Rick's face broke into a smile that lit up the room. "I'm glad," he said. "Lunch and dinner?" he pressed.
"Can't," declined Joe. "I have night school," he reminded Rick. "And," he added, looking down at his watch. "I had better get going or I will be late for my first class at the college."
"I'll pick you up at the bus stop?" Rick asked.
"Sounds good," Joe said. "I'll see you there," he added, giving Rick a bright smile before exiting the office.
Joe attended his classes and tried to concentrate on what his professor's were saying but his mind kept wandering to his forthcoming lunch with Rick. This would be their first date or, at least, the first one of which he was aware. How could he not have realized? Who would create an entire department and put a nobody in charge of it? Oh sure, he helped Rick fight of two muggers but a simple thank you would have sufficed. And at the most, a job in the mailroom.
"I really am an idiot," Joe mumbled.
"What?" asked Pete Matthews, the student who sat to his right.
Joe looked at him blankly then shook his head. "Nothing," Joe whispered back.
When Joe reached the bus stop Rick was there waiting but instead of the red Porsche there was a black limousine with tinted windows idling behind him.
"I thought we could make this a real date," Rick said, hurrying across the street to greet Joe. "Sheldon will take us to lunch and then to the carnival."
"But...work," objected Joe half-heartedly.
"I'm the boss," Rick reminded him with a grin. "It's okay. Besides," he added as they reached the car and he opened the back door. "It's your birthday."
Joe's eyes widened and he broke out laughing when he saw the giant, stuffed, baby blue rabbit with a huge yellow bow and ribbon around its neck. A balloon sporting the words "Happy Birthday" was tied to the front left paw. "I can't believe this," Joe said as his laughter eased up. "I'd forgotten it was my birthday."
Rick's smile never faltered but his eyes narrowed a fraction when he heard the sadness that slipped into Joe's voice. "But it's your eighteenth birthday," Rick told him. "We must make it memorable."
Joe climbed into the car pushing the over-sized rabbit to the far window seat. Rick climbed in beside Joe and the car took off. "Joe, this is Sheldon Steinberg," Rick introduced Joe to the chauffer. "Sheldon and his wife, Maisey, work for me. Sheldon gardens and chauffeurs and, effectively, runs the house. Maisey is a great maid and an even better cook."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Steinberg," Joe greeted the driver.
"You can call me Sheldon," the man said, smiling as his eyes landed on the youth through the rearview mirror. Sheldon had heard a lot about Joe from his boss and, after meeting Joe, could see why Rick was so taken. The boy was not only polite and good-looking but he had a kind of wistfulness about him that drew one to him.
"Um, lunch sounds good," Joe said as Rick took his hand in his. "But could we skip the carnival?"
"I told you, we don't have to go back to work this afternoon," Rick said, looking at Joe with a mixture of curiosity and concern. Was Joe regretting his decision?
"It isn't that," Joe denied, shaking his head. "I just don't like carnivals or amusement parks," he explained. "I have had a lot of bad experiences at those kinds of places."
"Like what?" Rick asked not quite believing him.
"Well, on my fourth birthday I got separated from my mom in the funhouse and I got kidnapped," Joe confessed. "Another time, I got knocked out and when I came to I was blindfolded and my hands were tied behind my back. As I was feeling my way out of the seat I was on I was told to sit back down because I was on the top of the Ferris wheel," Joe continued. Rick gasped but Joe didn't hear and continued.
"Another time, I was at an amusement park and got on one of the rides. It was closed and the rides weren't supposed to be activated. I was just looking around but the ride started. I didn't have time to get in the seat in buckle up. I ended up being carted out of there by the paramedics."
"No wonder you don't like carnivals," Rick stated, aghast. "I'm so sorry. I never would have..."
"It's okay," Joe interrupted him, squeezing Rick's hand gently. "I just..I always vowed that I would never go to anyplace like that again unless it was work-oriented once I was on my own."
"I understand," Rick assured him. "How about the zoo instead?'
"That sounds like a lot of fun," Joe agreed to the suggestion. "I love the zoo."
"It's getting late," Joe said after they had covered about half of the zoo. "My boss may let me have the afternoon off but I don't think my teachers would be so understanding."
"The zoo closes at five," Rick said. "Can't you be a little late?"
"I wish," Joe said. "But I'm doing really well and I don't want to fall behind." He grinned and touched Rick's cheek in a brief affectionate movement. "Thank you for today," he said sincerely. "I haven't had so much fun since I can't remember when."
"I'm glad," said Rick. "Come on. I'll take you home."
"Actually, I need to go to the office," Joe said apologetically. "I have my books there."
"No problem," replied Rick as they headed to the exit. "How about we get together Saturday?" he suggested.
"Okay," agreed Joe. "Meet you at the office?"
"How about I pick you up at your place at eight?" Rick suggested. "We could have breakfast and then travel upstate. I have a place on Mackinaw. We could spend the weekend fishing?"
"Um..I don't think so," Joe declined. "Look, I...I've never..."
"Never been with a man," Rick finished for him. "I know."
"No. I mean, no, I haven't," Joe said. "But I have never been intimate with a girl either." Joe ran a hand through his blond hair. "Maybe this was a bad idea," he continued. "I like you. I really do," he rushed on. "But it's not going to work out. See, I don't believe in sex without marriage. I guess I didn't think this through when I asked you to lunch."
"Obviously," agreed Rick. Joe looked away. He had done it again. Lost everything. Rick wouldn't only not want to see him now. He would fire him too!
"Can't," declined Joe. "I have night school," he reminded Rick. "And," he added, looking down at his watch. "I had better get going or I will be late for my first class at the college."
"I'll pick you up at the bus stop?" Rick asked.
"Sounds good," Joe said. "I'll see you there," he added, giving Rick a bright smile before exiting the office.
Joe attended his classes and tried to concentrate on what his professor's were saying but his mind kept wandering to his forthcoming lunch with Rick. This would be their first date or, at least, the first one of which he was aware. How could he not have realized? Who would create an entire department and put a nobody in charge of it? Oh sure, he helped Rick fight of two muggers but a simple thank you would have sufficed. And at the most, a job in the mailroom.
"I really am an idiot," Joe mumbled.
"What?" asked Pete Matthews, the student who sat to his right.
Joe looked at him blankly then shook his head. "Nothing," Joe whispered back.
When Joe reached the bus stop Rick was there waiting but instead of the red Porsche there was a black limousine with tinted windows idling behind him.
"I thought we could make this a real date," Rick said, hurrying across the street to greet Joe. "Sheldon will take us to lunch and then to the carnival."
"But...work," objected Joe half-heartedly.
"I'm the boss," Rick reminded him with a grin. "It's okay. Besides," he added as they reached the car and he opened the back door. "It's your birthday."
Joe's eyes widened and he broke out laughing when he saw the giant, stuffed, baby blue rabbit with a huge yellow bow and ribbon around its neck. A balloon sporting the words "Happy Birthday" was tied to the front left paw. "I can't believe this," Joe said as his laughter eased up. "I'd forgotten it was my birthday."
Rick's smile never faltered but his eyes narrowed a fraction when he heard the sadness that slipped into Joe's voice. "But it's your eighteenth birthday," Rick told him. "We must make it memorable."
Joe climbed into the car pushing the over-sized rabbit to the far window seat. Rick climbed in beside Joe and the car took off. "Joe, this is Sheldon Steinberg," Rick introduced Joe to the chauffer. "Sheldon and his wife, Maisey, work for me. Sheldon gardens and chauffeurs and, effectively, runs the house. Maisey is a great maid and an even better cook."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Steinberg," Joe greeted the driver.
"You can call me Sheldon," the man said, smiling as his eyes landed on the youth through the rearview mirror. Sheldon had heard a lot about Joe from his boss and, after meeting Joe, could see why Rick was so taken. The boy was not only polite and good-looking but he had a kind of wistfulness about him that drew one to him.
"Um, lunch sounds good," Joe said as Rick took his hand in his. "But could we skip the carnival?"
"I told you, we don't have to go back to work this afternoon," Rick said, looking at Joe with a mixture of curiosity and concern. Was Joe regretting his decision?
"It isn't that," Joe denied, shaking his head. "I just don't like carnivals or amusement parks," he explained. "I have had a lot of bad experiences at those kinds of places."
"Like what?" Rick asked not quite believing him.
"Well, on my fourth birthday I got separated from my mom in the funhouse and I got kidnapped," Joe confessed. "Another time, I got knocked out and when I came to I was blindfolded and my hands were tied behind my back. As I was feeling my way out of the seat I was on I was told to sit back down because I was on the top of the Ferris wheel," Joe continued. Rick gasped but Joe didn't hear and continued.
"Another time, I was at an amusement park and got on one of the rides. It was closed and the rides weren't supposed to be activated. I was just looking around but the ride started. I didn't have time to get in the seat in buckle up. I ended up being carted out of there by the paramedics."
"No wonder you don't like carnivals," Rick stated, aghast. "I'm so sorry. I never would have..."
"It's okay," Joe interrupted him, squeezing Rick's hand gently. "I just..I always vowed that I would never go to anyplace like that again unless it was work-oriented once I was on my own."
"I understand," Rick assured him. "How about the zoo instead?'
"That sounds like a lot of fun," Joe agreed to the suggestion. "I love the zoo."
"It's getting late," Joe said after they had covered about half of the zoo. "My boss may let me have the afternoon off but I don't think my teachers would be so understanding."
"The zoo closes at five," Rick said. "Can't you be a little late?"
"I wish," Joe said. "But I'm doing really well and I don't want to fall behind." He grinned and touched Rick's cheek in a brief affectionate movement. "Thank you for today," he said sincerely. "I haven't had so much fun since I can't remember when."
"I'm glad," said Rick. "Come on. I'll take you home."
"Actually, I need to go to the office," Joe said apologetically. "I have my books there."
"No problem," replied Rick as they headed to the exit. "How about we get together Saturday?" he suggested.
"Okay," agreed Joe. "Meet you at the office?"
"How about I pick you up at your place at eight?" Rick suggested. "We could have breakfast and then travel upstate. I have a place on Mackinaw. We could spend the weekend fishing?"
"Um..I don't think so," Joe declined. "Look, I...I've never..."
"Never been with a man," Rick finished for him. "I know."
"No. I mean, no, I haven't," Joe said. "But I have never been intimate with a girl either." Joe ran a hand through his blond hair. "Maybe this was a bad idea," he continued. "I like you. I really do," he rushed on. "But it's not going to work out. See, I don't believe in sex without marriage. I guess I didn't think this through when I asked you to lunch."
"Obviously," agreed Rick. Joe looked away. He had done it again. Lost everything. Rick wouldn't only not want to see him now. He would fire him too!