looks nice enough. I don’t know a lot about him, we’ve just exchanged a couple of emails. We’ll see."
"What’s this about Gabriel coming to your rescue?"
"Er... I’m helping him out at the gym, and instead, he acts as my bodyguard at the blind dates. Something like that." It wouldn’t do her street cred much good to admit Gabriel was calling all the shots – making her take the self-defense course and insisting on being her bodyguard.
"Be careful."
She rolled her eyes. "Not you too."
"Your brother wouldn’t be thrilled about this, you know."
"You’re not telling him."
"I suppose I’m not," Susan muttered, "but he won’t be thrilled when he finds out I kept this from him."
Alice tossed her apple core into the garbage can and stood up. "I’ll keep you posted."
Back at her desk, the new mail icon was flashing. When she saw the sender’s name, she opened the mail with a huge grin. It was short. "Memorize this list. There will be a quiz."
Alice opened the attachment and leaned forwards on her elbows as she read the contents. It was a long list. It looked like he’d culled together several lists of precautions to take when "meeting a stranger", and added some advice of his own. The results were two full pages of do’s and don’ts, with header that said "Staying Alive," and a PS: "I hate going to funerals."
How bossy. And yet kind of sweet.
And far too big-brotherly, damnit.
***
She had to see about moving away from home, Alice reflected for about the two-thousandth-time this year, as she got home and trudged up the stairs to the tiny apartment over her parents’ garage. Lost in thought, she screamed as someone sitting on the top step stood up. A black and white cat darted between her legs, down the stairs and was gone.
"Gabriel? What are you doing here?"
"Getting ready to give you your quiz before you go on your suicide mission."
"You’re impossible, Gabriel," she said, climbing the last few steps as she dug into her purse for her keys. "Thanks for the email missive. Several adjectives, including overprotective and paranoid, spring to mind, but still, thanks."
"Did you memorize the list?"
"I read it." She finally located her keys, still not having gotten the hang of the new system in her purse, and unlocked the door. Gabriel followed her inside.
"Good. Planning on following the directions?"
"Sure. At least half."
He sent her a grim look. "Watch it, Alice. I’m serious."
"I know. The bit about funerals punched that home. Nice touch."
"Did it scare you?"
"Don’t look so hopeful, Gabriel." She peered into her tiny fridge. "Let’s test out my mind-reading skills: you’re dying for .... skimmed milk right now? Lord, I need to go shopping."
"Did you give this guy any personal information?"
She rolled her eyes, and got out the ice cubes. If nothing else, she did have ice water to offer her guests. "Surprising as that may be, Gabriel, I am being cautious. He only knows my first name, and nothing he could use to identify me. The restaurant is not near where I live, I won’t be driving my car so he can’t see the license plate. And I’ll take a taxi home, making sure he’s not following. Not to mention all the dangerous stuff I’m carting around in my purse these days. See? About half the stuff on your list."
"Okay," he murmured. "Not bad."
"So glad you approve," she said dryly.
"But I’m still coming with you." He grabbed a notepad from a shelf and tossed on the table. "Name and address of the restaurant."
"How about I just call you from there, to let you know I’m okay?"
"Nope. I’m coming with you. Name and address. I need to book a table for one."
She scribbled the address on the pad, then looked him up and down. Oh, Lord. A bright red t-shirt. Where did he find those colors? From a catalogue called Fashion Accessories in a Color-Blind World? "You’re not going to look like this, are you?"
"This is a fancy place?"
"In that t-shirt, people are going to mistake you for the
"What’s this about Gabriel coming to your rescue?"
"Er... I’m helping him out at the gym, and instead, he acts as my bodyguard at the blind dates. Something like that." It wouldn’t do her street cred much good to admit Gabriel was calling all the shots – making her take the self-defense course and insisting on being her bodyguard.
"Be careful."
She rolled her eyes. "Not you too."
"Your brother wouldn’t be thrilled about this, you know."
"You’re not telling him."
"I suppose I’m not," Susan muttered, "but he won’t be thrilled when he finds out I kept this from him."
Alice tossed her apple core into the garbage can and stood up. "I’ll keep you posted."
Back at her desk, the new mail icon was flashing. When she saw the sender’s name, she opened the mail with a huge grin. It was short. "Memorize this list. There will be a quiz."
Alice opened the attachment and leaned forwards on her elbows as she read the contents. It was a long list. It looked like he’d culled together several lists of precautions to take when "meeting a stranger", and added some advice of his own. The results were two full pages of do’s and don’ts, with header that said "Staying Alive," and a PS: "I hate going to funerals."
How bossy. And yet kind of sweet.
And far too big-brotherly, damnit.
***
She had to see about moving away from home, Alice reflected for about the two-thousandth-time this year, as she got home and trudged up the stairs to the tiny apartment over her parents’ garage. Lost in thought, she screamed as someone sitting on the top step stood up. A black and white cat darted between her legs, down the stairs and was gone.
"Gabriel? What are you doing here?"
"Getting ready to give you your quiz before you go on your suicide mission."
"You’re impossible, Gabriel," she said, climbing the last few steps as she dug into her purse for her keys. "Thanks for the email missive. Several adjectives, including overprotective and paranoid, spring to mind, but still, thanks."
"Did you memorize the list?"
"I read it." She finally located her keys, still not having gotten the hang of the new system in her purse, and unlocked the door. Gabriel followed her inside.
"Good. Planning on following the directions?"
"Sure. At least half."
He sent her a grim look. "Watch it, Alice. I’m serious."
"I know. The bit about funerals punched that home. Nice touch."
"Did it scare you?"
"Don’t look so hopeful, Gabriel." She peered into her tiny fridge. "Let’s test out my mind-reading skills: you’re dying for .... skimmed milk right now? Lord, I need to go shopping."
"Did you give this guy any personal information?"
She rolled her eyes, and got out the ice cubes. If nothing else, she did have ice water to offer her guests. "Surprising as that may be, Gabriel, I am being cautious. He only knows my first name, and nothing he could use to identify me. The restaurant is not near where I live, I won’t be driving my car so he can’t see the license plate. And I’ll take a taxi home, making sure he’s not following. Not to mention all the dangerous stuff I’m carting around in my purse these days. See? About half the stuff on your list."
"Okay," he murmured. "Not bad."
"So glad you approve," she said dryly.
"But I’m still coming with you." He grabbed a notepad from a shelf and tossed on the table. "Name and address of the restaurant."
"How about I just call you from there, to let you know I’m okay?"
"Nope. I’m coming with you. Name and address. I need to book a table for one."
She scribbled the address on the pad, then looked him up and down. Oh, Lord. A bright red t-shirt. Where did he find those colors? From a catalogue called Fashion Accessories in a Color-Blind World? "You’re not going to look like this, are you?"
"This is a fancy place?"
"In that t-shirt, people are going to mistake you for the
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