His cologne was too strong. His hair was a little too perfect. He probably had more product in it than she ever had, but one of her friends told her Michael "Mike" Hanson had been in a metal band in the 80s. It was somewhat par for the course.
Choking over the vapors when he introduced himself, Karen took his hand. His palms were a little sweaty. It was not the most pleasant feeling, but he smiled at her nervously.
"So what do you do, Mike?" she asked conversationally as their date got under way.
"I'm a police officer. I plan on being a detective one day," he said, his demeanor changing from nervous to confident. Karen wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen the difference herself.
"Are you good at solving crimes? What can you tell me about the couple at the table next to us?"
"I'm not Sherlock Holmes," Hanson protested before looking at them. Then he said, "The man is either cheating or just recently divorced. He's got lipstick on his collar and a tan line on his left ring finger."
"Would you ever cheat, Mike?" Karen asked directly.
He turned back to her with a wide eyed expression. "No, never. No good man would cheat on someone he loves."
Karen was silent a few seconds, enough to make him sweat. Then she declared, "I like that answer. Date two is looking pretty good about now."
At that, Mike laughed nervously and smiled at her. It was the smile on this big tough guy who seemed a little rough around the edges. Karen realized there would definitely be a second date.