Base Pharmacy

"Hmmm," his mom said before giving up. "Okay, come give me a hug and a kiss."

"Mom!"

Charlotte had never seen her son be embarrassed to kiss her before, but she knew the reason why.

"Can I at least have a hug?" she asked.

Wyatt smiled and told her she could.

"Never be embarrassed to kiss your mom," Dan said in a friendly way as Wyatt bent down.

Those few words did the trick, and Charlotte got her kiss.

"Can I get a hug, too?" Dan asked.

Wyatt sped around the coffee table and gave the tall Marine a hug as Dan said, "Just no kiss for me, okay?"

Wyatt laughed the way Charlotte loved and found herself smiling and feeling happier than she had in ages as Wyatt said, "No way. That ain't happening!"

"Good night, buddy," Dan told him.

"Night, Dan! Night, Mom!"

"Good night, honey!"

Wyatt was leaving then stopped and turned around.

He stood there for a moment, and it was obvious he wanted to say something.

"Yes?" his mother asked.

"You and Dan are a really nice couple," her son replied.

His mom's eyebrows rose up as high as they could go, and when Wyatt saw her reaction, his little face turned bright red.

"Where did you hear that phrase?" Charlotte asked, now feeling bad that he was embarrassed.

"I don't know. On TV maybe?"

"We're...we're not a...a couple, honey," his mom said as nicely as she could.

"I know, but you guys would be perfect for each other," the 9-year old insisted as some of the color drained from his cheeks.

"I'll come tuck you in in just a minute, okay?" his mom said rather than address his comment.

"Okay. Good night, Dan!" he said again.

"Night, Wyatt. See you again soon, okay?"

"Okay!" the happy boy said as his mom started to get up.

"I'll be right back," Charlotte said. "To apologize."

It was a good five minutes later before she returned, and when she did, she sat down across from Dan.

"I'm sorry. Wyatt just gets so...hopeful," Charlotte explained apologetically.

"I get hopeful, too," Dan told her quietly and without a smile.

"You...you what?"

"Maybe I'm off base here, maybe...way off base, but I can't remember ever feeling like this about...any woman before."

"Feeling? What kind of feeling?" Charlotte asked as she felt like her mouth was suddenly very dry.

"For starters, I'd very much like to see you again," Dan told her.

Unable to speak, Charlotte just sat there and listened as her heart began beating faster.

"I know you don't date much, and I'm sure you worry about who Wyatt meets. But I loved hanging out with him tonight, and I had the best time I've had in...well, maybe forever. With you."

Charlotte's brain was racing faster than her heart. She wanted to find just the right words to say, but she had no idea what they might be. Instead, three words came out one at a time.

"I...don't...understand."

Dan looked right at her then said, "You can't possibly be unaware that you're gorgeous."

Charlotte had never been a vain woman, but she was well aware she'd been pretty since she was a little girl, so that wasn't the issue. It was hearing a man Dan's age who was as attractive as him say it.

"And based on the time we've spent together, it's also obvious that you're as nice as you are beautiful."

Charlotte tried to speak again, but only got out one word this time.

"But..."

"A third thing that's obvious is that you could date anyone you want, and I may not be that guy, but I'd really like to have the opportunity to let you find out that I'm a pretty guy."

"I...it's...it's obvious to me that you are," she managed to say.

"But?"

"But...we...you and I...we just...met."

Dan finally smiled then said, "That's true. And that's the reason we need to spend more time together. Otherwise we'll never know."

"Know?" Charlotte croaked.

"Yes. We'll never know whether or not we're right for each other."

"Right for each other?"

"Charlotte, I know that Wyatt is your number one priority in life. And I love that he is. But I really enjoy doing things with him, and I think he and I would also get along really well."

When she didn't say anything, Dan kept going.

"But unless you have at least some tiny amount of the same kind of feelings about me, that won't ever happen, either."

Charlotte still didn't say anything, so Dan continued.

"I can understand if my being in the Marine Corps is too big a concern. The wars have largely wound down, but it's still a dangerous profession. So it that's..."

"No. It...it isn't that. Not at all," Charlotte said as she finally found her voice.

"Am I...unattractive to you?" Dan offered as a possible guess.

"What? No. That's...that's crazy. You're very handsome, Dan."

He smiled then said, "Thank you. So...what is it?"

"You're kidding, right?" she asked as nicely as she could.

"I haven't kidded about anything I've said," he told her as politely as he could.

"Dan, I didn't get married until I was 25. Jimmy and I were together for four years before we had Wyatt. He's nine, so...you said you're really good at math, so..."

"Wait. You think how old you are matters to me?" Dan asked once the light came on.

"Well, yes. How could it not?" a very surprised Charlotte asked.

"I hope this comes out the way I meant it, but if not, I apologize in advance," Dan began. "I've never dated a woman who wasn't white. But had I met someone who wasn't...someone I was attracted to physically and mentally...I wouldn't let that stop me."

"That makes sense, and it came out just right. But that's a whole lot different than being...so far apart."

Dan smiled at her then said, "We're what? Maybe...ten feet apart?"

He saw Charlotte smile, and before she could reply, he said, "We could change that if you'd come back over here and sit with me again."

"I could, but what will I do when you realize I'm...almost 40...and come to your senses? And how would that affect Wyatt?"

"So if I was 40—or so—you'd come sit next to me even though there'd still be no way to know what might happen down the road? Regarding you or Wyatt?"

Charlotte stopped looking at him and looked down into her lap.

"If I've made you uncomfortable, I apologize," Dan told her sincerely. "But I couldn't leave here and not tell you how I feel. I guess I just don't feel the same way you do about our difference in age, but that doesn't mean you're not entitled to feel however it is you feel, so..."

Dan got up, and as he did, Charlotte raised her head back up and said, "Please don't leave yet."

He went to sit back down, but finished standing up. He looked at her then went around the coffee table and walked over to the chair she was sitting in. She watched him walk over, but once he was standing next to her, she looked down again.

"May I?" Dan asked as he sat down on the arm of the large chair before she could answer.

"Charlotte? I don't have a crystal ball, so I can't know what the future holds for any of us. But I do know myself, and I am not someone who would ever intentionally hurt anyone. And if you decide to give me an opportunity to get to know you better, I can promise you I will be here for you. But that's up to you, and..."

"Okay," she said so quietly Dan barely heard her.

"What was that?" he asked.

She finally looked up at him, then said again, "Okay."

"Okay? Really?"

"Yes. Okay. And really," she said again as their eyes met and locked.

"Really?" Dan asked again as he bent down to kiss her for the first time.

"Uh-huh," she whispered as his lips pressed against hers.

It was a soft, short kiss, but it caused Charlotte's body to tremble as she wondered what she was doing even as Dan stood up then held out his hand. Charlotte looked at it then looked at him, and finally place her hand in his.

"I'm very happy," Dan told her as he pulled her close.

"I'm very...nervous," Charlotte replied until Dan smiled.

"Don't laugh! I am nervous!"

"You're also beautiful," Dan told her as he brushed her hair back then kissed her again.

"Can we just go...slow?" Charlotte asked after this second kiss made her weak in the knees.

"Wait? How slow are we talking?" Dan asked so seriously it took her a second to see the humor in his question.

"Stop!" she protested even as she smiled back. "You're young and handsome and...amazing, and I'm..."

Dan put a finger on her lips and quietly said, "Shhh."

Charlotte stopped talking and looked up into his eyes.

"I'll be here for you. I promise," Dan quietly said.

"Okay," she whispered before putting her arms around her neck and letting him kiss her one more time.

"I uh, I should probably get going," Dan told her.

"Wait. I thought you told me you'd be here for me."

Charlotte's deadpan delivery was so good, it took Dan a few seconds to get it.

"Ha! Got you!" she teased before kissing him.

"Okay. I see how this is gonna be. I got my eye on you, young lady."

Dan bent down and put his head on her shoulder, and Charlotte asked, "What in the world are you doing?"

"I've got my eye on you," Dan replied. "It kind of hurts though. I mean your sweater is soft, but still..."

Charlotte laughed a real laugh, and it felt so good she wasn't surprised by it and laughed even harder until she remembered Wyatt was sleeping.

"Shhh!" she said even though she was the one needing to be quiet.

"Maybe I shouldn't have let you know about my sense of humor so early on," Dan told her as he stood back up.

Charlotte laughed more quietly then said, "I love your sense of humor."

"Yeah?" Dan asked as he pulled her close again.

"Uh-huh."

"And I love..."

He kissed her for quite some time then said, "Kissing you."

"You're not so bad yourself there, Lieutenant. Dan."

Dan let her go and took a step back.

"Okay. Here we go!"

Charlotte was laughing again and didn't care.

"Come on. I'll walk you out," she told him as she grabbed his hand.

When they got to his car Dan asked her, "Are you really afraid?"

"A little."

"Is it just the age thing?"

"The 'age thing'. You say that like it's no bid deal."

He started to make a joke out it then changed his mind.

"If it's important to you then it's important to me," he told her as he put his hand on her cheek.

"Thank you."

"And thank you for having me."

She kissed him then told him it was her pleasure.

"Oh. You forgot your Xbox!"

"I don't mind leaving it now that I know I'll be coming back," Dan told her. "As long as you're okay with that."

"Wyatt will want to play it every minute of the day."

"That part is up to you," Dan said before he held her close then told her again how happy he was to have met her.

"Yeah. I had no idea that being a technological Luddite would be such a good thing."

"Luddite! Listen to you!" Dan said as they laughed and held each other.

"I'm glad we met, too, Dan," she told him as she held him back.

"Good night, Charlotte," he said before softly kissing her one last time.

"Night, Dan."

It was chilly outside, but as Dan drove away, Charlotte didn't notice or even care. Inside, she was warm; warmer than she'd been since her husband was alive. It made no sense to her when she thought about how young Dan was, and yet there was a maturity about him she'd never found in any man of any age with the exception of her father.

"And he's 70 years old," she out loud with a sigh.

When she walked back inside, she smiled then said to herself, "So much for going slow."

The following morning, Charlotte was sound asleep when Wyatt came into her bedroom.

"Mom! Guess what?"

She slowly opened one eye then said, "I give up."

"The Xbox is still here! Dan left it. Can I play?"

"Um...sure. Just not the one game."

"Star Wars?"

"Okay. Sure. That one."

Wyatt nearly ran to the TV and sifted though the box of games until he saw one that made his eyes bug out—Call of Duty Modern Warfare.

Seconds later he was blowing stuff up and killing the enemy left and right. Explosions were going off, and Wyatt was hollering, "You're DEAD!" and other such things.

Charlotte had already fallen back asleep, but the yelling woke her back up.

"What in the world," she said as she threw the covers off and got up.

"Wyatt James Clark. What in the world are you playing?"

"Mom. This is SO cool!"

She watched him fire some kind of weapon that destroyed a helicopter and had seen enough. She found the 'power' button and pushed it, and everything went blank.

"Mom!"

"Wyatt, I thought you understood not to play this kind of game."

"Huh?"

"I told you not to play this."

"Mom. You said I couldn't play Star Wars. Remember?"

She didn't remember and didn't feel like arguing.

"Honey? I don't like all the violence, okay? Can you find something less...destructive...to play?"

"Ahh," Wyatt said with great disappointment.

But a few seconds later he was playing something else and seemed just as happy.

Now unable to sleep, Charlotte made some coffee then sat there thinking about the day before from the base pharmacy to...the kiss. Or kisses.

The thought made her smile and also afraid at the same time. She'd promised herself she'd never rush into anything again, but she had this overwhelming desire to see Dan again. She had this feeling that she really could trust him. That he would never hurt her or Wyatt. And yet that's what she'd thought about Mr. Wandering...Eye...Guy.

She sighed loudly then poured herself a cup when it finished brewing, and within seconds, she was again reliving each of the kisses she'd shared with this amazing man. This amazing, handsome, very young man.

It wasn't until she was pouring a second cup that Charlotte realized she hadn't checked her phone for messages. As she went to the bedroom to get it, she experienced another tingle in anticipation of a text from Dan. It was unlikely she'd find one, but just the thought of it brought back that old, familiar feeling of...

She laughed when 'being in love' came to mind as the cause for the feeling. That was downright nutty, but whatever this was with Dan, it felt very nice to her.

The anticipation peaked when she picked up the phone and saw a red '4' in her messages. Her heart rate quickened as she looked to see who they were from, and when saw that two were from Dan she let out an involuntary kind of squeal.

"Hi, gorgeous! I had a hard time sleeping last night, and while some of it was due to the cast, most of it was because I couldn't stop thinking about this beautiful blonde woman I met at the base pharmacy."

Charlotte was beaming from ear to ear as she continued reading.

"I have to say that while I've many other evenings that were a little more wild, I've never had one that was so enjoyable. I wonder if that might have anything to do with the people I spent it? I mean, that blonde woman was there, and that was pretty fantastic. But I also had a great time playing video games with her son. Sorry for going on and on about it, but it really made a huge impression on me. I guess you'd have to be there to really understand."

He put a smiley emoji after that then wrote: "I really did have a wonderful time with you and Wyatt last night, Charlotte. And while I'm rambling, I wanted to tell you that the way the evening ended was even better than the time we spent playing video games with Wyatt. I'd give it a solid '10'. For that matter, I'd give you one, too."

He put another smiley gizmo behind it then said, "Hope that wasn't offensive. I also hope we can see each again very soon. Like maybe...today?"

She scanned the second text which only said, "May I call you?"

Charlotte read it a second time then fell back on the bed and kicked her feet in a kind of happy dance. Dan had just written everything she hoped to hear and more. She laughed when he said she was a '10', but the fact that he said it made her feel beautiful in spite of being almost 40.

She sat back up and thought about what to say for a minute then started texting.

"My, my. You have a way with words, Lieutenant! I have to say your text made me smile, and I haven't stopped smiling since I read it. I know you're an honorable and honest man, but I am going to have to call you out on your um...rating. I was flattered to be called a '10', but we both know that's not true. Not even close. But it was very sweet of you to say. Considering that you may actually be one yourself."

Charlotte but some blushing emojis down then finished her text.

"I would love to see you again, too, Dan. And today would be very nice. I could make dinner for us unless you have some other idea. I'm flexible, so just let me know, okay? Oh. And you can call me today. Or anytime!"

She sent it then remembered she didn't tell him how much she also enjoyed the way things ended, so she quickly sent a second text as a PS.

Dan was smiling as he read them, and as soon as he finished, he called her.

"Hi," Charlotte said very sweetly when she saw his name.

"Good morning."

"I'm glad you called."

"I couldn't not call. You're...addicting."

Charlotte laughed then told him that was him.

"No. That would be you, and I dispute your dispute about my awarding you a '10' which, in my humble opinion, was very well deserved."

"You are one smooth operator, Dan Knight," Charlotte said with a little laugh.

She could tell Dan was smiling even when he didn't laugh with her.

"As to plans, I don't really have any. This peg leg thing I've got going on is really um..."

Dan used his 'I'm like totally stoned' voice to say, "Harshing my mello, maaan."

Charlotte laughed, not so much because it was funny, although she did think it was. She was just so happy she couldn't not smile or laugh.

"I'm sorry you broke your ankle, but I'm also not too sorry, because had you not..."

"Don't say it!" Dan interjected, and when he did, Charlotte laughed again.

"Can I make dinner for you tonight?" she asked in that sweet voice he already loved.

"As long as it isn't leftover pizza," Dan said very seriously, and even that made her laugh.

"I promise I won't do that to you. But it would be nice to know what you like."

There was a pause before Dan said, "Oh. You mean other than you, huh?"

Once again, the 39-year mother was all smiles and feeling on top of the world.

"I'm a simple guy. I love baked chicken, salmon, red potatoes, wild rice, broccoli, asparagus, whole wheat bread."

Charlotte laughed again, but this time out of a sense of irony, because his list of very specific things didn't mesh with his claim of being simple to cook for.

"Okay. You're a healthy eater then."

"I try. And as you saw, I do eat junk food."

"Hmmm. You consider pizza junk food while I consider it one of the four food groups."

Now it was Dan who laughed.

"You're not only beautiful, you're so easy to talk to. I think it's pretty obvious why I like you so much."

"I...I kind of like you, too," she told him.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe. A little."

"I'll take it!" Dan said with another little laugh. "And what can I bring with me tonight?"

"Do you drink wine?"

"I do if I have someone to drink it with me."

"Then a bottle of chardonnay would be nice. If that's not too girly for you."

Dan laughed again and assured it wasn't.

"Just don't tell any of my fellow Marines I drank chardonnay. If it comes up, just maybe say whiskey or tequila, okay?"

"Your secret's safe with me, Dan," Charlotte said in that same sweet voice.

"So what time is dinner in the Clark house?"

"Is six okay?"

"It's better than okay. It's perfect."

"K. See you then?"

"You will. Bye, Charlotte."

"Bye, Dan."

When she hung up, Charlotte fell back on the bed and did an even bigger kicking thing. This was almost a kind of thrashing, and the squeal that came with it brought Wyatt running into her bedroom.

"Mom. Are you okay?"