Wide Open Spaces

Moondance

That evening, Stevie was told to dress up and she knew Lindsey meant to wear something other than a long skirt and boots. She chose a thin strapped silver dress that clung to her figure with matching open toed strappy heels. She curled her hair, wore her favorite perfume, and put on some sexy make up. She looked at her reflection and smiled. Lindsey came into the room and did a double take as he passed her.

"Holy shit!" He said and she giggled.

"That bad, huh?" she jokes.

"God, no! Are you kidding? You look amazing!"

"I got your hint not to wear my usual stuff."

"That's not what I meant but it's nice to finally see your legs."

"Shut up and kiss me before you get yourself into trouble" she says and he kisses her softly at first. She quickly deepens it but pulls away quickly.

"Maybe I want to get in trouble"

"You will later"

"I can't wait"

"I'm excited for tonight" she says. "A real date night. It must be pretty special if you're so dressed up"

"I'm not dressed up"

"A black on black suit, a tie..."

"I pretty much wear this to work"

"You do not!" She says, chuckling.

"Okay, maybe I don't but...yes, it's kind of special. There's a wine tasting tonight. One of the local wineries is hosting this big bash out in the desert under the stars. Dinner, dancing."

"You spoil me, Lindsey"

"We are supposed to be dating and I'm going to be showing you how much I love you. I like surprising you and trying to bring out my romantic side a little more."

"I'm impressed"

"I'm glad! I hope you have fun tonight"

"I'm sure I will. Excellent company"

"I love you"

"I love you too. Now let's get going before I don't let us leave. You look so incredibly handsome, and you smell so good" she says, kissing him and running her hands all over his back.

"I don't think I mind if we stay here" he says.

"Come on, baby" she says, straightening her dress and leading him out.

"Fine" he groans. She giggles, kissing his knuckles.

"It's awful nice of my parents to watch the kids so we can do stuff like this more often" she says, once in the car.

"It's very nice." He agrees "We will have to do something for them in return one of these days"

"Yes we will. I will have to poke around and see if I can get an idea of something they would like to do."

"Agent Nicks on the case" Lindsey jokes and they both laugh.

They listen to music and talk on their drive, holding hands and flirting. It was just like when they were first dating and they both felt warm and comfortable together. Lindsey passed through the gates and hands the man in the booth his pass cards. Stevie was once again impressed.

"What were those?"

"Passes to come back as we please. Winery tours, tasting, sampling...it has a few little perks."

"You're the best."

"No, you're are. I just learned from the best"

"Oh, Lindsey...keep talking like that and you will definitely get lucky tonight" she says and he bites his fist.

"Don't say things like that when we still have hours before we can go home."

"Sorry" she says, and he smiles at her.

"You're so sexy, Steph. Look at you! God damn!"

"Thank you, Lindsey. I did try."

He helps her out of the car and holds her hand as they enter the event. There are tables, a dance floor, and a live band. Stevie's eyes light up when he asks her to dance. He hates dancing but it's Van Morrison so he says he can make an exception, winking at her. They sway together, bodies pressed close and he's constantly whispering sweet nothings in her ear. After a couple songs, they're back to the table as the various wines are being passed around and an attendant tells each table what to look for and what the notes of each one are. Next comes dinner, this time with an actual glass of wine or two and Stevie starts to feel really ill. It's odd because she has a couple glasses on a regular basis and is always completely fine. Lindsey is fumbling with something in his pocket, listening to Stevie talk about a craft show that is coming up. While she won't be taking paintings, she will be taking her other little projects- jewelry, macrame, pottery and her glassworks. She stops talking and he looks up. He has the object he was playing with in his hands now but notices she's gone a bit pale. He takes her hand across the table, concerned.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine"

"No offense, but you don't look fine. All the color has drained from your pretty little face. You're as pale as a ghost. What's going on?"

"Nothing, I felt a little wave of nausea but it's gone now."

"That's strange."

"Very."

"Is this the first time? Maybe it's the wine?"

"I had a little bout this morning at the house before any food or drink."

"Maybe you're not eating enough"

"Hm, that's possible" she says. I can't really eat anything if nothing sounds good. She sits there a moment, the feeling in the pit of her stomach getting stronger.

"Let's go home. I will take care of you."

"No baby, don't let me ruin this beautiful night."

"You didn't. We will have many other beautiful nights together for the rest of our lives."

"Yes we will" she says and he picks up her hand, bringing it to his lips. He pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles and she smiles.

"I love you. We have a bit of a drive ahead of us anyway"

"I love you too but you're absolutely sure I'm not ruining anything?"

"I promise" he says.

"Okay." She nods, sliding off her tall chair and Lindsey comes to stabilize her, wrapping an arm around her as they make their way back to the car. He tucks her inside, closes the door and stares down at the little box in his hand. He opens it to stare at the little antique ring it held inside, sighing. It really would suit Stevie. It was quirky and she had admired it earlier in the day at the market. She kept going back to stare at it and try it on but ultimately decided she wouldn't purchase it. Lindsey did though after seeing how much she loved it, sending her on an errand so she wouldn't see. It was exactly what he had been looking for, for weeks when nothing else seemed right.

"Maybe another time" he says to himself. He tucks the box back into his pocket and climbs into the driver's seat to start their journey back home.