A Penny For Your Thoughts

5. Musée Mécanique Magic

Penny giggled, and I couldn't help but smile too. "Taking a page out of Andrew's playbook, I see. Well, to what do I owe the honor of this call?"

"Um," I stuttered and scratched the nape of my neck, nervous about the question I was about to pose, "I was wondering if you were free today."

Penny gasped in mock disbelief. "Oh my, is Dylan asking me out?"

"I suppose so?" Answering a question with a question. Classic. Speaking eloquently was a skill. I didn't have that skill.

Penny giggled again at my ineptitude. "Well, I suppose I'm not doing anything this afternoon, aside from a few errands that I'm currently running. If you want to swing by and pick me up, I'll be ready in about an hour and a half."

It took every bit of self control to not celebrate on the spot. I steadied my voice, nearly succeeding at sounding composed in my response. "I'll see you soon, Penny."

Soon didn't come soon enough. Ninety minutes always passed by rather quickly. At Armstrong & Lynch, the workload kept me occupied. Time often flew by without me recognizing it. That wasn't the case today. Now that I was idle, every minute dragged by at an agonizing pace.

I tried to keep myself busy with a list of tasks. At the top of that list was changing into presentable clothes. That sounded a bit odd, given that I was in a suit on a daily basis. However, a date was different from work. I felt that my appearance should reflect that.

Rummaging through my closet, I found a pressed white denim shirt that seemed to be suitable for the occasion. After that was decided, I tossed on a pair of tan chinos and white sneakers to complete the outfit. A smart casual look felt appropriate for a date.

Next on my agenda was deciding on a location for the date. I was quite conflicted about making this decision. Did Penny expect me to take initiative and present her with a location, or was she hoping to have some input in the process?

As the Director of Accounting and Financial Operations, I had plenty of experience in planning, but that kind of planning only involved numbers. Numbers didn't have emotions or feelings. I wasn't concerned about offending numbers. That was why I found it difficult to come to a conclusion on this occasion.

In the end, I went with the option I knew best: risk mitigation. That was my solution to most financial problems. The safest choice was to cover both possibilities in case either situation arose.

I found a potential destination and kept it in mind, but I wasn't about to reveal it at the outset. Instead, I would ask Penny for her input to involve her in the decision making process. Should she ask for my opinion, that was when I offered my solution.

With all my bases covered, I walked to my car feeling confident about this impending date. I knew that Penny was interpersonally adept. She was capable of making most encounters enjoyable. It was my own shortcomings that brought me the greatest concern. My fear of being caught on the spot and causing socially awkward moments was plaguing my mind. Hopefully, some of this planning helped to mitigate those risks.

I arrived at Penny's place exactly ninety minutes after I had called her. The timing was perfect. I didn't want to appear too keen by waiting before our scheduled time, and I couldn't wait any longer to see Penny again. Even though it had been less than twenty four hours, it felt like it had been at least a week since I last saw Penny's face.

I didn't have to wait much longer after parking my car to see Penny. She walked out of the front door, donning a yellow floral dress that cut off at her knees, about a minute after I had brought the vehicle to a complete stop against the curb by her house. Perhaps, just perhaps, she was as excited as I was to see each other.