DMV

"I'm here to see someone."

"Is he or she expecting you?" the attractive, younger woman asked.

"No. This is a kind of surprise visit."

"May I page this person for you?"

"Um...yes. That would be great. Thank you."

"Sure. If you'll let me know the name...."

"Sorry. Sure. It's Merritt."

And that's when he realized he didn't even know her last name.

The receptionist did, and she smiled as soon as she heard it.

"Yes, of course. Merritt King. I'll let her know you're here, Mr....?

"Kade. Please tell her Kade's here to see her."

She hit two numbers, waited, then said, "Merritt? Hi. It's Cathy out front. You have a visitor."

There was a pause, a little laugh, and then a look right at Kade.

"A very handsome visitor at that."

There was another laugh before she said, "Yes, his name is Kade."

"She'll be right out," the woman told him, the smile still there.

Just seconds later, he saw a door just off to the side of the receptionist's desk open.

He saw her before she saw him and said, "Merritt."

"Kade! What's going on? Is everything okay? Is Katie okay?"

"Yes. Everything's fine," he told her as she walked up to him.

"Oh. Okay. Then...this is....this is a very nice surprise."

"I'm very sorry for just dropping in like this, but I really wanted to talk to you."

"I'm actually on my lunch break. We could sit outside or go down the cafeteria if you like."

"It's pretty nice outside," he told her.

"Okay. Then let's go find a bench and talk."

The one they found was next to a large tree which provided shade where they sat. It was about 85 degrees, but the humidity was low and it felt very nice outside.

"I so need some sun!" Merritt said as she sat down in the shade with him.

"We can move to another bench if you like."

She laughed then said, "Not in a dress, though."

"Right. That might not be such a...hot idea."

Merritt laughed again, but this laugh was different. It was a painful laugh because of his awful pun.

"So what brings you to Raytheon?" she asked after crossing her legs and turning his way a little.

"You," Kade told her with a smile.

"Me. How so?"

Only then did Kade realize that the feelings that had driven him to go see her weren't strong enough to overcome the fact that he barely knew this woman. Even so, they were strong enough to get him there, and he wasn't leaving until he told her how he felt.

"Everything seemed so clear on the way over here," he began.

"Then why don't you start with what was so clear and go from there?" she suggested.

"Okay, that makes sense," he replied, now feeling butterflies for the first time in many years.

"I...I guess I wanted to start by saying how much I enjoyed talking with you. The other night."

He paused then said, "And at the DMV."

"Yes, that was very pleasant," Merritt agreed.

"And well, I know you have your hail & farewell this weekend, and I guess maybe I was thinking that if you dislike going to that sort of thing alone as much as I do, then maybe you and I could...go together."

"Kade? Are you asking me out?" she asked, a look of disbelief on her face.

He turned even further his way then smiled at her.

"Um, no. I mean, I guess not. It doesn't need to be a...date. I just thought maybe you'd like some company," he ended up saying even though he fully intended it be one.

"Then yes," she told him, as she tried not to laugh.

"Wait. Yes?" he said, his eyebrows up and his head slightly tilted down.

"Yes. I'd love to. Have some company."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I don't know how much you dislike going to functions alone, but I truly dread it. And I've enjoyed talking to you, too, so...sure. That sounds really nice."

"Wow. I...I have to say I'm really surprised. Pleasantly so, but surprised nonetheless."

"It's just a work thing, right?" she asked in a way that made him wonder if she felt the same way about him. Regardless, she'd said 'yes' so he didn't want to say anything more at that particular moment. If things went well, there would time to share his feelings with her then.

"Oh. Sure. Yeah, it's just...work."

"Great. And I'll look forward to it," Merritt told him before asking if he'd need a babysitter.

"Oh, right. I guess I will, huh?"

"The good news is I happen to know someone who's free that evening."

"Lucky me," Kade told her. "And doesn't school start the Monday after that?"

"It does. And Grace is even more nervous than when we talked. But I have to say that the things you told her made a big impression on her. She's even talking about trying out for cheerleading."

"That's fantastic!" Kade told her with a smile.

"I agree. She just needs to hear things from someone who isn't her mother, you know?"

"She's a great kid, Merritt. But you don't need me to tell you that."

"Thank you. She really is. And there's no doubt she'll make friends quickly. She's also a good student, so it really is just a matter of time."

Merritt smiled then said, "And having someone else who believes in her doesn't hurt."

Kade wondered if she could read his mind when she volunteered the information he'd been wanting to ask.

"Her father says he loves her, and on some level, I know he does. But when it comes to actually spending time with her, he's never really been available. And now that he has his new life and his new girlfriend, Grace is the one who's suffering the consequences."

"I suppose the only good thing about losing my wife is that Katie was too young to know what happened. But Grace has to be very aware that someone she loves and depends on maybe isn't quite as 'there for her' as she'd like."

"That's a very polite way of putting it, Kade. He's so self-absorbed he rarely even calls. It just kills me, but I think Grace is finally realizing that her father didn't just leave me, and that's very hard to watch."

"Life can be very unfair," Kade mused.

"Yes. Yes, it can, and again, it's apples and oranges with our situations, but I cannot imagine going through what you experienced."

"I pride myself on being a realist even when reality deals a terrible hand, and the truth is, I can't change anything that happened. But I can face reality head on and acknowledge that it did. And to the best of my ability, I've done that, and now I feel like it's finally time to accept the next phase of my own reality, and at least be open to finding someone new to love, and who'll love Katie like her own."

Merritt's facial expression changed, and Kade realized she was tearing up.

"You won't have any trouble finding someone to love your sweet, little girl, Kade. That I can promise you."

"Thanks. And for what it's worth, I agree with you. Now finding someone willing to put up with the likes of me will be the real challenge."

He had no idea what Merritt was thinking, and in some sense, that was probably a good thing. In this case it was, because so far, she saw him quite differently than he saw her.

There was no doubt about him being more than attractive enough, and he was clearly a very nice guy with a cute little girl she already loved to death. But he was so much younger than her that she found it impossible to imagine them ever being more than friends, and she was happy to have a friend to hang out with at this upcoming social function. But as far as anything more than that, Merritt just couldn't see it.

"I guess I should be getting back to friendly lines," Kade said when Merritt didn't say anything about him like she had Katie.

"Yes you should. And maybe we shouldn't mention...."

She leaned closer then whispered, "'DCS' at the hail & farewell."

"Ah, right. Yes, that might be safer for both of us. I wouldn't want to be responsible for you're getting fired just as you're being welcomed into the fold."

Merritt laughed, and again, Kade was yet again struck by how beautiful she was to him, but he chose to keep the rest of his feelings to himself to avoid any chance of being told by this older woman he found himself crushing on that she didn't feel the same way.

She did laugh at his humor this time then let him know when to pick her up.

"Okay. I'll be there at seven o'clock sharp," he told her as he stood up then offered her a hand.

Merritt accepted his help, stood up, then told him how nice it was to see him again.

He told her the same then walked her to the door where she again thanked him for agreeing to be her 'escort'. Kade assured her it was his pleasure then told her goodbye.

They didn't even shake hands, and by the time he was back at DCS, Kade was wondering how he'd misread things so badly. Yes, he was beyond rusty when it came to women, but Merritt was the first and only woman who'd even caught his attention, and she'd done so in a very big way. But her lack of any kind of reciprocity when it came to sending him any of the kinds of signals he was trying to send her made him think he might have completely misunderstood how she felt about him. Or whether she felt anything at all.

The weather was still warm when Kade drove Katie to Merritt's house so Grace could watch her while he took her mom to her first-ever social function with Raytheon. Even so, he wore a long-sleeved, dark-green button-down shirt and a pair of black pants with black dress shoes. Merritt assured him it wasn't coat & tie, and for that, at least, Kade was very thankful.

"Daddy? Does Grace have toys?" Katie asked just before he pulled into the driveway.

"Well, I'm not sure, honey. She's a lot older than you, so I would expect her like different things. Is that okay?"

"Uh-huh. Cuz Grace is my new best friend," his daughter informed him.

"She's really nice, isn't she?"

"Yes, and she's very pretty, too."

Kade smiled and told her he agreed just as he put the car into park. Katie unhooked her seatbelt in her booster chair, and once her father opened the door, she got out on her own. Kade reached for her hand, but his daughter shot ahead of him and ran for the front door. He laughed and yet he was thankful that his little girl had a friend, even if that friend was nearly four times her age.

Grace answered the door, and as soon as she saw Katie, she bent down and stretched her arms out for a hug and gave one back.

"Hey, you!" Grace said as she hugged the little girl then picked her up. "You wanna see my house?"

"Uh-huh! And your room, too!" Katie told her.

Grace said hello to Kade then told him her mom would be out in a minute or so before offering him something to drink.

"No thanks. I'm good," Kade told her.

"Okay. Well, feel free to have a seat or wander around, and I'll let my mom know you're here."

Kade saw pictures on one of the walls and drifted that way. Most were of Grace, but he saw a couple of Merritt when she was younger, and he wasn't surprised to see how beautiful she was. But what did surprise him was how he thought she was even more attractive now than she'd been five or even ten years ago.

"I never liked that one," he heard Merritt say as he leaned in to look at one of her and Grace at a beach somewhere.

"Oh, hi," Kade said as he turned around to see Merritt standing right behind him, a beautiful smile on her face.

"Just...wow!" he told her.

"Thank you! That's so kind, and may I say you look very handsome yourself."

Merritt was wearing a simple-yet-elegant dress that was midnight blue in color. It was sleeveless with a v-neckline in front and a subtle v-shape in the back. It was neither sexy nor overly modest and seemed perfect for the occasion. Kade was no fashion guru, but he knew the taupe-colored three-inch heels she was wearing with it went quite nicely with the dress. She wasn't wearing any jewelry, but she was wearing a little more makeup than he'd ever seen, and Kade was completely taken with her beauty.

He thought twice before saying what he'd been thinking, but the words still came out of his mouth.

"You know, you looked very nice in the pictures with Grace, but you look even more beautiful now."

Merritt smile, thanked him again, then said, "It's just the dress."

Kade shook his head, gave her a polite 'once over' then told her it was much more than that. The look she gave him in return made him wonder if she found his flattery off putting or even out of bounds, but it was too late now.

"I'm fine with being fashionably late, so if you'd like a drink before we go, that's fine with me," Merritt told him, the smile back, giving him hope he hadn't stepped in it too badly.

"You know, I think I'll pass," Kade told her with a smile of his own. "But you feel free to have one."

"Oh, no. I never drink alone, and I really didn't want one. I just don't like being early to this kind of thing."

She laughed a little then said, "In fact, I'd prefer to skip them altogether, but that's not possible."

Kade laughed then Merritt told him, "All right. I guess we can head out then," as she made a little face indicating she wasn't thrilled.

"Let me just go say goodbye to Katie," Kade told her.

Merritt walked with him, and once Grace saw them together, she insisted on taking a picture.

"No! That's not necessary!" her mother insisted.

"I wouldn't mind having one," Kade said, as he turned to smile at Merritt who playfully rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay. But just one!" she insisted.

Grace grabbed her phone then did some insisting of her own by getting them to stand in front of the fireplace.

"Now move a little closer, okay, Mom?" she said, as she waved her mother toward Kade.

"Gracie? This isn't the prom, you know?" she told her daughter.

"Okay, but you guys still make a really cute couple," Grace informed her.

Merritt moved a little closer then Grace told them both to smile. She snapped a picture then waited to look at it.

"Mom! You blinked. One more!"

"Oh, for heavens sake!" she said.

This time, Grace was satisfied with the results and showed it to her subjects.

"Well, one of us looks very nice," Merritt said after seeing herself.

"Mom! You look great!"

"Ha! I look...old!"

Kade gave Merritt a puzzled look then turned to Grace and asked, "Does your mom really not know how beautiful she is?"

Grace was the one saying 'ha!' after hearing that comment.

"See! I told you so," she said to her mother.

Her mom shook her head, walked by her daughter, then said, "That's very nice of you to say, honey, but I'm still not buying that crop top for you."

Grace was being sincere, but her mom was having none of it.

As Kade walked by he said, "I'm with you. Your mom is hot."

"I heard that!" Merritt called out, but making sure not to turn around to avoid letting either of them see her smiling.

"You kids behave!" Grace told them at the door.

She looked at Kade then said, "And you have my mom back by midnight, young man!"

Her mother rolled her eyes, but Kade laughed and promised her he would.

After opening the car door for her, Kade got in and started it but didn't back out.

"What?" Merritt asked.

He looked over at her, then quietly said, "You really do look amazing, Merritt."

The way he said those words, coupled with the way he looked at her (along with what he'd said just minutes before) sent a shot of electricity through her body, and as she sat there, she couldn't hold his gaze and looked away. And as he backed the car out, she wondered for the briefest of moments if he was possibly flirting with her. But by the time he got to the first stop sign in her neighborhood, she dismissed the thought as nothing more than silliness.

After all, she was 41 and had a 15-year old daughter. She didn't know Kade's age, but he couldn't possibly be more than 30, and she doubted he was even that old.

They hadn't been at the party for even five minutes before Merritt found herself explaining to the fourth person or couple that she and Kade weren't together. By the time they'd made the rounds, she'd probably done the same thing another half dozen times.

"I get the feeling you're almost offended at the possibility of me being here...with you," Kade said after one such encounter. He said it politely and with a smile, but it still made Merritt wonder why he said it.

"I was just making sure everyone knew you were just...being nice."

"I'm not sure I understand," Kade replied.

"I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable, Kade. I can't imagine how you'd feel if people actually thought we were here, you know, as...as a couple."

Kade raised his lower lip as he sort of cocked his head to one side before saying, "Honestly? I'd be honored."

His reply surprised her so much that Merritt made a loud 'pfft!' sound as she playfully shoved his arm.

"Yeah, right!" she said with a laugh.

When Kade didn't laugh or even smile, Merritt got very uncomfortable very quickly. But that was nothing compared to the way she felt after he said something else rather quietly and very sincerely.

"I was being 100% serious, Merritt."

"I...I don't.... When you say you're serious...what exactly are you...."

"Ladies and gentlemen? May I have your attention, please?" they both heard a deep, baritone voice call out.

The room got quiet as everyone turned to listen.

"That's the big boss," Merritt whispered as she and Kade also turned his way.

"Thank you all for coming this evening. As you know, this is our hail and farewell for the month of September, even though it's the end of August."

There was a lot of polite laughter before the man asked everyone to take a seat so they could get started recognizing the incoming and outgoing employees.

It took another half hour to get around to introducing Merritt who got a round of polite applause as she half stood up and waved when her name was called.

"Merritt once spent a few years in our fair city, and we are pleased that she chose to return to Huntsville, and even more pleased to have her as a part of our team. She's already proven to be an asset to the Raytheon family, and we look forward to a long and rewarding time together."

An older woman had had more than a few drinks by then and during a quiet moment called out, "Who's the young hottie with her?"

Her husband was a senior engineer, and everyone knew she was even outspoken and even more so after a few 'belts', so the laughter that followed was loud but not mean.

Every eye in the room was now on Kade who raised a hand and smiled. Hoping to impress Merritt, he repeated her oft-said response and told the group, "Oh. We're not...together. We're...just friends."

The same tipsy woman called out, "You better not let that one get away, honey. Because if you're not interested in him I'll hit that any...."

Her husband gently put his hand on his wife's arm, a pained look on his face, and tried to get her to stop.

"What?" she said. "I really would hit that if I wasn't stuck with the likes of you!"

There was no laughter this time. Just a lot of pained and sympathetic looks.

The 'big boss' jumped back in and told Kade they were very glad to have him then moved on to the next new hire, and Merritt breathed a sigh of relief before leaning toward Kade and quietly saying, "Thank you."

It took him a second to realize she'd put her hand on his, and once he became aware that she had, he gently squeezed it and said, "Sure thing."

She slowly moved her hand away, but she smiled at him in a way he hadn't seen before, and now it was Kade wondering if somehow her perspective may have shifted ever-so slightly.

For the rest of the evening Kade dutifully followed her wherever she wanted to go, and anytime it was appropriate, he offered his opinion or point of view. Inevitably, his job came up, and word quickly spread that a DCS employee was 'in the house.'

It was nearly 10 o'clock when the 'big boss' came back around to wish Merritt all the best with the company. She thanked him, and then her boss's boss said to Kade, "So I hear you're with...those other guys."