Chapter 1.3 – The Whirlwind

Carolyn went home and pondered the day’s events. She’d gotten a job, found the gym, stolen food for dinner, been caught, and had been asked out on a date. Hmpf. How does that happen? She then moved on to pondering the eccentricities of men. If I had found someone stealing vegetables out of my garden, I don’t think I would have invited them in for a meal. I certainly wouldn’t have asked them out on a date, she thought. Maybe my dating strategy has been all wrong. She wasn’t complaining though. Connor was a very good looking man when he wasn’t doing Bogart. And he was smart. And employed. What more could a girl want?

The next day found Carolyn happy, but distracted. Her boss had to snatch her wandering attention more than once, and by the afternoon, Carolyn had firmly put thoughts of Connor out of her head so she could avoid being fired on her first day. She was supposed to see Connor after work though, and she couldn’t wait. She didn’t know where he was taking her, but he had told her to dress up a bit. She had the perfect outfit that hadn’t been worn yet. The hours dragged on. She snuck off to a side closet to just relax. She had been so stressed trying to stay on topic and appear competent, that even a few minutes alone was a relief. She really liked research but these people were a bit too…. dedicated. Yeah, dedicated was a good word. Better than obsessed, she thought. More politic too. But the day finally ended, and Carolyn rushed home to primp and prepare for her date. Connor had said to have the taxi take her to “the Bistro,” whatever that was.

She waited inside the patio of the place. It was a very nice, upper-scale Italian restaurant, with outside seating. She could tell the prices were a little steep and wondered if Connor went here alot or if he was just trying to make a good impression. If he was, he was succeeding. Carolyn saw him walking from across the street. He looked up and saw her and a huge smile bloomed on his face. She was so happy to see it, she grabbed him up in a big hug as soon as he reached her.

“Wow” he said. “You look wonderful!” She was all in gold and black and he couldn’t remember seeing anyone more beautiful. He didn’t know where she was from or what her story was, but everytime he saw her, something made him want to grab her and never let her go. He determined he’d get to know her tonight. He wanted to know everything about her. She was a bit closed-off; he could tell. But persistence had always been a cornerstone of Connor’s personality and he had no intention of letting her off the hook.

Connor gave their name to the maitre’d and told her it would be a few minutes before their table was ready. “That works just fine, though, Tiger. You don’t mind if I call you Tiger, do you?”

Carolyn knew it was a reference to her near-explosion yesterday and winced internally. “Not at all. So long as I can call you Bogart.”

Connor adjusted his non-existent hat, flicked an ash from his non-existent cigarette and said “It’s not Paris, but here’s looking at you, kid.”

Carolyn laughed. He could even handle jokes at his expense. She liked that. She linked her arm through his and led him inside the restaurant. They could have a drink or two while they waited. She had been looking forward to this date ever since he asked, but she hadn’t thought she’d enjoy it this much. And it only just started!

After that first date, Connor and Carolyn became inseparable. She enjoyed his sense of humor and his level-headedness. She had a tendency to not be too realistic at times. She thought she needed someone that would balance that tendency – keep her grounded. He basked in her delight; there was nothing he wouldn’t do just to see her smile. He got the impression she hadn’t had much to smile about in her life and he wanted to make it up to her. He didn’t know why – it wasn’t like he had done anything to cause her unhappiness. But she seemed almost melancholy at times and he hated it – he wanted her always smiling and happy. He took her around the city a bit, so she could get familiar with her new home town.

He took her to the beach one day. He’d never forget it. That was the day he began to learn about Carolyn. He was surprised she wasn’t really interested in the water or the lovely scenery. Everyone loved the beach here. She not only didn’t enjoy it, she seemed anxious to leave but he couldn’t figure out why. They hadn’t argued or anything, he hadn’t done anything stupid — at least as far as he knew. He asked her, but she insisted he hadn’t. As her agitation increased, so did his curiosity. He asked repeatedly what was wrong, but she shrugged him off. He reached for her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Carolyn – sweetheart, I don’t understand what’s bothering you and I can’t if you won’t tell me. Won’t you please tell me?”

Tears welled in her eyes and she blinked rapidly to get rid of the them. She felt so bad for him. He was probably thinking he had done something – he hadn’t. It was her. She had done something. And something horrible had happened. And she couldn’t tell anyone – not ever. Oh, but she wanted to. Looking at this man, she almost believed she could say it. Almost. “There’s nothing to tell, Connor. I’m just not a big beach fan is all.” She smiled weakly, and hoped he would just leave it be. He wasn’t fooled; but he knew pressing her wouldn’t work, so he pretended he didn’t know she was lying.

He took her home – if you wanted to call living on the lawn a home, kissed her gently and said goodnight. He thought she seemed a bit surprised. Oh, she was going to be surprised all right. He wasn’t a reporter for nothing. He was going to start digging for background on Ms. Burton. He was going to start first thing in the morning.

Go to Chapter 1.4