Just a Click Away

Chapter 7

     Several days passed, and Leslie was astounded by the sheer number of messages she was receiving from her matches. In fact, she had a date planned for that evening. Jack Andrews was the name of the man she was meeting, and from what she read of him on his profile, and what he said of himself in the messages they had exchanged, he seemed to be a genuine Christian. Still having trouble keeping her thoughts from Greg, his handsome smile, and blue eyes, Leslie made a final attempt to shove him from her mind as she finished preparing for her date.

Leslie decided that simple would be best for her first meeting with a complete stranger. She certainly did not want to be accused of being over the top. She slipped on a teal, chiffon dress with a slight V-neck. Even though it was one of her simpler outfits, it brought out the green of her eyes, and flattered her figure well. She finished the look with silver hoop earring, and a long silver necklace. Her golden hair was twirled into a loose bun, and several curls were allowed to brush her cheeks. After quickly applying her makeup, she took a final look at herself, and then said to Waldo, "Here goes nothing!"

As she made her way to the restaurant where she was to meet her mystery man, she was struck by the sudden realization. She had no way of knowing who he was once she got to there! She had never seen a picture of this man, so how would she find him. "Hopefully he gets there first, and comes to me!" She couldn't believe she had been such a cheapskate, and was now in the middle of what could turn out to be a very uncomfortable situation.

To her relief, Jack had arrived early and was waiting for her with red roses. She was taken aback by the sweet gesture, and inwardly thought it might be a little much for a first date. "Leslie! It's so good to meet you! I've been looking forward to this." Jack said as he adjusted his blue, paisley tie.

Jack was a lot better looking than Leslie had pictured him to be. His black hair fell over his forehead with a slight wave, and his dark eyes held a look of intelligence. What surprised her most was his height. She knew that she was short standing at only five feet, four inches, but he towered at least a foot above her. "I've been looking forward to meeting you too!" Leslie reached out her hand. Planning a simple handshake, she was a little surprised when Jack lifted her small hand to his lips and kissed it gently. A blush rose to her cheeks, and Jack smiled at her reaction.

They both placed their orders, and as was her habit, Leslie unfolded the black, cloth napkin and placed it in her lap. "This is a really fancy restaurant, Jack." Leslie said, not knowing what to say to this man.

She did not need to worry however, because Jack had enough words for both of them. "It is a great place! I just knew that I had to take my girl to the best place in town."

A little startled by his use of the words 'my girl', Leslie wanted to try another topic before writing him off completely. Maybe he was just more outgoing than she, maybe that was a perfectly normal thing to say in the world of dating; she had little experience of these things.

Jack spared her the trouble of bringing up another topic and decided to tell her all about himself. He made sure she knew that he was a financial planner with many high-profile clients, that he had a jet ski, that he owned a cabin in Colorado, and he would love to take her there someday. It was abundantly clear that Jack thought very highly of himself, and it was more than a little off-putting to Leslie.

When Leslie was able to get a word in, she asked, "You mentioned online that you are a Christian. Tell me about your church."

"I'm glad you brought that up! I go to Crossroads Church, and let me tell you, I have found so many clients there! Seriously, after I joined, my business tripled in the first two months. The best decision I ever made was to start going to church. You should come with me on Sunday."