Corpsman, Up!

Danika gave him one more short 'look' but Chance just bent down and said to her daughter, "I did ask your mom out. Are you letting me know that's okay with you?"

"Of course. As I said, both of you are single, and I've observed a kind of latent attraction throughout the course of your interaction, so it seems logical to conclude you'd ask my mom out on a date," she informed Chance.

She looked up at her mom then said, "May I stay with Grandpa when you go out with your new boyfriend?"

There was another momentary look of horror on Danika's face, but this time it didn't last long. Chance was either going to be okay with her 'gifted' daughter or he wouldn't be so she decided to well...give him a chance. Or rather—give herself a chance.

"We're just friends, sweetie, okay?" she said gently.

"But he's a boy and you're a girl, and if you're friends then how is he not your boy...friend?" Echo asked seriously.

Chance put his arm around Danika's shoulder and said, "She has a valid point, you know?"

Danika turned toward him and said, "Oh, no. Not you, too!"

Both of them laughed while Echo watched for a moment before saying, "That was sarcasm, wasn't it?"

"Just a tiny bit," her mom said sweetly.

"Okay. I'm just relieved to know that I'm learning to pick up on certain social cues so quickly."

And with that, Echo turned around and walked back inside.

Danika turned to face Chance then said, "Are you still sure about this?"

"Uh-huh. More than ever," he told her as her eyes locked onto his.

"Well, okay then," she said unable to hold his stare.

"You really are beautiful, Danika," he told her as they stood face to face.

"Thank you," she said almost afraid to look at him again for fear he might be an illusion, too good to be true and vanish right before her eyes.

"I'll call you in a few hours," he told her quietly.

"All right," she replied still not looking at him when his hand reached out and gently touched her cheek. "I'll be looking forward to that."

Her heart was suddenly pounding, and when she raised her eyes to meet his he softly kissed her on the other cheek.

"Bye," he said just as quietly.

"Goodbye, Chance," she said as her brain tried to understand how all this had happened so quickly. Then again, she didn't really care what her brain was telling her as her heart was all that mattered at that moment, and it was telling her she couldn't wait for him to call and even more so to see him again. What she could wait for was whatever Echo would surely have to say about it all.

"I understand someone has a date," her father said the moment she walked back into the living room.

Echo was sitting next to him, but as usual, she wasn't smiling as this was all very factual.

"I...guess I do," she said still reeling from the suddenness of the invitation and her willing acceptance.

"I don't detect any social clues to indicate I'm failing to pick up on sarcasm, so I fail to understand why this would be considered unusual," Echo told them.

"Well, people usually get to know one another for a while before going out on a date," her grandfather said. "But not always. Besides, it is just a date, so it's still quite normal."

"I for one think it's long overdue," Echo added. "I see no reason for my mother to live a solitary life, her life with me aside."

Danika did her best not to smile then said, "There's a difference between living alone and being lonely, honey."

"Granted," Echo said agreeing immediately. "However, I get the distinct impression you're very lonely in spite of the fact that you have Grandpa and me in your life. Since marriage tends to be the norm in societies worldwide, it seems natural that, at some point, you would pursue another mate. And in the case of Chance, I wholeheartedly approve."

That comment was too much and both Danika and her father couldn't hold back the laughter. Echo gave them both a look then tried to laugh with them, but that clearly wasn't natural.

"I was able to hone in on facial clues that time and immediately realized my comments were the source of your amusement. Therefore I laughed along with you."

"Come here, baby," Danika said.

Echo stood up then said, "With the stipulation I am no longer a 'baby'."

"Yes. So stipulated," her mom said as she held out her arms.

For all her other 'excesses', Echo still needed love and affection as much or more than any girl her age, and her mom loved it whenever she was able to give her a hug and briefly interact like any other parent and child.

The truth was Danika also craved the kind of love and affection that came with having a relationship, and it had been a long time since she'd had any of her own, and this very unexpected meeting gave her hope she might have some small amount of that in her life again. She couldn't see this lasting, but even it if was just an evening or two of pleasant conversation, that would go a long way toward...she laughed when she thought of 'putting some gas in her tank' after what had happened earlier that day. Whatever the correct analogy or metaphor was, she was now very grateful to have run out of gas.

Just as he'd promised, Chance called a few hours later.

"Hi, there," he said. "You may not remember me, but we ran into one another by...chance...today."

Danika laughed happily as she replied.

"Oh, I definitely remember you. Tall, handsome, heroic."

Now Chance laughed as he said, "I'll take your word on those, but we did agree to have dinner together. Is that still possible?"

"I believe it is," she told him. "My dad agreed to keep an eye on Danika so I am free and clear to go anywhere you'd like."

"I like the sound of that," Chance told her.

"Oh?"

"Sure. There are a whole lot of places I'd like to go with you, so if you're agreeing to go anywhere I like, then I won't have to ask for a second date."

Danika laughed again then realized she hadn't spent an evening without Echo in a very long time let alone been on an actual date. As much as she loved her daughter, it was almost 'freeing' to have an evening without her very adult-like conversation dominating their time together.

She almost invited Chance to her place so she could make dinner for him, but she hadn't really been out in so long it was hard to resist letting him take her somewhere so she didn't resist.

"I have a feeling things will go quite well, but I may not be the one who doesn't want a second date," she told him playfully and yet with some amount of real concern that might be true.

"I guess we'll soon find out, huh?" he said lightheartedly. "When may I come pick you up?"

"I was getting ready when you called so maybe another fifteen minutes?" she told him.

"Oh, perfect. But um...where exactly do you live?"

"Ah, good point!" she said before giving him her address.

"All right. I'll see you soon."

"I'm looking forward to it, Chance. Bye."

Danika had gone straight home from her dad's and immediately put her still-clean hair up in big rollers to give it some body then did her nails while her hair was 'cooking'. Once the nails were completely dry she chose her favorite dress which was navy blue with a strip of sheer mesh at both the neckline and hemline. It was rather short, but at 38, Danika still had the legs (and the entire figure) to wear it and she loved the way it showed off her small waist without overpowering her modest, B-cup breasts.

The only decision she wasn't sure about was whether or not to leave her arms bare or wear the matching shrug that came with it. She didn't want to hide her very toned arms and yet the shrug was cute enough to make up for what it took away so she decided to wear it knowing it could always be taken off.

She'd also bought a pair of four-inch, open-toed sandals with the dress that had one strap around the toes and another above the ankle. It was a very sexy look but not so overdressed she'd feel out of place were he to take her someplace...modest. 'Cheap' came to mind but Danika didn't really care. All she wanted was to have a nice time and it really didn't matter where they went.

She debated wearing a necklace, but the mesh neckline was more than enough so she chose a pair of silver earrings and called it quits after taking a last look in her bedroom mirror. More than satisfied, Danika headed downstairs to wait.

Again, right on time, Chance pulled up when he said he would and came bouncing up her front porch steps before using the brass knocker on the door.

Danika waited a couple of seconds then opened it.

"Hi, Chance! Please come in!" she said as she stepped aside.

Before taking a step he froze in his tracks.

"You...you look amazing," he told her as he gave her a very polite 'once-over'.

"Thank you!" she said as she waited for him to move.

"You look like you're ready for the prom, and I don't have a corsage!"

"Again, thank you, but I don't think I could pass for someone going to the prom," she told him with a bright smile.

"Maybe not, but you look pretty darned close to that to me," he said before finally stepping inside. "I'm not kidding, Danika. You look...younger than me."

"I'm enjoying the flattery, Chance, but you should at least keep it in the realm of possibility."

"Oh, I am," he assured her. "Trust me on that."

"I guess I shouldn't ask how old you are then, huh?" she said sweetly as he followed her inside.

"I'm still 26 for another month or so, so I hope that tells you how incredible you look," he let her know.

"Oh. Ouch," she said wishing she hadn't asked. "Um, well...considering how I'm turning 39 in two more months, I'll take it," she told him.

Chance shook his head and said, "If you say that's true, I'll believe you, but my eyes and my brain are having a hard time accepting that."

Danika laughed and asked if she could get him anything to drink as it really hit her that he was twelve years younger than her. Not two but twelve! In spite of their lively banter, it seemed very unlikely he'd really ask her out again now that he knew, so she decided not to think about the age difference and just have a nice time.

"No, thank you. I'm fine," he told her.

"Okay. Well, if you're ready...so am I," she let him know.

When she smiled at him, she brought her hands together in front of her hips, and he couldn't decide if she looked more like a teenage beauty queen on prom night or a beautiful, sophisticated woman. Clearly, she was some of both, and as much as he was already aware that she was a very attractive woman, seeing her like this was more than he could have imagined.

"I'm ready," he told her with a smile.

She locked the door behind them and Chance offered her his arm then escorted her to his car where he opened her door and helped her in before going around and starting it up.

"Is seafood okay?" he asked.

"It's very okay," she told him. "Echo loves Red Lobster but we don't get out too often."

"Well, I hope you'll like this at least a little more than Red Lobster," he said with a smile as they backed out.

"I'll enjoy being with you no matter where we go," she told him, smiling back.

"Have you been to Palisade?" he asked.

"No, but I know exactly where it is and have always wanted to go," she told him.

"Well, tonight...you're going."

"Chance? I know that's a five-star restaurant with a view of Elliott Bay. I really would be okay with something less pricey," she said in a way that wasn't critical but rather honest.

"No, I'm not taking any...chances...on not impressing you," he told her.

He looked over and said, "I really do hope there'll be a second date."

"If you're not scared off after the first—and after having my amazing daughter—I think I could see clear to maybe one more date," she told him with another smile.

He was young, but he clearly wasn't stupid, so he had to have done the math. Danika found it very hard to believe it didn't matter to him so once again she tried to focus on the present rather than let worry about the future ruin her first night out in months.

Her heart wasn't racing, but she was very happy and really looking forward to having dinner with Chance, a guy who was now even more appealing to her than he'd been when they first met. And he'd been awfully appealing even then.

Palisade had to be the nicest restaurant Danika had ever been to, and she was now very glad she'd worn her best outfit. When they walked inside, Chance pointed out the raw bar as they were being seated.

The view of the Bay was more than nice. It was a spectacular, 180-degree view and Danika could see it all from their table.

"This is amazing, Chance! How did you get such a great table?"

"The owner was one of the first people I treated in the ER," he told her. "Someone ran into him broadside on his way home one night and they brought him in with some fractured ribs. He told the doctor who treated him, and me, to call if we ever needed a table. So...I called."

"Wow. It's just so incredible."

The meal was just as incredible, and Danika almost felt guilty with each bite she took. Everything was so delicious and full of flavor, and the service rivaled the food and the view, and while she tried not to care, she couldn't help but think the bill would be just as 'spectacular'.

And yet the most pleasant surprise was how the conversation was better than all of those things put together. They had so many things in common that at one point she asked him if he'd researched her to find out what she liked and valued in life

"No, not hardly," he replied with a polite laugh. "I've been sitting here wondering when we're going to find something we disagree on, and so far, there hasn't been anything."

"Well, what's your favorite color?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh. Well, let me see. I guess maybe...white? Or maybe black and white?" he said.

Danika laughed as she replied.

"We came close on that one. Mine is definitely black, and when you said 'white' at first, I thought we'd found something."

"Yeah, we couldn't possibly see each other again with that kind of major disagreement between us," he said very seriously.

Danika was trying to remember if she'd ever had this much fun on a date, and when she couldn't, said so.

"Same here," Chance told her.

He smiled at her then said, "I also can't ever remember going out with someone as beautiful as you, Danika."

Before she got married, Danika dated a lot. And she'd heard pretty much every line a guy could throw at her. Were this a date from back then, she'd have dismissed his compliment as idle flattery. But it wasn't back then, and the way he said it told her it was true, and it touched her deeply.

"Thank you, Chance, and may I say it's been a very long time since I had a date with someone as handsome as you," she told him honestly.

He went to say something then stopped then went ahead and said it.

"Do you mind me asking about your ex-husband? If you do, if it's none of my business, please let me know."

"Not at all," she told him. "I mean, if there is going to be a second date, you should probably at least know the basics."

She was still smiling, but not like before, and Chance could tell this wasn't going to be pleasant for her.

"Well, we got married 12 years ago, and I truly thought I was the luckiest girl on earth, you know? Richard, my ex, was so handsome and so caring and attentive."

"And that changed?" he asked not trying to get too far ahead of her.

"Oh, yes. It was when Echo was maybe five that it started. We knew she was 'different' early on, but he seemed to be handling it pretty well. Richard was an accountant, and if he had one fault, it was the way he needed everything to be perfect. From numbers to his family, ever 't' had to be crossed and every 'i' dotted just so. I know he saw me as someone he could show off at dinner parties and social events, but that never bothered me because I have to admit I enjoyed the beautiful clothes and the attention and all the compliments."

She stopped talking for a second then said, "That makes me sound horribly vain, doesn't it?"

"No, it makes you sound honest. Like a woman who knows she's beautiful, and there's no crime in that."

"That's very kind of you to say, Chance. Back then, I'd have probably agreed with you. Anyway, after Echo was born, I had a very hard time losing weight for a couple of years, and although I was busy being a new mother, I could tell Richard didn't want me to be seen in public. He never came out and said it, but he always found a reason why I shouldn't attend a function even when we brought in a nanny to help out. Then as soon as I lost the weight, he was nearly begging me to go with him again."

Chance didn't interrupt again. He let Danika talk knowing he could ask questions later if that were necessary.

"To make a long story short, Echo was becoming the new embarrassment to her father. He found her adult-sounding way of talking annoying at home, and the few times he took her somewhere with other people from work, he wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. Everyone else loved her. Yes, she was an 'anomaly', but these were all well-educated professionals who understood what was going on. Everyone but Richard, that is."

She hesitated again, and Chance could tell she was close to getting emotional.

"I don't suppose I'll ever know for sure, and Richard denies it to this day, but I felt very strongly that he was having an affair which I thought started somewhere after Echo's fifth birthday. We had a party for her at our home, and most of the other CPAs and their wives—or husbands—came. I saw him once out on the patio by the pool with one of the paralegals; a very attractive, younger woman. They were talking and laughing and also touching. It mostly looked innocent, but I could just tell. And then a couple of hours later, I went to our bedroom looking for something and they were in there together still laughing and..."

Chance sat and waited as she collected herself.

"And when I walked in I knew they'd been holding hands on the bed although they'd stopped immediately when they saw me. Richard insisted it was all innocent. She was going through some kind of problems with her boyfriend, she just needed to talk, he was only consoling her, and well, you know."

Danika took a deep breath then said, "Six weeks later he told me he wanted a divorce."

"I'm sorry," Chance finally said.

"We stopped...you know...not long after the party, and he kept telling me it wasn't me. He even said he went to get his testosterone levels checked and claimed that was playing a big part in it along with all the stress at work. I guess I wanted to believe him even when I knew it wasn't true. Even after he told me he was leaving, I kept thinking it was all my fault."

"But it wasn't," Chance offered.

"No, and thank goodness for my dad. He kept me sane and put it all in perspective for me. He's not just book smart, Chance. He really knows people."

"I like your dad a lot," he told her.

"Yeah. Me, too," she said smiling again. "Richard wanted out. He wanted to be away from his eccentric daughter and his aging wife. Oh, and you'll never guess who he ended up marrying."

"Hmmm. A young paralegal whom he'd been 'counseling'?" Chance asked as though it wasn't obvious.

"Yep. One and the same. She was six years younger than me so I guess he was trading me in early. They say guys wait until their wives are 40 to trade them in for two 20s, but Richard couldn't be bothered to hold on that long."

"I hope this isn't out of bounds, but...he's a fool," Chance told her.

Danika laughed again before saying, "It's not out of bounds because it's the truth. Or at least I think so."

Chance was sitting across from her and when he saw her smile he reached out for her hand. She looked at it then back at him, then placed hers in his.