Chapter 25

At four o'clock the next afternoon Jess was just getting home from another mid-day shift at the boutique. Business was picking up now that all the new Spring fashions were in stock and Evie's mood had improved enough to give Jess a small raise. Jess had promptly spent her extra earnings and then some on a new outfit for tonight's date with Stacy: a pastel blue knee-length halter-top dress that she liked because it almost matched Stacy's favorite Vans sneakers. To go with it she picked up a pair of matching wedge heel sandals and a small knitted purse from the shoe shop a few doors down from Evie's store.

She went straight to her room and dumped her shopping bags out on the bed. I want to try everything on and see how it looks, but I'm afraid it'll jinx the date, Jess thought with a bit of uncharacteristic superstitious ness. However, she couldn't resist holding the dress up to her front and taking a good look in the full-length mirror on the back of her door. As she was hanging the dress on the top of her closet door, the phone rang. This time her mom wasn't home to answer, so Jess quickly sprinted to the master bedroom, making a mental note to get a phone to put in her own room the next time she had a chance.

It was Stacy, dutifully calling to inform her that he'd decided on a restaurant and would pick her up at seven, if that was all right with her? Jess assured him that was fine and they rung off. With a light heart and tread she swanned back to her room, stripped off her jeans and blouse, then headed to the bathroom, collecting a towel from the hall closet on the way.

After taking 20 minutes in the shower scrubbing every bit imaginable and carefully shaving her legs and armpits twice, she spent the next hour by giving herself a mud mask facial along with a clear-coat manicure and pedicure with light pink polish, since her toes would be peeping out of her new sandals. Not that he'd probably even notice my feet at all, Jess thought as she went back to her room, walking on her heels so her newly painted toenails wouldn't get smudged. To kill time she decided to read a magazine while her hair air-dried a bit. But as she flipped through the pages of Time she couldn't bring herself to concentrate on anything, too excited to really care about Carter's presidential bid or "the Rising Comedy Force of Saturday Night Live." I'm about to go on my first real date since I moved here, and with the first real surfer guy I ever saw, Jess mused dreamily. I almost can't believe it's happening, it's just too good to be true. Mmm, Stacy…

By six pm she deemed her hair dry enough to work with and headed back to the bathroom where she kept her styling tools. She plugged in her hot rollers and when they were fully warm, loaded the largest on the top and sides of her hair and blew the rest dry while waiting for the curl to set. The cut that Deb had given her was the most high-maintenance one she'd ever had in her life, but the effort spent to keep it up was worth it. As she worked she noticed the bathroom door opening slowly as her mom's face peeped around the edge. Jess shut off the blowdryer. "Hi," she addressed her mom's reflection in the big mirror.

Her mom looked her up and down, taking in the rollers, the glowing skin and the manicured fingernails. "Must be a really cute guy you're going out with tonight, huh?" she teased.

Jess couldn't help blushing a bit even though her mom was smiling indulgently, apparently not fazed in the slightest that her daughter was indeed about to embark on a hot date with a California surf-skate rat.

"Well, I think Stacy's pretty cute," Jess admitted as she began freeing her hair from the now-cooled rollers. "Guess you'll get to see for yourself when he gets here at seven."

"Guess so. Well, I'll leave you to it." And with that her mom went about her own business. For the millionth time Jess thanked her lucky stars that her mom wasn't the hovering Henny Penny type or the classic overcritical Jewish mom. I'm not sure what she'll make of Stacy's look, though, she thought as she picked up the dryer again. She doesn't seem to be a big fan of guys with long hair, but maybe she'll make an exception in his case, she contemplated hopefully.

At ten minutes to seven Jess was back in her room, completely dressed and putting the finishing touches on her makeup, which she had decided to keep a bit understated like usual. She swept on a little more light metallic-blue shadow, added a touch of pale silver-pink blush, then carefully painted on a layer of lipstick that matched her toenails. Last, she pulled up one side of her reddish-mahogany hair and fastened it with a silver barrette that was woven with skinny light blue silky ribbons, which cascaded along with the waves of her hair past her exposed shoulders. Crossing to the mirror, she examined her reflection with the intensity of a jeweler inspecting a rare sapphire for flaws. I really hope Stacy doesn't think I'm overdoing it, she thought ferverently, but overall she was happy with the way she looked. God, if he ends up taking me to a hot dog stand, I'll die on the spot. Nah, I can't see him doing that, though. Jay, maybe, just to freak me out, but not Stacy. She glanced at her bedside clock – 7:01. Ok, this is it, she thought as she dropped her makeup essentials into her new purse and exited her room, heart almost in her throat.

She found her mom in the kitchen making up a pitcher of pink lemonade. "Thought it would be nice to offer your date some liquid refreshment," her mom said, indicating the pitcher. Jess cracked up despite the nervous feeling twanging through her midsection.

"If you say so, Mom."

Ever pragmatic, her mom only replied: "Well, if he doesn't want any then we'll have it for the rest of the weekend."

"Good point," Jess agreed as she went out to the living room and sank down on the couch. She was resisting the urge to pace even though Stacy technically wasn't even late yet.

"Nervous?" her mom called out to her from the other side of the breakfast bar.

"Yeah, a little, I guess." Jess picked up the TV Guide from the coffee table and rifled though the pages idly.

"Well, try not to be, honey. I promise not keep you two here long once he arrives. I just want to get an idea of who you're going out with and I'm sure he's going to be just fine." Her mom spoke reassuringly, but Jess only got more nervous at the thought of her mom hating Stacy on first sight and sending him away. And then the doorbell rang, nearly making Jess leap straight up into the air. For a moment she froze to her spot, prompting her mom to ask "Should I get the door for you, sweetie?"

Coming back to herself, Jess quickly shook her head and jumped to her feet. "It's ok, I got it," she called to the kitchen as she went to the front door and opened it to reveal a shyly smiling Stacy standing just outside the threshold. Jess was relieved to see that he was dressed for a proper date as well, his lean frame clad in brown cords that looked new, a horizontal brown-and-cream striped button-up shirt with the top two buttons undone and dark brown suede shoes. His hair was loose like always and looked extra-clean and shiny. As she ushered him into the house Jess caught an extra-strong whiff of Breck mixed with Irish Spring soap and immediately got a little weak-kneed. "Hope I'm not too late," Stacy murmured a bit bashfully, his eyes darting about the room, taking everything in as though he was going to be tested on it later.

"Nah, you're right on time. Come on in and meet my mom." Still in the kitchen her mom turned her head and called out over her shoulder, "Hi, be right out. Either of you want something to drink before you go?"

Jess and Stacy looked at each other and shrugged at the same time, then grinned quickly at the unintentional coincidence. "Sure mom, that would be great. Thanks." As she spoke she indicated that Stacy could sit on the couch, but as soon as her mother appeared in the living room with two tall glasses of lemonade, he politely stood up again.

"Ah, a gentleman," her mom quipped as she handed Stacy the glasses.

"Y-yes, ah, thank you, Mrs. Gioli," Stacy half-stammered as he sat back down and gave Jess her glass.

"Please call me Sandie. And you're Stacy, is that correct?" Stacy nodded confirmation as he took his first sip of the sweet pink liquid. "Mmm, that's good," he said with approval, briefly toasting Jess' mom with his glass.

The three of them spent the next few minutes going through the requisite topics of where Stacy was from (Mar Vista, less than a mile away), what his family did (his mom stayed at home and his dad worked for a movie studio, a revelation that understandably piqued Sandie's interest), how he and Jess met (more emphasis on the Geometry class than the party), and where they were going tonight ("I don't want to give too much away, but don't worry, it's a decent place," Stacy cryptically informed Jess and her mother, smiling warmly for the first time).

At last the grilling and the lemonade was finished. Sandie stood up, the signal that the couple was free to go. "Nice to meet you, Stacy," she said as he and Jess headed toward the door.

"You too, Sandie," Stacy told her with another quick smile.

"Have fun, guys. See you back by eleven, right Jess?"

"Yes, mom. See you later," Jess replied, trying to keep her peevishness out of her voice. I know damn well when to come home, she privately thought as she opened the front door and stepped outside, Stacy following close behind.

Side by side they crossed the front lawn to Stacy's Volvo. As he let her in the passenger seat, he murmured, "You look great tonight, Jessica. That color is really pretty on you."

Jess threw him a lingering, grateful look. "Aww, thanks. That's so sweet of you to say!"

"S'true," he added even more shyly before he shut the passenger door and walked around to the driver's side.

"Please don't tell me I'm overdressed for wherever you planned to go," Jess half-pleaded, half-joked as he started the engine.

"Nn-no, you're fine. I mean, your outfit is fine. Well, you're fine. Ahh-" Stacy broke off and gave Jess a quick sidewise look that was equal parts shy and sly, as though the two sides were warring with each other. So far shy had the advantage, but that was understandable given that he'd just gotten the third degree from her mom. To cover his insecurity he turned on the stereo, letting the sweet sounds of Duane Allman's slide guitar fill the car's interior. They chatted about inconsequential things as Stacy drove them northward to and then through Santa Monica, both of them palpably relaxing the farther they got from Jess' house.

"So you're not going to give me a hint about where we're going, huh?" Jess asked with a little laugh.

Stacy smiled mysteriously and shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "You'll see soon enough. I think you'll like it," he informed her as they crossed Wilshire.

Five minutes later they pulled up in the parking lot of their destination: a steakhouse just off the Pacific Coast Highway, just a stone's throw from the ocean. Jess couldn't help drawing a surprised intake of breath as Stacy helped her out of the car. "Oh wow, this place looks really swank," she breathed as they crossed the parking lot. "Hey, I thought you weren't taking me somewhere fancy," she mock-chided, but inwardly delighted. In response Stacy merely smiled as the restaurant's exterior lights exposed the small blush that crept for a moment across his high cheekbones.

The interior of the restaurant lived up to the promise that the outside held. Everything was smoked glass, dark leather and polished brass. The hostess, a polished twig-thin twenty-something blonde, greeted Stacy by his first name. "I was hoping that the Peralta with the 7:30 reservations would be you!" she enthused as she led them to a quiet booth. Over her shoulder she told Jess: "I used to work at Stacy's restaurant until my husband became a co-manager here. You guys are gonna get star treatment tonight!" And with those reassuring words she handed them their menus and left them to decide on their orders.

"Ah, it all becomes clear," Jess jibed, raising a grin from Stacy.

"Yeah. Terry dropped into the Venice Noodle Company the other week and invited me to bring my girlfriend, but we broke up before I had a chance to take her here," Stacy confessed.

Jess shrugged. "Bad timing for her, huh?" she quipped lightly.

"Guess so," Stacy said with a little shrug as he studied his menu. "So, do you know what you want yet? Pick anything you want, I'm good for it," he assured Jess as she pored over her own menu. Privately she was a bit taken aback at the prices but figured that his friends at the restaurant would give him a price break. Otherwise she'd have ordered just a salad and water, sure that anything more would break Stacy's bank. She decided on the filet mignon with mixed greens and he chose the prime rib and baked potato. As an unexpected bonus Terry sent over some red wine for Jess and a beer for Stacy, disguised in dark burgundy soda tumblers in case beverage control paid the establishment a surprise visit in search of alcohol violations.

Both the food and service were impeccable, with the waiter paying them visits frequent enough to see to their every need, but not enough to disturb their conversation, which covered a variety of topics ranging from school to weather to music to – of course – skating. Neither of them mentioned past romantic partners, as though they had an unspoken mutual agreement to keep that topic off-limits for the time being.

Although they lingered over their dinner and drinks, they were pretty well done by 8:45. Jess pushed her empty plate away from her and leaned contentedly against the back of the boot seat. "Oh man, that's the best meal I've had since leaving Philly," she sighed.

"Really? Awesome," Stacy enthused, his handsome features suffused with joy upon hearing her praise.

The waiter returned and placed the tall leather bill holder onto the table. As Stacy dug out his wallet Jess excused herself to the ladies' room, finishing up her visit with a retouch for her lipstick and hair. She emerged from the bathroom to find Stacy standing up by the booth, stretching his back discreetly. "Ready to go?" he asked her as she approached.

"Ready if you are."

Terry and her manager husband Sam caught up with them as they passed the hostess station. "Good to see you again, Stacy," Terry told him with a warm smile.

"Everything ok tonight?" Sam inquired. They assured him the dinner was top-flight and he showed them out the front doors. "Come back anytime and bring the lovely lady with you, Stacy," the older man called out after them as they set out across the parking lot.

"Will do, thanks again, Sam!" Stacy replied with a little wave. When they were both back in the car they cracked up helplessly. "Lovvvely ladyyy," Jess mocked. "Nice guy, but man, that's cheesy!"

"Yeah, but they're really cool people. That place is going to make a mint now that all these new housing developments are going up in the canyon next door. And it's catching on with the Malibu crowd too, I heard." Stacy spoke with a tad of envy as he pulled out of the parking lot and made a right, heading back toward Santa Monica and Venice.

"Well, that was amazing. Thank you, Stacy," Jess purred gratefully.

Stacy inclined his head toward her respectfully, then grinned mischievously. "Any time, lovvvely ladyyyy!"

"You nut," Jess retorted, but she was grinning as well.

Stacy glanced at the dashboard clock. "Hmm, barely nine. You want to go someplace else or…?" The unspoken rest of the question hung in the air as Jess quickly contemplated the options. She definitely wasn't ready to go home, but what else could they do?

"Yeah, we can go someplace else, but I have no idea where," she informed him.

He didn't miss a beat. "How 'bout Vista Point again?"

Jess didn't hesitate in her reply either. "Ok. But remember, I have to be home by 11."

"Yeah, I remember. Hey, why not 1 am like last time?"

"Because I wasn't on a first date then," Jess enlightened him. "That's mom's rule and as long as I'm under her roof then I have to abide by it."

"Ah. That sucks." Stacy nodded sympathetically as he turned the volume up a bit. "Sorry, I love this song."

Jess laughed. "It's cool."

He made a sharp left at the next road and they began to wend their way upward. Being considerably more sober and aware of her situation this time, Jess began to feel a little stab of – what? Anticipation? Worry? No, there was nothing to worry about. Even though he's had a couple of beers I trust Stacy not to try anything crazy, she thought to herself as the car climbed higher into the Santa Monica mountains. But what about me – do I trust myself not to try anything crazy? The thought of pouncing on Stacy and tearing his clothes off made her grin involuntarily. She had to hide her expression by turning her head to look out the window and leaning her elbow on the doorframe to rest her lower face against her hand. Beside her, completely unaware of her simmering rude thoughts, Stacy drove on, softly humming along to "Revival." No, he's totally trustworthy, Jess decided. And I doubt that too much could happen in the next hour and a half, right?

Jess waited on her inner voice of reason to come back with Of course you're right, Jess, but it remained strangely silent or perhaps it was drowned out by the music. She felt the unidentified stab of feeling zing through her again, causing her to turn her head toward Stacy again. Out of the corner of his eye he caught the movement and risked a quick glance in her direction. "Everything cool, Jess?"

Jess gave him a kittenish smile before leaning back against the headrest and closing her eyes dreamily. "Oh yeah. Drive driver, drive."

-----End of Chapter 26-----