Dating had never been Katherine Pulitzer's forte.
She had scraped through high school and college with a handful of boyfriends that had left somewhat of an impact on her life but nothing too memorable. She hadn't minded the boys or the kisses. Katherine had hated the dates, especially the first ones. Awkward first hellos and sweaty palms? Not her thing. Sure, the restaurants were delicious and the boys mostly courteous, but Katherine hated being the center of attention. Someone always seemed to know who her father was, and all the attention would turn to her. Half of the dates that Katherine had ever gone on had ended in the guy asking for a handout or a handjob. Men were pigs.
But then she met Darcy.
Darcy.
Darcy had been handpicked by her father to take Katherine out to the movies one night after a particularly awful breakup. Katherine was obviously not looking for another guy at that point, and Darcy was not interested. The night ended up being more fun then Katherine had first anticipated, and a love sparked in her heart.
Something that she hadn't felt with any other the other guys that she had ever dated.
Tonight was their first official date. She wouldn't tell you, but Katherine had actually been waiting by the phone in the days that had followed the movie, hoping and praying that he would ask her out on an official date. AND HE DID. Katherine must've seemed a bit too eager on the phone, but she was so excited.
Katherine flew home from work that night. Her mom had yelled her name from the kitchen when she arrived, causing her to stop and chat for a moment about the day, blah blah blah. Once her mother had stopped her gabbing, Katherine rushed upstairs to shower. She stood in a towel for fifteen minutes, trying to figure out she would wear. The restaurant was somewhat fancy so Katherine went with a black velvet dress and matching heels. Her auburn hair however was a different story. Most of the time it was a curly frizzy mess, but Katherine broke out the hard stuff for the night and was able to tame it into glistening soft ringlets. It had started to rain on her way home so she grabbed her pink raincoat and headed downstairs. With a kiss on her both of her parent's cheeks, she went out the door and walked down the street, hoping the butterflies in her stomach would settle.
She was the first to arrive at the restaurant, which was odd considering it was almost seven. The hostess sat her in a window booth that looked out onto the street. Katherine fished her phone out of her pocket and checked her messages.
Nothing.
Katherine turned it off, giving Darcy the benefit of the doubt. He had a job that often kept him busy so he was probably just running late. The waitress arrived a few minutes later to get her a drink. Katherine ordered a lemon water and a beer for Darcy, a drink that he had mentioned at the movies that he drank on a normal date. The waitress returned with the glasses and asked if Katherine was ready to order. Katherine said that she was just going to wait until her date arrived.
The minutes began to tick by slowly.
Katherine tried to check her phone casually every once and a while, but inside she was beginning to panic. What if something was wrong? The waitress comes back after fifteen minutes, asking again if she would like to order. Katherine refuses again, saying that she'll wait until her date gets here. She mentioned that he often worked late, hoping to make the situation seem not as bad as it was. The waitress just nodded her head and gave Katherine a sympathetic smile.
Katherine sends a text message.
Where are you?
There's no reply.
Katherine slides the phone away from her to keep her mind off of it. She glances up at the clock near the entrance, and it read 7:45. Had forty-five minutes passed so quickly?
Katherine scanned the menu a few times, played a game on her cell phone, and check her messages a thousand times. Nothing. When the big hand on the clock started to crawl towards 8:30, Katherine really started panic.
She could feel the stares. The apologetic looks she had caught from other patrons. The butterflies that had deserted her stomach and now it was filled with lead.
Darcy had stood her up.
Katherine was staring at her phone, and with a mind of their own, her fingers typed a simple How could you? and had sent it to Darcy before Katherine realized it. Katherine felt her eyes start to tear up and tried to blink them away. One slipped down her cheek, and she quickly swiped it away as the waitress came back.
"I think I'm actually going to go," Katherine said quickly, not meeting the waitress' eye. She got up from the booth. "I guess he w—"
"Hey babe! Sorry, I'm late!" A guy Katherine had never seen before rushed towards her, soaked from head to toe. "Car broke down, and the tow truck took forever!"
Katherine was wrapped in a wet embrace.
"I'm Jack. Just go with it, yeah?" The guy pulled back and sat beside Katherine in the booth, keeping an arm around her shoulders. He looked casually at the waitress, who was still standing in the same spot, her mouth open in astonishment. "Could I get a coffee please?"
The waitress nodded quickly and disappeared back towards the kitchen. Jack took a menu and began flipping the pages while Katherine just stared at him in wonder.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly.
"Whoever didn't bother to show up is a real dick."
"How did you know I was stood up?" Katherine said crossing her arms.
"I was sitting in the cafe across the street and couldn't help noticing that you still were alone and hadn't ordered. I put two and two together and here I am."
Katherine smiled, letting her hair fall over her face. She wasn't sure what to make of the situation. This guy that she had never met before was saving her from horrendous humiliation.
The waitress returned, and both Jack and Katherine ordered a cheeseburger.
Jack sipped his steaming coffee with a smug grin. "I didn't peg you as a cheeseburger girl."
"You don't even know who I am."
"I would know the daughter of Joseph Pulitzer anywhere."
Katherine shrugged Jack's arm from around her shoulders, fuming. "Oh, so that's what this is. Another dirtbag looking for a handout with the millionaire's daughter."
Jack almost spit out his coffee. "What are yo—!"
"Well, you aren't getting anything from me so you better just get your ass out of this booth and out of this restaurant!"
Jack stared at her, his mouth hanging open, then he started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Katherine asked, throughly stunned at his reaction.
"You're cute when you're angry."
Katherine decided to let him stay.
—
"Well, Jack. You made my night a lot better than what it was turning out to be. Thank you," Katherine said quietly as the pair walked down the street.
Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Nobody deserves to be treated that way."
The pair reached an intersection.
"This is my turn," Katherine gestured to the right.
"Listen, Katherine. There's something I want to ask you. Would you like to go on a real date with me?" Jack asked nervously.
Needless to say, Katherine had never said yes faster.