CJ Fisher Finds Love

CJ went all out for this date, he booked a table at the fanciest restaurant in the next town. He bought a dozen long-stemmed red roses and had his best suit cleaned and pressed. Checked himself in the mirror and fixed his hair. Taking a deep breath he stepped out of his house and got into his car. He sat there for a moment, thinking about tonight and feeling like a kid who was going on his first date.

When he reached her place he knocked on the door and when she opened it he was shocked to find she was wearing jeans and a blouse, her hair was up in a ponytail. He was speechless as he looked her up and down. Was she playing some kind of sick game with him?

Sam was taken aback, she frowned. She thought they were going to the diner and wasn’t expecting him to show up all dressed up and carrying roses, she felt terrible. “CJ, I didn’t know this was a dressy occasion.”

“I have reservations at the Grand Hotel in Gillstown.”

“Oh, come in and I’ll change, it’ll just take me ten minutes. I’m so sorry. Are the flowers for me? They’re beautiful. Why don’t you take them into the kitchen and put them in some water and help yourself to something to drink. I won’t be long,” she said, leaving him there to find his own way around. She felt just horrible after seeing him dressed in what she was sure a very expensive suit and the roses he bought for her would have cost him a fortune.

To say he was disappointed was an understatement, he was deeply hurt. Did she really think he’d take her to the diner where she works? He grabbed the wine and poured himself a glass and went into the other room sat down and waited. Fifteen minutes later he looked at his watch, she did say ten minutes. After another five minutes, he stood when she entered the room. She had on a short red dress and high heels, her hair hung loosely down, cascading over her bare shoulders. A gold necklace hung around her neck and she had on a pair of matching earrings. She took his breath away and he smiled, giving her an approving look. She was beautiful and well worth the wait.

“I am really sorry CJ, I thought when you said dinner we would be going into town. I hope this is good enough for the hotel.”

“It’s perfect, you look stunning. We should go before they gave away our table,” he said, holding her coat so that she could slip it on. The scent of her perfume reached his nose, it was sweet and he found it intoxicating.

They made idle chitchat during the drive and once they got there and seated he ordered a bottle of wine.

“This is a beautiful place, so fancy and I like that we got a table by the window. You didn’t have to go through all this trouble for one dinner. We could have eaten back in town,” she said, looking around.

“You deserve better than a greasy diner. Now what would you like to have?” he asked, pouring them some wine. There was no way he would take her to the diner in town on their first date, she deserved the best and the best was what he was going to give her.

“The seafood platter and salad look good,” she answered.

“We’ll have two of those,” he told the waiter. “How’s your hand?” he asked, reaching over he took her hand in his. “Yes, it’s healing and you will only have a small scar.

She pulled her hand away, his touch was warm, almost sensual.

“Tell me about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?”

“For starters where do you come from and why did you decide to move here.”

“I’m from Chicago and when my grandparents passed away they left the property to me so here I am.”

“What about your parents, would it not have gone to them?”

“The thing is, they never liked it here. Country life wasn’t for them, they are more the city type. But I love it more than living in a big city and when I was younger I would spend every summer here. Well, that was until I started college.”

CJ sat back to study her. “I’ve lived here all my life and it’s weird that I never met you before.”

“We never went into town much. My grandfather would take me horseback riding and we would go fishing down by the river. My grandmother taught me to cook and bake. Those were such good memories for me.”

“What did you do back in Chicago?”

“I worked in the stock market as an advisor. I hated every minute of it so when I had the chance to start over here I took it. I made a lot of money and saved enough for a nice nest egg. But with money going out and none coming in it would soon be gone so I took the job at the diner.”

“That’s kind of a drop from what you were doing.”

“I like it and the money’s not bad. I’ve met a lot of nice people.”

They stopped talking when their food was brought over and waited till the waiter left.

“What about your love life?”

“What about it?” she asked, lifting a fork full of food up to her mouth and glancing over at him.

“There must have been someone whose heart you broke when you left. Or maybe someone broke your heart.” He noticed the change in her demeanour when he mentioned a love life.

Fidgety she set her glass of wine down. “I have no desire to discuss my past with you which is where I want it to stay. Now tell me about you, why did you want to become a doctor?”

He looked at her quizzically, knew she was hiding something. For now, he would leave it alone, didn’t want to scare her off. “I’ve wanted to be one since I was a small kid and I saw how our town’s doctor saved my father’s friend. So I studied hard and graduated early, I was known for being the youngest doctor ever to finish and here I am.”

“But why here and not in a big city hospital?”

“This is my home, I love this town and the people in it. I grew up on a ranch and still help my dad out a lot of the time. “You’d like my folks and I know they will like you.”

“I remember my grandparents talking about them. How they were high school sweethearts but were torn apart and later found their way back to each other.”

“That’s right. When my grandfather caught them having sex he sent her to live with an aunt in Paris, she was sixteen and carrying a child, though she didn’t know it at the time. My grandfather, her father, and aunt kept the letters they wrote to each other from them and he lied to my mother saying my dad got someone pregnant and moved away. It wasn’t till later when he died that she came back to sell his home that she met my father again and the rest is history.”

“Were you the baby?”

“No, mom had a daughter that died a couple of hours after her birth and she was told that because of complications she wouldn’t be able to have any more children. When she became pregnant with me, Mom and Dad called me their miracle baby. My mother wrote a book about all that took place, called Dawn’s Cowboy. It didn’t sell many copies. I have one if you’d like to read it.”

“Yes, I would love to read it, sounds interesting. What all they went through to find their way back, all the pain and suffering, so romantic.”

“I’ll bring it over some time.”

“What about your love life? I’m surprised that you’re not married with a couple of kids by now.”

“I’ve not found the right one,” he said, pouring them both more wine.

“Or is that because you’re having too much fun playing the field? I have heard how you’ve broken many hearts. Is that something you like doing, hurting women?”

He chewed on his bottom lip, staring at her. “I don’t set out to hurt anyone and I’m doing nothing wrong. I don’t force women into my bed, they know the score.”

“What score is that?”

“That it’s just sex. I have never strung them along. Sex is a beautiful thing and I enjoy it as do the women I’ve been with.”

They were finished with their meal and were getting ready to leave when there was a disturbance coming from across the room and someone yelled out, asking if there was a doctor. CJ rushed over to an older woman who was on the ground, an older man kneeled down beside her.

Taking his jacket off placed it under the woman’s head and ordered the people who were gathered around to back away and give her some air. “What’s your name darling?” he asked as he checked her pulse.

“Janet,” she answered.

“Tell me, are you having chest pains and is your left arm tingling?” He could see the sweat forming on her forehead and face.

“Yes,” she said weakly.

“I’m a doctor and there is an ambulance coming. You’re having a mild heart attack but you’re going to be OK, just try and stay calm.”

Sam watched on, her eyes teared up. It was so touching how gentle and sweet he was being to the older woman. The way he rested his hand on her head, stroking her forehead with his thumb and reassuring her she would be Ok. “I see you were eating some very spicy foods, you will have to change your diet. He stayed with her until the ambulance came and took her away.

Picking up his jacket puts it on and looked at Sam who was staring at him, she looked so emotional so he touches her arm. “Are you OK?”

“What you did, the way you were with her was so, I don’t know, sweet and caring. You may have saved her life.”

“It’s what I do.”

“Yes, but you went the extra mile. You even paid their bill so that they wouldn’t have to worry about it. Who does that?”

What could he say to that? It just seemed like the right thing to do. “Let’s get you home, you look a little shaken,” he said, helping her on with her coat.

At her place, he got out and went over he opened the door for her and walked her to the door. “I had a great time tonight Sam. It was nice getting to know you.”

She turned to face him. “I did too CJ, everything was lovely. The flowers, the meal was delicious and what you did for that woman, it was just amazing.” He was so quick she didn’t have time to move when he planted his hands on the door on either side of her. She was trapped between his arms and the door, with nowhere to move, his face was so close to hers.

“I’d like to see you again,” he said, his eyes going to her lips, wanting to kiss her.

She laughed nervously. “It’s a small town, I’m sure we’ll be running into each other.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” He moved his face closer, going in for a kiss when he felt her hands on his chest, giving him a light pushback.

“Goodnight CJ,” she sai, and turning went inside, shutting the door behind her.

CJ smiled to himself, he had come close to kissing her but she stopped him at the last minute. She was playing hard to get which only made him more determined to kiss those beautiful lips of hers. For now, he would let her have her way, but the time would come when the table would be turned and it would be him calling the shots.