Thursday dawned gray and overcast, threatening to rain. Meghan peeked at the weather and sighed. Not the nicest of days, but at least I’ll be spending most of it inside.

Meghan had gone out shopping yesterday, getting Rick a card and gift, as well as purchasing an outfit to wear to dinner tonight. One good thing about dating, she mused. I’ve had reason to get some nice outfits to wear.

She got dressed and had some breakfast, washing down her meds with a cup of coffee. She packed her backpack for the day at the college, and headed for the door.

Her phone rang as she drove, and she put it on speakerphone. “Happy birthday Rick! Couldn’t wait until tonight?”

He laughed. I took a rare day off today. What are you up to? Any big plans?

“I’m on my way to the college now. I’ve got to get a handle on our supply closet again and take inventory, see if anything needs to be ordered ahead of the 2 classes that start up in a little over a week.” Meghan turned into the school parking lot and found a spot close to the door.

Fun times! Need any help? Or would I just be in the way?

“As much as I love your company, it’s a tight space to work in. Fred is supposed to be helping me if he can get away from his medic class on breaks.” She glanced at her watch. “If 2 meals in one day aren’t too much, would you like to swing by around noon? We could go grab something to eat.”

That sounds like a terrific idea. Let me know what you’re hungry for, and I’ll bring it with me.

“Awesome idea,” Meghan declared. “Well, I’m at school and standing outside a full classroom, so I’d best let you go. I’ll text you later about lunch.”

Have a good morning, Meghan, and I’ll see you around lunch.

Meghan hung up the phone, then opened the classroom door. She waved to Fred, who was in the midst of lecturing, and headed for their shared office. Shutting the door behind her, she set her stuff down and sank into her chair. She pulled up email and glanced through it before pulling up her inventory sheets and printing them out.

With a sigh, she got up, headed to the supply area, and started digging. The store room was dusty, and supplies were put back at random. After staring at the shelves for a few minutes, she headed to the janitor’s closet down the hall. She got a roll of paper towels, borrowed a stepladder, and got some cleaning spray. Supplied, she returned to the store room and started working one shelf section at a time, wiping stuff down and grouping like items together. After going through a few shelves, Meghan was starting to feel like there was hope for the closet after all.

She’d been at it for a couple of hours when Rick came by with sandwiches. The medic class was out for lunch, and Fred had stepped in to help her move supplies around as Meghan cleaned.

Rick knocked on the doorframe. “I’m here with lunch,” he announced, having brought food for the three of them.

“Oh, food! You’re welcome to come anytime,” Fred said, grinning, as he dusted off his hands. He excused himself to go wash up as Meghan climbed down from the stepladder.

Rick laughed when he saw her. Meghan, having been cleaning like crazy, was covered in dust and had a dust bunny or two in her hair. “Did you clean with supplies, or your whole body?”

“It feels like my whole body, trying to get to the back of the top two shelves to get everything clean. The supply room always winds up a wreck at the end of a semester. My plan today was to do inventory, but cleaning is taking the priority job for today. Hopefully, though, I’ll be able to start inventory today and finish that up tomorrow.” Meghan looked down at her hands. “I’m going to go clean up so I can eat.” She gestured to the nearest table. “Go ahead and set stuff out there, and we can eat when I get back.”

Rick nodded, and Meghan made a beeline for the bathroom. She washed her hands and splashed water on her face, trying to get as much of the grime off as she could. Spotting the dust in her hair, she plucked dust out of it and tossed it into the trash, giggling.

When she returned, Rick had set out sandwiches and chips, and Fred was collecting his order. “I’ll eat in the office so you two can chat.” Fred nodded at them, and headed to the door.

Rick took his sandwich and sat down, amused. “I take it you’ve been cleaning all morning.”

Meghan took a bite of food and nodded. “Since around 10 this morning. I’ve got 2 more sets of shelves to go before I can start the inventory, and that doesn’t include the mannequins and larger items in the attic. The attic is Fred’s domain, and I prefer to leave it to him.”

Rick laughed. “I saw how confined your closet is – no wonder you said you’d prefer to work it alone.”

Meghan nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty cramped. I’ve also got the medic class storage area to do, plus all the cabinets around the classroom. It is a multi-day job, but I’ve been working on it for the last couple of days, so I’d say I’m about two-thirds done. Once this closet is done, it’ll just be the attic and the right side cabinets – I’ve already done the left side and our office supplies.”

“How late are you planning to work today?” Rick asked.

“Oh, I’ll finish up one way or another by three. I need a shower before our date tonight.” Meghan winked.

Rick grinned. “That’s good. I don’t think you want to eat Italian looking like a feather duster,” he laughed.

“Nope!”

Meghan made her way to her car around 2:30 pm, having finished cleaning the supply closet. Inventory was still a work in progress, but she’d made her way through the majority of her list before calling it quits. A shower and a nap sound heavenly, she thought. Hopefully I’ll be able to manage both before needing to get ready for Rick to pick me up at 6…

Meghan made her way home and headed straight for the shower. She took extra care to wash her hair and get the dust out! Once out and dried, she put on some comfy loungewear and headed for her bed, being sure to set a couple of alarms. It didn’t take long for her eyes to droop and her to drift off to sleep.

Pounding on her door woke her up. Meghan stumbled out of bed and headed to the door. She opened it… to Rick standing on her welcome mat, looking all concerned. “Meghan, are you okay?”

She waved him inside. “You’re here early! What’s wrong?” She looked at him confused.

“Um, sweetheart, it’s 6:10.”

Meghan frowned and squinted at her wall clock. “What?! So much for setting 2 alarms…” She gestured to the couch. “Let me go get ready. Make yourself comfortable.” Rick nodded and took a seat while Meghan hurried off to her bedroom.

She picked up her phone and confirmed that it was indeed after 6 pm. Great! At least I showered before the nap… She hurried to get dressed, ran a brush through her hair and get it pulled back into a decent style. Around 6:30 she emerged looking much better and presentable.

“Sorry about that, Rick. I hope I haven’t messed everything up with the dinner reservation.”

Rick smiled. “No worries. I called and got us moved back to 7 pm.” He looked at her with appreciation. “You look really nice! Is that a new outfit?”

Meghan twirled so he could see the dress. “Yes, I got it yesterday for the occasion. I also got this,” she said, picking up a gift bag with a card attached.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have,” Rick exclaimed, delighted. “Come, bring it with us and I’ll open it there.”

Meghan grabbed a lightweight sweater from the arm of the couch and her purse and let Rick escort her to the door. She locked it behind him, and made her way to his car.

They talked amicably on the way to the restaurant, and Rick pulled up to the restaurant, letting Meghan out at the door before handing his keys to the valet. He escorted her inside, and they were seated at a nice table tucked in the quiet corner of the restaurant.

“Would you like a glass of wine, or would you prefer something nonalcoholic?” Rick asked, perusing the wine list.

“Well, I told you when we went on our first date that I’d rather save the wine for when you took me to the Italian spot. Since we’re here, I think I will imbibe,” she replied.

Rick debated the list for a few minutes, then gave his order to the waiter when he came to the table. Soon two glasses of red wine joined the water goblets. Meghan took a sip. “Nice. I don’t usually go for reds, but this will be nice with dinner.” She glanced at the menu again. “Tell me – what is the place’s specialty?”

“I’m a sucker for their lasagna, but really anything with their tomato sauce can’t be beat. They make it from scratch and it cooks for hours.” Rick smiled. “This is one of those places that the Italians go to, so you know the food must be authentic.”

“Hmmm. Then I think I know what I want,” Meghan said.

When the waiter came back to take their order, she got a side salad and the manicotti. Rick ordered the lasagna and a salad. Soon, fresh garlic knot rolls were brought to the table with a cup of the house marinara.

Meghan bit into her roll and was in heaven. “Oh, these are so good!”

Rick chuckled. “Told you! This is my favorite Italian place. They are generally super busy on the weekends, but it’s much easier to get in and get a table during the week.”

They chatted about each other’s work until the food came. Meghan was impressed with her food and started digging in… then remembered that she was here for a leisurely meal and attempted to slow down. “Sorry, Rick, paramedic eating habits die hard. I’ve learned to shovel the food in because you never know when dinner will get interrupted by the tones going off.”

He chuckled. “Well, I thought you were eating with gusto. No need to apologize. I shovel the food in at the hospital myself.”

Meghan sipped her wine. “This was a good selection – it pairs nicely with the meal. And the red sauce is absolutely delicious.” She tore off a piece of roll, dunked it in the sauce and ate it.

They chatted more as each got closer to full. Rick ate a final bite and put his fork down. “I’m going to take the rest of this home for another meal. Would you like to maybe split a dessert?”

Meghan nodded. “I’ve got one more manicotti left, and it would make a great lunch. Sure, I’m up for dessert. What’s good here?”

The waiter came by and brought boxes and a dessert menu. “Hmmm. They have several good things. I’m debating between the cannoli and the limoncello cake,” Meghan said.

“I like both,” Rick replied. He carefully transferred the remaining lasagna to a takeout container. “Pick whichever one sounds best to you.”

Meghan nodded. “Then I think I’d choose the limoncello cake. It is your birthday, after all. Mind if I get a coffee to go with it?” She worked to get her manicotti transferred to another takeout box.

Rick chuckled. “Of course. I don’t want to deprive you of your coffee. I’ll get a cup, myself.”

The waiter returned. “We’d like to split a slice of limoncello cake, and get 2 cups of coffee.”

While they waited for the dessert to arrive, Meghan pulled out the gift. “Why don’t you go ahead and open it?”

Rick smiled. He accepted the gift bag and opened it. Inside was the first three books by author Tom Burkhalter. He picked up the first book and turned it over, reading the back cover. “How did you know I liked World War history?”

“Mitch told me,” Meghan replied, accepting a cup of coffee from the waiter. She passed one to Rick and accepted the other for herself, doctoring it according to her liking. She took a sip and sighed with pleasure.

Rick chuckled. “Now if you ever start looking at me the way you look at coffee, I’ll know I’ve made it in life.”

Meghan blushed. She turned her face away in time to see the waiter coming with their cake… and a candle. Now it was her turn to laugh. Rick glanced at her quizzically… and saw the waiter coming, along with a few others.

They were soon regaled with the Italian version of the Happy Birthday song. Rick gamely blew out the candle and accepted the well-wishes. As the staff left, Meghan chuckled. “I swear I didn’t put them up to that.”

Rick just shook his head. “I can’t remember the last time I had the birthday song at a restaurant. Probably because I’ve worked so many of them in recent years.”

They dived into the cake, which was also very delicious. By the time the cake was done, Meghan was leaning back away from the table. “Ugh, I’m fuller than a tick! This was a delicious meal. Thank you for bringing me here.”

Rick smiled warmly. “My pleasure. This has been a favorite spot for years, and having your company tonight has made it even better.”

Rick dropped Meghan off at her apartment. “Thanks again for tonight,” Meghan said, as she fumbled for her keys.

“You’re more than welcome. Are you back to the college tomorrow?” Rick held the door open for her once it was unlocked.

“Yes. I’ve got inventory to finish, and then some odds and ends to wrap up before teacher workshops next week.” Meghan smiled. She set her purse down and put her keys on their hook. “I’m assuming you’re back at work?”

Rick nodded. “Yes, it’s a surgery day, so I’d best be getting home and getting some sleep.” He headed for the door. “Thanks again for the gift and card, and being my dinner date. It’s been a nice birthday.”

Meghan saw him out. Once Rick was headed down the stairs, she shut and locked the door behind her.