right now.
Sue laughed at me and shook her head.
"Oh, come on—you know I'm down with the kids!" I bumped her shoulder gently.
Sue commented that at our age she sees no real reason to take it slow.
"In fact, if we'd been travelling in the cruiser tonight, I wouldn't have minded if we took the long road home." She nudged me back suggestively. "I've never been in the back of a police cruiser, but I wouldn't mind taking a tour with you!"
I felt my cheeks redden, and I'm not sure what to make of that remark.
Sue laughed heartily. "Oh, Charlie, it's way too easy to reel you in sometimes!"
I reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze as we both continued to chuckle at each other.
We walked to the end of the pier, holding hands and enjoying the lights reflected on the water, then turned and slowly headed back toward the truck.
It felt so right, so easy with Sue, and I couldn't believe how happy I felt right then.
Port Angeles being in the Olympic rain shadow, sure enough, it started to drizzle. "Come on. Let's get out of the rain and head back home," I suggested.
***WF***
I parked in my driveway at the side of my house and looked over at Sue. "Are you sure this is okay to do now?" I asked.
"Sure it's still early and not a school night." She grinned back at me. "Come on. Let's go and talk paint colors. It's past time those kitchen cupboards had an update. Now that I'm your girlfriend, I get voting rights," she teased me.
As we walked inside, I helped Sue remove her jacket and hung it with mine. I must admit, I liked the look of her jacket hanging right there next to my coat, and it made me feel proud that I took the risk in having the "us" conversation with her tonight.
We decided on coffee and headed into the kitchen to start a pot.
Sue looked in my freezer, and after moving a few things around, she produced a small pie.
"Ta-da!" she declared proudly. "I thought there might still be one or two of these apple pies left in here from the last time I stocked up for you. Let's have some dessert with that coffee."
We worked side by side in the kitchen, getting things ready for our coffee and dessert. To be honest, I think Sue knew her way around my kitchen far better than me.
We were just seated at the kitchen table, paint samples, which I've had stored in my kitchen drawer for what seems like forever, now laid out on the table before us when I noticed car headlights shining into the kitchen window.
Sue looked up at me with a questioning look. "Are you expecting anyone tonight, Charlie?"
"Not that I know of," I replied. "Mark would ring my cell if he needed me. He knew we were heading out to Port Angeles for dinner tonight."
Mark was the deputy at our station, and he knew this was a big night for me. I'd been a bundle of nerves all week, and he finally got me to admit what I was all worked up about.
We walked together toward the living room and peeked out through the curtain to see if the car had pulled up or moved on.
"Oh, it's the girls!" Sue declared.
"I can't believe them!" I almost screeched. "They didn't tell me they were coming. I bet they've come to get me all organized for our date. They still think it's tomorrow night," I cried in dismay.
"Oh, this is too good." Sue chuckled.
"What?" I stammered out.
"Let's teach them a lesson. Come on, Charlie." Sue was almost jumping on the spot in excitement.
"Lesson? What lesson?" I asked, totally clueless.
I thought Sue had lost her mind when she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the couch.
"Quick, Charlie—undo a couple of top buttons." Sue gestured wildly with her hands. "Then sit down—right there on the couch!"
Sue hitched her dress up and pushed me down. On the couch. Then straddled … my lap. Her long legs were on both sides of me!
"Okay, let's make this look really good. They'll walk in the door any minute!" she excitedly told me.
My eyes widened, and my heart just about beat out of my chest as she wrapped one hand around my neck, and then slowly started running her hand through my hair.
Make it look good? I'm unsure about that, but it sure was feeling good.
Yeah, I liked the feel of this. I liked it a lot.
I decided I wasn't going to waste this opportunity. I wrapped my arms around Sue and started running one hand slowly up and down her back as she nuzzled at my neck.
The front door pushed wide open without a knock, and the girls called out, "Honey, we're hoooome!"
"Oh, my God, Charlie, you feel sooooo good," Sue moaned loudly, right at that moment.
The room was now filled with shuffling feet and squeals and shouts of, "Oh, my God," with a whole different meaning.
Sue leaned her head into my neck and her body shook with laughter, but I guess the girls thought the shakes were something else completely.
I shivered as Sue whispered in my ear. "We got them, real good."
"The bleach, where's the bleach," Rosalie cried out dramatically.
"Oh, my God, Dad. What the … I can't ... I just can't unsee this," Bella screeched.
"Girls, I didn't know you were coming tonight?" I managed to squeak out.
"Yeah, well, we sure didn't know we'd be walking in on someone coming on your couch tonight either!" Rosalie cried out at me, her hands gesturing at Sue wildly.
We couldn't keep up the charade any longer, and both Sue and I dissolved into fits of laughter as we attempted to straighten our clothing and slowly got up from the couch.
"I thought your date was tomorrow night." Bella looked between Sue and I, her face still a deep shade of red.
"Well, there was a change of plans," I informed her.
My arm was wrapped tightly around Sue's waist now as she stood by my side.
"Dinner was lovely, and we thought we'd come back here for dessert," Sue commented, then turned and winked at me.
"Obviously," Rosalie humphed at us, still shaking her head.
I leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Sue's forehead.
"Well, I think we'll just take our bags up to our room while you two get yourselves—" Bella waved her hands at us. "—all sorted."
"That sounds like a good idea. Would you like to join us for dessert?" Sue asked with a raised brow and a smirk.
An emphatic "no" is chorused back at us as the girls both turned, grabbed their bags, and stomped their way up the stairs.
I glanced back at Sue, and she's just shaking her head, a hand to her mouth, stifling her laughter while looking up toward the stairs where the girls have now hurried away.
"Did … did you see their faces?" she finally managed to say between giggles.
I couldn't answer her immediately as I was still holding back my own laughter.
When she turned to look at me, I couldn't hold it any longer, and I let out a loud belly laugh that just kept going.
We were just getting ourselves under control when Rosalie yelled down the stairs. "Glad our embarrassment can amuse you two!" And another round of laughter began.
I had no idea how long it took, but finally, Sue and I managed to get ourselves under control.
"Well, that'll teach them for trying to organize me," I eventually gasped out.
Sue reached out a hand to me. "Come on. I think we've all had enough excitement for one night. You'd better get me home, Romeo."
Yeah, that's me, Charlie Swan—real ladies' man.
As Sue and I walked to the front door, I helped her get her jacket on, then called up the stairs. "I'm just taking Sue home—be back soon."
"There's still pie in the oven. You girls may as well enjoy dessert as much as I did tonight!" Sue added with laughter.
The bedroom door slammed in reply, and another round of laughter started from both groups this time.
"Oh, that was just gold," Sue said, as I opened the door for her.
There's been another shower of rain since we arrived earlier, and Sue tucked her arm into mine as we headed down the slippery steps.
"Don't let me fall, Chief," she murmured as she tightened her hand on my arm.
I looked over at her and winked. "Never."
Sue ducked her head and grinned. I can't help but smile to myself as she bumped my shoulder with hers.
"Dinner was lovely, Charlie. Thank you so much for asking me out tonight."
I turned to her, smiling. "The pleasure was all mine."
"All yours, hey? I'm sure you'll find that pleasure is best when shared, Charlie."
Then she winked at me, and I couldn't help but feel the heat in my face. I was sure I was just about glowing at that comment.
"So, ahhhh, well ..." I stumbled over my words. "We're still on for fishing on Sunday?" I asked.
"Of course. I already have it on my calendar."
"You put our fishing days on your calendar?" I asked in a surprised voice, which doesn't really sound like me at all.
Sue nodded and looked over at me with amusement.
"What do you write? Out catching dinner?"
"Nah, I just write weekend fishing with Charlie."
"Weekend fishing, huh?"
"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" She chuckled at me.
We're back at the truck now. I opened the door for her, then moved closer and gently pressed a kiss to her lips before leaning my forehead against hers.
"Not at all, I think it's … kinda perfect, just like our first date!"
A/N: Thank you to all the organisers of The Perfect Date contest and congratulations to all the entrants on such wonderful stories.