If your intentions are pure WHO Joseph Harding OT Emma Swinton WHAT A real, actual, grown-up date. WHERE The Kettletop WHEN August 10, 12:30 PM RATING TBD
Joseph threw a brief, worried glance out of the window. What had started as a perfectly beautiful summer day had quickly taken a turn for the worse, with townspeople and tourists alike suddenly scrambling for cover. It looked like a hurricane had just rolled in, the wind and rain coming down so hard, so fast, that he almost couldn’t see across the street through it all.
He’d left Ana with the neighbor girl for a couple of hours, and with the change in weather, he wondered if he should call it and go home. But so far it just looked like a bad storm, and Ana had never seemed to mind even the loudest thunder. Of course, he’d defer to his date in the matter. After all, Emma had a kid of her own.
“Well, that kind of came out of nowhere, huh?” he mused, looking back to Emma. “You’d think the weatherman was talking out of his ass, or something.”
He gave a shrug. “It’s kinda weird, because I just wrote a scene about a crazy storm that comes out of nowhere. And it doesn’t go well.” He gave a half-hearted laugh. “But that’s just coincidence, right? I mean, it’s not like anyone ever got hurt from some rain.”
Now self-conscious, he shook his head. “Sorry, I shouldn’t… no work talk. Right? I mean, this is nice. You, me. No kids. It’s like we’re actual people.”
And then he made himself shut up, because he was rambling. He was certainly rusty when it came to conversations with someone over the age of 5; for as charming as he might still be, his suaveness had clearly stayed behind in the heyday of his twenties. Adding to the awkwardness was the rocky start that he and Emma had struggled with, which was further complicated by him accidentally shooting her with a magic bow and arrow. Which was insane, and only made him feel guilty about continuing to pursue a relationship with her.
But the truth was, everything else aside, he really liked Emma. She had the fierce, independent spirit that always pulled him in, and she didn’t waste her time with any bullshit. The fact that she was also a single parent, and that her kid wasn’t insufferable and got along with Ana? Well, if Joseph was a different kind of man, he might have already proposed to her. But he’d tried that route before, with no success, and had gotten the sense from Emma that she wasn’t all too thrilled to head down that road either.
So it had been coffee here, a playdate there. Lunch was a big step. Who knew, maybe a dinner that didn’t involve chicken nuggets would be next. But for now, he was happy just to have an hour out of his day that didn't involve fairy wands, legos, or his typewriter.