"So, you clean up rather nicely, Dugan. What's the occasion?"
Timothy groaned and shook his head.
He was not in the mood for this right now. He was going to be late.
Monty walked up to him and leaned against the wall near the mirror that he was using.
"Oh don't give me that silent treatment now, big man. What has you getting all spiffed up for a night on the town."
Dugan relented, realizing that Monty had in fact helped him and so maybe deserved an explanation.
He smiled at the other man, "If you want to know so badly, I've got a dinner date."
Monty's eye widened, "Tonight? But we leave at 0900 tomorrow morning."
He glared, "Not that type of date, Monty! It's with Lyla."
If he thought the other man was shocked before, now he just looked like a fish out of water, gaping for breath.
"You have a dinner date?"
He nodded.
"With Lyla?"
He rolled his eyes, "What part of that are you having trouble understanding, Monty?"
"It's not that. It's just, " He laughed, clapping a hand on his shoulder, "That's fantastic! So you finally told her who you were, huh?"
"She told me that she already had an inkling that it was me."
"How?"
"I forgot to wash my hands when I wrote that first letter to her. She could smell the gun oil and cigar smoke on the letter. One of the many perks of being blind."
The British man lifted an eyebrow at him, "Many?"
He shook his head, "Not going to tell you that, Monty. That's private."
Monty threw his head back and laughed.
"She saw you through her finger tips, didn't she?"
It was Dugan's turn to be shocked. "How do you-"
"I have a niece that's blind as well, Dugan. She did the same with people she met for the first time. That's how they see people in their minds and then pair it with their voices. Sounds like she didn't want you to just be a voice. You should feel very lucky, for some blind persons it is considered very private and personal to touch a person's face."
"Yeah it was definitely personal. God, I'm going crazy here."
"Don't worry, my friend. I'm quite sure she probably feels the same."
He shook his head, "You don't get it, Monty. I don't think I've ever felt like this before. I'm not the type of guy to talk about of stuff like this, but-"
Monty patted his shoulder.
"I do believe that that feeling you're feeling is called 'Love', Dugan. It's a force to be reckoned with once set on its path. I would say that you are quite doomed, my friend."
"Doomed? Hell, what a way to go."
They both shook their heads and laughed.
Jim walked in at that moment and looked confused between them.
"I missed something, didn't I?"
It just made the two laugh harder.
/ ~ / ~ / ~ /
"You look fantastic, Peggy."
"Thank you, Steve. You clean up quite nicely yourself."
Dugan rolled his eyes at the small talk.
When were those two going to realize that they had it badly for each other.
'And they call me stubborn.'
"You should know that my sister is making a traditional Irish dessert for tonight."
"What is it?"
"Its our mother's recipe. Bread and butter pudding."
Peggy nodded, "I have had something similar to that. My gran, god bless her soul, used to make a steamed pudding. We'd drizzle sweetened double cream over it with berries."
Steve smiled, "That sounds delicious."
Dugan tuned them out after that. He was already hungry, he didn't need to talk about food and add to the torture his stomach was already in.
He looked out the car window and noticed a building that made his eyes widen in shock.
He didn't have a gift for Lyla.
"Stop the car!"
The driver quickly stopped the car and he climbed out.
Steve stuck his head out the window.
"What are you doing?"
He pointed to the sign behind them, "Not forgetting a gift for my girl."
Steve read the sign and laughed.
"If they don't have lilies, she likes daisies too!"
He waved a hand back at him and entered the flower shop.
Peggy and Steve shared a knowing look at Dugan's smile when he emerged a few moments later, holding a bouquet of white lilies.
/ ~ / ~ / ~ /
He tugged on the neck of his shirt, suddenly nervous. He chuckled to himself.
'Just six hours earlier I had her wrapped in my arms, kissing the living daylights out of her and I'm suddenly nervous about dinner?'
Steve gave him a questioning glance as he knocked on the door.
They heard footsteps move closer to the door.
It swung open to reveal Jarvis, who smiled and gave a slight bow.
"Please do come in."
They all filed into the house and waited until Jarvis motioned them to follow him to the other room.
"Dinner is still in the oven. Won't be long though, just five more minutes. Miss Lyla is waiting in here."
He knocked on the door frame, and they all heard a shuffling noise.
"Well about time they get here. I'm starving. Jarvis can you-"
"Already headed there, sir. I'll check the pot pies."
Howard clapped his hands, "Good! Hey, come on in. Don't linger there like a bad smell."
"Howard, hush."
"Hey, Lyla, I've got to tease where I can."
His line of sight was blocked by Steve standing in front of him.
"Sis, you look beautiful."
Dugan tapped his shoulder, to which he turned his gaze back at him and smiled. He motioned his head to the room and walked in.
He walked in and looked over to where Lyla was and stopped dead in his tracks.
The desire he had felt for her six hours ago came back full force, hitting him like a punch to the gut.
She was stunning. Breath-taking.
Her hair was brushed and pinned so it fell over her right shoulder in a wave of pale yellow leaving the left side of her neck bare and looking kissable.
Dugan's eyes traced over her form, his heart stuttering in his chest at the bit of flesh teasing him through the slit in the dress near the top of her breasts.
"Blue is definitely your color, dove. You're beautiful."
She flushed at his words.
She reached out and lightly brushed her fingers over his chest.
"What material is your coat made of?"
He smiled, "It's tweed."
She opened her mouth but was cut off.
"Its a light brown and I'm wearing a darker brown turtleneck sweater under it and dark slacks too."
Lyla giggled, "You're getting the hang of this. You sound handsome."
Steve elbowed him and nodded to the flowers in his hands.
"Uhh, I brought some flowers for you. Lilies."
She gave him a bright smile, "Where did you find lilies?"
"Flower shop. Stopped there just before coming here."
He gently grabbed one of her hands and pressed the flowers into it.
She gently trailed her fingers over the back of his hand, making him shiver.
"I wasn't going to go to dinner with my girl and not get her flowers. No matter what people think of me."
She reached her hand up and brushed his cheek, her own cheeks tinged pink.
"Thank you, Tim."
"Anything for you, dove."
He noticed the pink on her cheeks darkened and he realized why.
'Anything for you dove.'
He had said that just before they had kissed.
Dugan's eye's landed on her lips, stained cherry red from her lipstick, and swallowed hard.
Now his face felt hot.
A throat cleared, breaking them both out their stupors.
"Well, I'll just put these in water for you, okay, Lil'? And everyone can go ahead into the dining room."
Howard stated.
She nodded, handing the flowers to the man, "Of course, thank you, Howard."
Dugan took her hand and put it on his arm. "Here, let's go get you sat down, okay?"
She giggled, "You're hungry too, huh?"
"I'm starving, dove."
Steve and Peggy took up the rear, both shaking their heads at the two, but unknowingly standing closer to each other.
