Don't Call Me Cat!

Chapter 9: I Know You're Not My Babe

Have a great weekend! Hope you enjoy this latest chapter xoxoxo

The sun was sinking into a hazy pink horizon by the time Shannon had dressed me.

He led me outside where he'd parked up his bike. "I know you loved holding on to me last time," he joked, laughing out loud as my jaw dropped.

But he had a point and I'd be lying if I said anything different. I playfully punched him on the arm as he placed the helmet over my head, fixing it in place.

"Ready?" he asked.

"For what?" I wanted to know where we were going.

"For our night out ... and no ... it's a secret. I'm not telling you. Just get on the bike and hold on tight."

After Christian, Shannon was definitely a breath of fresh air. "OK! You win, no questions." You could tell I wasn't taking much persuading. I swung my leg over and wrapped my arms tight around him as he edged into the traffic. 

As fantasies go, this was up there with popstar crushes from years ago. Even back then, I was drawn to the bad boy image of bikers in leathers. But then it was all about pleasing my mom and she'd have grounded me for weeks - no months - if I'd so much as confessed that fantasy, let alone turned up on her doorstep with someone like Shannon.

These thoughts were my usual inside-the-head mixed up jumble of everything happening in my life. Instead, I tried to clear my mind and focus on the here and now; the throb of the engine and Shannon. 

And then just as I relaxed into the whole bike-thing sensation, Shannon signaled and pulled up at the curbside. OK, possibly the shortest journey on record. I loosened my grip and looked up. We were outside Barney's, the shutters were down and the place had the look of a ghost town as businesses powered down for the evening.

"I told you it was a secret!" Shannon laughed, watching my look of complete and utter confusion. "Come on. This is my surprise date." He slipped his phone into his pocket and grabbed my hand.

"Where are we going? You're right I'm confused." Surely we weren't going to Barney's. He'd shut up shop several hours ago. I should know because I was intimate with his daily routine after all these years. 

But what did I know? The door opened to reveal a beaming Barney. Beyond, I could make out a candlelit table for two.

"Quick, my lovely Catherine. Come in, come in." He smiled and locked the door behind us.

"Barney! What's all this?" I gestured to the table and then glanced back at Shannon, who just stood there grinning the whole time.

"This, Catherine, is our romantic night out. And you've got Barney to thank for it." Shannon pulled him into a bear hug. The two of them had obviously been plotting this all day.

"It's perfect," I giggled. "By the way Barney, in case you're wondering, Shannon chose these clothes, so my apologies," I said, pointing at my mismatched outfit.

Barney raised his eyebrows and I groaned. "Don't read too much into that!" I shook my head at him as he exchanged a wink with Shannon.

"You two stop right there! The pair of you are plotting behind my back." Again, I couldn't help a little smile curl the edge of my lips as they high-fived each other. Shannon placed his hand on my back and guided me to our table.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, pulling out my chair so I could sit down. "I thought we could relax here without anyone watching us. And it means we can slum it in our old sweatpants and hoodies."

I don't know how, but he'd pulled perfection out of the bag and gift wrapped it in shiny paper. This was so cute and we were both able to relax and chat, while Barney, bless him, waited on us hand and foot.