Best Buy

Her mother smiled, put an arm around her daughter, then said, "Yes, he is."

"Mom?" Emily asked.

"Yes?"

"Do you think he's handsome?"

Emily's eyes were open wide as she asked, but her cheeks didn't get rosy this time.

"I...I don't know, honey. Why? Do you think he is?"

Her daughter's answer did the trick. The apples of her cheeks began glowing red as she said, "Yes," with a big smile.

"I guess he's kind of cute," her mom admitted as they shared a 'girl's moment'.

When Blake let the girls know Daria would be babysitting, Hailee was thrilled. Jenna was too young to really care, and Emily just smiled.

Once the other girls ran off, Emily asked her mom if she was going out with Gray.

"Hmmm. Someone's being a little nosy, huh?" her mother teased.

"Are you?" her daughter asked very sweetly.

"Maybe," Blake said as Emily smiled. "Is that okay? If I was going out with Gray?"

"Yes," she replied with a happy smile. "I really like him."

"He is kind of nice, huh?" her mom said as she reached out for her daughter again.

"Mom?" Emily said as they hugged.

"Uh-huh?"

"It's fine with me if you like him."

"Oh. Okay," her mom said trying not to laugh.

"I know you can do whatever you want, and all. I just mean I'm okay with it if you like him. That's all."

"Honey, that is so sweet of you. Thank you."

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"I love you," Emily told her as she squeezed even tighter.

"I love you, too, sweetie. So, so much!" her mom said back as her eyes filled with tears and her heart swelled with love.

"Love," Blake said to herself before she gave her daughter one last squeeze.

"Just four little letters and yet it means so many things, and people all define it very differently."

And that's when she realized she had just as much right to define what love meant to her as anyone else did. The corollary was that no one on earth had any right to define love for her. The opinions of her parents and her children mattered, but even they couldn't tell her whom to love let alone what love should mean to her.

Once those thoughts finished rattling around in her brain, Blake was suddenly looking forward to her date. And 'date' wasn't in scare quotes in her brain anymore. It wasn't that she was expecting any kind of relationship to form. It was more that she'd given herself permission to date again, and more specifically, to not care so much how old the guy was who was asking her.

Now that the dam had burst, Blake knew she'd be able to start looking for a longterm romance again and, eventually, marriage. Having three children meant the task would be a challenge, but she no longer felt like her only purpose in life was raising her girls. They would always be first, but she knew there was room in her heart for someone else, and that realization was a heavy weight lifted off of her shoulders.

When Saturday dawned, some of the same concerns resurfaced but with much less strength. Yes, it was unusual, to say the least, that she was going out with someone so much younger, but she was able to compartmentalize that and view it as a kind of first step in getting that part of her life back.

So by the time she needed to start getting ready, she was enjoying thinking about what to wear as she did her hair, nails, and makeup. When she finished with them, she realized how long it had been since she'd even tried to look nice, and in spite of being 36, she thought the image looking back at her wasn't too bad.

Blake hadn't worn a dress since Toby's funeral, and while she was willing to dress up, that was a bit much for a movie.

"And dinner," she told herself as she smiled thinking about the dress she'd already worn. "But we won't be going anywhere fancy, so a dress is overkill."

As she looked at her clothes, she realized she could still wear all of the fitted dresses that were a size 8. Again, she smiled and gave herself a little credit.

Winter in Orange Park was nothing like winter in most of the country. It would drop below freezing a half dozen times a year and be in the 30s quite a few times, but mostly it meant chilly mornings and cool afternoons.

This day was supposed to have a high of 60 degrees, so a sweater seemed a bit much, too. She had a very nice looking tapered blouse that was a light blue color. It was sleeveless, so if she took something to keep her arms warm in the theater, she'd be fine.

The blouse, with black pants, black flats, and a black cardigan looked very nice as she took a final glance at the finished product.

She was nervous by the time her babysitter showed up, but just before that Emily told her how pretty she looked, and that made a big difference in how she felt.

"Thank you, Em! You just made me feel pretty."

"That's because you are," her daughter insisted as she hugged her mom.

When Daria arrived, Blake's nerves began acting up, but she managed to remain mostly calm. Until the thought of Daria seeing Gray hit her.

"Oh, my goodness. What will she think?" Blake thought, her mind suddenly panicked.

"Wait," she told herself. "Why do you care what a teenage girl thinks? Why do you care what...anyone thinks?"

That, and a couple of slow, deep breaths also helped.

By the time the doorbell rang again Blake was nearly calm.

"I'll get it!" Hailee yelled just as Emily said, "No, you won't!"

Emily never asserted herself with her middle sister. Hailee always got her way and Emily just took it and never seemed to care. But this time, the look she gave her sister caused Hailee to back off.

"Okay. Fine!" the younger girl said as she stomped away.

Blake watched as her daughter opened the door, knowing she was taken with the handsome, older man.

"Hi, Gray!" she said with a big smile.

"Well, hi to you, Miss Emily," he told her as he bent down and handed her a yellow rose.

He had one for each girl and a red one for Blake, and she felt like tearing up just watching.

"Is this for me?" Emily asked as he held it out.

"Yes, it is," Gray told her with a smile.

"Thank you!" she said excitedly.

Blake knew she wanted to hug him, and Gray knew, too.

"Come here," he said, his free arm outstretched.

Emily hugged him tight and thanked him again.

As he stood up, Blake had moved closer, and Gray saw her for the first time.

"Oh, my," he said as he looked at her. "Look at you."

"Is this okay?" she asked, all smiles.

"Okay? It's...you...are perfect," he told her as he moved her way and offered her the red rose.

Blake thanked him and without prompting hugged him then kissed him on the cheek.

"Oops," she said as she wiped off the lipstick.

"I was hoping to see the other two Kendall kids," Gray said as he kind of held up the two remaining flowers.

As Blake walked him back to the girls' bedroom, she said, "One of them already has a serious crush on you. You knew that, right?"

"No, but I have to say the feeling's mutual."

Blake stopped and froze.

"What?" she asked with an edge.

"Well, yeah. I have a crush on one of the Kendall girls myself," he told her, his smile indicating it was her.

Once she realized how over the top her reaction was, Blake looked away for a second and said, "Oh, my gosh. I really stepped into that one, didn't I?"

"I knew you meant Emily, by the way," he said quietly. "She's such a sweetie pie."

"Yes. Yes, she is," Blake agreed. "Whereas this one...."

Hailee saw them and came to the door.

"Is a little more strong-willed."

"Who's that for?" she asked without saying hello.

Gray bent down and said, "It's for you. But be careful. It has thorns."

"Why did you bring me a flower?" Hailee asked.

"Well, yellow is for friendship, and I'd like us to be friends," Gray told her.

"Oh. Okay," she said as she reached out to hug him.

As he stood up, Hailee handed to flower to her mom and said, "Here, Mommy. Now we can be friends, too!"

She and Gray both laughed as they went looking for Jenna who was on the floor playing with her stuffed animals. She had no idea what the flower meant but definitely wanted to be friends with Gray, and she also gave him a big hug.

As they headed back to the other end of the house Blake said, "This was so thoughtful of you, Gray. Thank you very much."

"If I'd thought about it, I'd have brought one more for the babysitter, but then again, that might not be well received."

Blake laughed and told him Daria was already boy crazy quietly enough that she didn't hear as they passed through the family room.

With the exception of Emily's single flower, the rest went into one vase which Blake thought looked quite lovely. So much so that she thanked Gray again.

"I can't remember the last time I got flowers," she told him as she moved the yellow flowers to kind of surround the red one.

Gray liked to kid around, but this was area where joking was off limits. He was pretty sure the last man to bring her flowers was her late husband, so he only smiled and told her she was very welcome.

Blake asked Daria if there was anything she needed after going over things with her again.

"Not unless your handsome date has a younger brother," she said without hesitation.

Caught off guard, Blake didn't reply, but Gray told her she was out of luck.

"That's me," Daria said. "I'm always out of luck."

Neither Gray nor Blake asked what she meant, but Blake told her a third time to call—for any reason.

"No matter how small," Daria said before she could finish.

"I guess I'm repeating myself," Blake admitted.

"It's okay, Mrs. Kendall. I know how much you love your girls."

"Yes. Yes, I do," Blake told her before letting Gray know she was ready.

"Perfect. We have plenty of time to get there and get some snacks," he said as they headed outside.

He opened her car door, something she appreciated and thanked him for doing.

"My pleasure," he told her before going around.

The theater was at the Orange Park Mall and was less than two miles away. Traffic was always bad on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, but they really did have plenty of time.

As they drove, Blake realized how nice Gray looked and told him, "I'm sorry I didn't say something earlier. You told me you thought I looked nice, but you look very handsome yourself."

Gray was wearing a thin, black sweater over a pink shirt with jeans and replied, "Thank you. You know only real men wear pink, right?"

Blake laughed and told him she'd heard that.

"They just don't wear it too often," he added with a very serious look before laughing, too.

Gray insisted on getting her door at the mall where they had a healthy walk ahead of them as the parking lot was pretty full.

The sun was out, the temperature was very comfortable, and Blake was happy to be doing something other than sitting home.

"Gray?" she said. "Thank you for asking me. I'm really glad you got me out of the house for a little while."

"Thank you for saying 'yes'," he told her. "I was fairly certain you'd turn me down, but I couldn't be happier that you didn't."

Blake saw no need in bringing up her vicious cycle of doubts about going out with someone so young. And they were at the entrance, so it was a perfect place to let all of that go.

"What would you like?" Gray asked as they walked inside.

"Nothing. Really," she told him. "The stuff they sell is outrageously overpriced."

"I'm not worried about money," he told her quietly with a friendly smile.

"Well, I've almost always gotten a box of Sno Caps, so maybe just that?" she asked knowing the candy would be around five dollars.

"Coming right up," he told her, and within in a minute he was back with the candy and a diet soda and two straws. "To wash them down with."

The way he smiled at her touched her in a way she hadn't felt before, and out of the blue her brain told her that were he to try and kiss her again she wouldn't mind at all. He didn't, but she did take his arm as they walked toward the theater where Aquaman was playing.

"It's not too crowded," Blake said as they walked in. "The matinee was a good call."

"Where do you like to sit?" Gray asked.

"I'll be happy with wherever you choose," she told him.

And the way she smiled at Gray sent a signal of some sort to him. It was neither clear nor unambiguous, but it told him she was enjoying being there with him, and that was more than enough for the time being.

He led them to the middle of the theater about three-quarters of the way back where they sat down.

"Would you mind helping me?" Blake asked as she got her sweater out.

"I'd love to," Gray told her as he took and waited for her to put her arms through.

"Thank you. That's much better," Blake told him as she sat back in her seat.

She had no idea what movies were playing or popular. In fact, it had been a couple of years since she'd even cared. But as the previews began playing, Blake found herself lost in the experience. Whether it was a Disney movie she might want to take the girls to or an action movie she'd never consider watching, everything seemed almost like it was the first time as she munched on the Sno Caps she shared with Gray who offered her a sip whenever she needed one.

The featured movie wasn't something she'd have ever gone to on her own, but Gray had been right about the leading man. He was as gorgeous a guy as she'd ever seen with his long, flowing hair and hunky, muscular body. Blake wasn't attracted to men like that, but he was so handsome is was impossible to take her eyes off of him.

About halfway through, the snacks were gone, and Blake settled in to watch the rest of the movie. But when something totally unexpected happened, the noise level and the action on screen made her flinch and instinctively reach out for Gray's arm.

"Sorry!" she said after the fear passed. "I was not ready for that."

She let go of his arm, and when she did, Gray raised it to put it around her. Blake started to give him a 'what do you think you're doing' look, when she realized she'd been wanting him to do that for sometime.

She snuggled close to him and they sat like that until the movie was over. By then, Gray's arm was sore, and Blake's neck hurt from leaning on his shoulder, but neither of them wanted to move.

As the credits rolled, Gray asked if she was hungry yet.

"I could eat," she told him with a sweet smile.

She had no idea how badly Gray wanted to kiss her, but they were in public, and he didn't know how she might react. Things were going very well, and the last thing he needed was to be asked to take her home.

"Great. I know just the place," he told her as they stood up and stretched.

Blake laughed when she saw him holding his arm out, and when she rolled her neck around, Gray laughed, too.

"It was so worth it," he told her, causing her to laugh again.

"Yes. That was very nice," she replied, the smile still there.

Blake had barely eaten anything all day, no small part of that due to a bad case of nerves. She was starving and hoped they wouldn't be driving too far. But when Gray turned into the Outback Steakhouse located maybe 200 yards from the theater she laughed.

"Are you not a fan of Outback?" he asked.

"No. I love Outback. I'm just very hungry and was hoping we would be eating soon. I just had no idea it would be this soon."

Blake again expressed concern about spending money, and Gray tactfully let her know the only reason he worked for money was to do things like this.

"I love my job, and I'd gladly work with software or hardware all day for free," he told her. "So please allow me to spend a little of it on a very beautiful woman, okay?"

Blake's heart fluttered when he said that, and she smiled at him as she said, "Okay. I just don't like it when someone takes spending another person's money for granted."

As they ate, they talked briefly about Gray's job, but he told Blake he was a lot more interested in talking about her. She was having such a nice time she opened up and told him about her childhood, her earliest boyfriends, and how she met her husband.

Gray was genuinely interested and never interrupted except to ask a question that showed he was paying attention. That allowed her to share what happened and why she lost him.

"That's awful, Blake. I can't tell you how sorry I am."

She thanked him, and Gray finally shared something personal with her.

"My dad died in a hospital, too. He was involved in a serious but-not-life threatening car accident. He had a compound fracture in his right leg, and the EMTs took him to the hospital nearest the accident site. It had a horrible reputation for sanitation, and my father contracted a very serious Staff infection. He was only supposed to be there for 24 hours, but when they took his vitals before releasing him, he had a fever of 101. Several hours later it was 104 and, as with your husband, they started pumping all kinds of antibiotics into him. But the infection was so massive he died from septicemia, or sepsis if you prefer, two days later."

"Oh, my goodness. Gray, I'm so sorry," Blake told him. She could not only sympathize she could empathize with him, his mother, and his siblings.

"My dad was my best friend," Gray told her. "Being the oldest, even at 16, put a lot of pressure on me to, you know, be the man of the house and all."

Now Blake understood a little better why he was so hard-working and driven.

"I know your dad would be incredibly proud of you," she told him as she fought off tearing up.

"Thank you. I think about him many times every day, and I hope you're right," Gray said.

Trying to sound more cheerful he asked if the food was okay.

"Yes! Everything is perfect," she told him. "I can't remember the last time I ate out. This...this has been very nice, Gray. Thank you."

"It has been nice," he told her, that same disarming smile back on his handsome face.

"I was wondering if you might like to do this again sometime," he told her. "Not necessarily dinner and a movie. But...anything...that involves spending time with you."

Blake smiled happily then said, "I'd like that. But don't forget. I have young three girls."

"And I have three brothers and sisters," he reminded her. "In fact, I can't imagine not having a large family of my own. So if that was meant to scare me away, it had the opposite effect."

"Oh. Okay," Blake said, now wondering if this might somehow actually turn into a relationship of some sort.

As they finished eating, and as she looked at him many times, that thought became more appealing to her by the minute. He hadn't gotten any older, but she now knew there was an 'older' side to him; one that had had to grow up very quickly. A side that also valued a large family, and her concerns about ever finding any man she really liked who would accept her children as his own seemed a lot less daunting.

The pleasant conversation continued all the way home and up to her doorstep where Blake asked Gray if he'd like to come in.

"I'd like nothing more," he replied as they stood there, their eyes locked for maybe a second or two. "With one exception."

Before Blake could ask what it was, he leaned down and kissed her again. This time, she was ready for it and wanted it as badly as he did. She put her hands on his chest and kissed him back then smiled when it ended.

"I like your exception," she said very sweetly before turning around and opening the door.

Blake saw the backside of Emily turning a corner just as she walked inside, and she was pretty sure her oldest daughter had been watching.

Daria let Blake know things went very well with no incidents, and Blake paid her and gave her a very nice tip, too. She lived just a few houses down the street, so there was no need to drive her home.

Seconds later, all three girls came running in together and just stood there smiling.