CHAPTER 2 DINNER, ANYONE?

What am I going to do, Caitlin thought to herself. As she sat in silence at her desk, the events of the previous evening came rushing back into her mind. The date, the dancing, the kiss, the ex... The last thought made her cringe. Why did he have to be there and come over to talk to her.

She took a long sip of her Mocha Frappuchino and relaxed back into her chair. She knew what she had to do and she needed to do it now. Picking the phone up, she dialed Alicia's number, hoping she would answer. "Hey, Alicia. Are you busy tonight?"

"I'm supposed to have drinks with some friends later, why?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner later. I have a new recipe for Curry-Thai Chicken that I was going to fix tonight." Curry-Thai chicken?!?!?! I must be out of my mind for a lame pick-up line like that, Caitlin thought.

"That would be nice, I love chicken. What time should I come over?" Alicia asked.

"How about 6:30? Is that okay with you?"

"That's great. Do I need to bring anything?"

"No, just yourself. Any special requests?" Caitlin was trying to feel her out as to what she liked, but Alicia was no help at all.

"No. Surprise me!"

"Okay, I'll see you at 6:30 then. Bye."

"See you soon. Bye."

Caitlin hung up the phone feeling refreshed and invigorated. Now, she had to figure out a game plan for the night. How was she going to get all this ready in 4 hours??

She sat back up and moved towards her computer. She needed to email Zoe, Juliette and Mia to see if they had any suggestions. She pulled up her email and began typing frantically.

Need help with a date tonight. I am cooking, but I need some ideas for the evening. Any suggestions?

While she was waiting, she started working on a new layout for the photo shoot next week. She looked at possible locations and finally decided on the front steps of her brothers church. Wedding season was just around the corner, and she had an amazing new line of colors coming out in the next few weeks. She gave her brother a call and--25 minutes later--secured the church for her shoot on Tuesday.

Caitlin noticed the email icon on the bottom of her computer and hurriedly opened the program. There were three new emails with same subject line: Date Night help.

I like a good wine with my dinner. Try a Sauvignon Blanc with dinner. Also, don't forget the candles and flowers! Set the mood and you'll have her coming back for more. Jules

Make sure the appetizer and dessert go with the meal. I prefer a green goddess dip with grilled shrimp as an appetizer and tiramisu for dessert. Both are elegant choices and relatively easy to make. Hope it goes well. Zoe

Why don't you just go by Max's and get takeout? You can make it look home-made pretty easily, trust me. But...if you insist on cooking, go with healthy side items. Steamed or grilled asparagus is tasty and goes well with rice pilaf. Oh, by the way...yes we did call each other to figure out what we were going to send you. Have fun and don't forget the details, we will ask you about them tomorrow. Mia

Caitlin sat back and laughed at the thought of the three of them discussing what they were going to tell her. She forwarded each email to her phone and began shutting everything down. She had under 4 hours to shop, cook and get dressed for the evening. She grabbed her coat, turned off the lights and closed the door on her way out. The glowing look on her face let everyone know she was leaving for the day.

She got a cab and went to the store a couple blocks from her place. With her list in hand, she got everything she need to make the evening perfect. Caitlin walked through her door at 3:45 and sat the items on the counter. A quick change of clothes and she was ready to go.

As she began fixing dinner, the door bell rang. When she opened the door, she was overjoyed to see Zoe, Juliette and Mia looking back at her. "We figured that you may need some help to pull all this together," Mia joked. The women came in, grabbed a glass of wine, and began helping Caitlin plan her evening.

"I am so glad you guys came over," exclaimed Caitlin. "I was wondering how I was going to get it all together. I really should learn to think before I open my mouth sometimes." They all laughed, knowing that Caitlin's mouth had gotten her into trouble more times than one.

They laughed and talked about their plans for the evening. Mia was going to look for an apartment, Zoe was taking the kids to the park, and Juliette was trying to decide if she was going to call Bobby. "Call him, what could it hurt?" Zoe asked. "It's not like he's going to tell you he doesn't want to see you."

"I'll think about it. Let's just make sure Caitlin is ready to go before we plan anything else for me," Juliette says.

By six o'clock, everything was prepared and where it needed to be. The flowers were arranged, the wine chilling, and the women were saying goodnight to Caitlin. "Thank you all so much for all your help! I don't know what I would do without you guys. I'll see you all tomorrow." Caitlin closed the door and went to get ready. A quick shower and a change of clothes later, it's almost time for Alicia to arrive.

Caitlin turns on some music and lights the candles. There must be 20 candles burning, she thought. Juliette had arranged the candles in various places throughout the dining room, kitchen and living room. She did have to admit though, it looked very romantic. The door bell rang, stopping her train of thought. Caitlin looked around one last time to make sure everything was perfect and headed to the door.

"Alicia, hi. Come on in."