As Taryn Johnson made her way toward the restaurant to meet her friend Kim for brunch, she realized that she was a few minutes late. She hated being late. She hoped her friend wouldn't mind waiting for her. They had recently begun meeting for brunch on Sundays. Kim owned the art gallery where Taryn showed her paintings. They had become close friends after Taryn's first exhibition at the gallery the previous year. Kim enjoyed working with Taryn because of her easy-going nature and breath-taking talent.
Once Taryn entered the restaurant, she spotted her friend sitting at a table. Kim wasn't alone, however. Two men were also with her.
Trying to conceal her surprise, Taryn smiled and greeted Kim.
"There you are!" Kim exclaimed, giving Taryn a quick hug.
"Sorry I'm late," Taryn said, taking the only empty seat next to her friend. She tried not to feel flustered as she smiled shyly at the two men seated at the table.
"I hope you don't mind, but my boyfriend wanted to join us," Kim said, gesturing toward an attractive blond gentleman seated to her right.
"You must be Charlie," Taryn noted, reaching across the table and shaking his hand. "Kim has told me lots about you."
Charlie was an accountant and did the books for the gallery. He and Kim had been dating for the past month. Taryn had been hearing a lot about him.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Taryn," Charlie said, pushing his glasses up on his nose. He was cute in a bookish sort of way. Taryn could see why Kim was so taken with him. They made a cute couple.
Gesturing toward the man seated on her left, Kim said, "Taryn, I wanted you to meet Charlie's best friend, Gideon Bishop."
Turning her gaze toward Gideon, Taryn felt her breath catch in her throat. Gideon had deep blue eyes, sharp cheek bones, and black hair cut stylishly short. He looked like he kept himself in good shape and his eyes were very expressive. She found herself mesmerized by them.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, reaching to shake her hand. His grip was firm and Taryn felt a warmth spread up her arm.
"Likewise," she muttered, hoping she wasn't blushing too much. She wished Kim had warned her about bring male guests. She felt dowdy in her denim skirt and red sweater. She hadn't put much effort into her appearance since she had been up late painting the night before.
"Charlie and I wanted to introduce our friends to each other," Kim explained, noticing the look Taryn was giving her. Taryn nodded, trying to figure out what Kim had planned.
After ordering coffee, everyone looked at their menus. Taryn secretly stole a look at Gideon, noticing his slender fingers and wishing she could sketch them. It wasn't often that she felt compelled to sketch a stranger, but there was something about Gideon that made her want to capture his image.
"I've seen your work at the gallery and it's amazing," Charlie said kindly, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Thank you," Taryn replied humbly, hoping the topic of conversation would change soon. She wasn't used to being the center of attention and it made her uncomfortable.
"Taryn is having her own show again this year," Kim added, smiling at her boyfriend. "The exhibition should be well worth the wait."
Blushing, Taryn tried to hide her face behind her menu. She was already feeling nervous about the exhibition. Now she had to get through brunch, as well.
"So, Gideon, what do you do?" Taryn asked, looking shyly at him.
Making eye contact with her, Gideon replied, "I'm a lawyer."
"That's an admirable profession," Taryn stated. "It must keep you busy."
"Pretty much," Gideon replied, looking back down at his menu.
Gideon didn't seem to want to talk about himself. Taryn tried to think of something else to talk about.
Before Taryn could change the subject, Charlie made a joke about lawyers that made everyone laugh, including Gideon.
Taryn could tell that Charlie and Gideon were really good friends by the way they teased each other.
"How long have you guys known each other?" Taryn asked, closing her menu.
"Since university," Gideon replied. "And this guy never lets me forget it."
"Aw, someone has to keep you humble, my friend," Charlie said, laughing.
After the waitress came and took their orders, Kim said she had an announcement to make.
"Charlie and I are so glad you both could join us here today," she continued, looking at Taryn and Gideon. "We wanted to tell you our news first. Charlie and I are moving in together."
"You are?" Gideon asked, sounding surprised.
"We know it seems sudden," Charlie said, "but Kim and I feel like we've got something special and we want to share our lives together."
"Congratulations, you guys," Taryn said, smiling.
"Thanks," Kim said jovially. "We start house hunting next week."
They talked about real estate in the different parts of town. Kim was hoping to find a place close to the gallery and Charlie's accounting firm. After their meals arrived, everyone settled down to eat and conversation paused for a while.
Gideon seemed quite preoccupied while they ate. Taryn wondered what he was thinking about.
"So, buddy, are we on for racquetball on Tuesday?" Charlie asked, looking at his friend.
"You bet," Gideon answered, smiling maliciously. "It will have to be at 6:30am because I've got court that morning."
"6:30? You're killing me!" Charlie groaned.
"Just wait 'til we're on the court before you kill me," Gideon responded in a teasing tone.
"You guys sound serious about your sports," Taryn commented.
"I don't know about Charlie, but it keeps me on my toes," Gideon answered, grinning at Taryn.
Taryn grinned back, feeling like Gideon was warming up to her. She certainly wouldn't mind talking to him some more.
"You'll have to stay on your toes in order to beat me on Tuesday," Charlie said in a daring tone.
"Oh no, you guys," Kim chastised. "Don't start your silly betting game again."
"Why not?" Charlie asked. "Gideon can afford to lose once in a while."
"I heard you got carried away last time," Kim admonished, smiling prettily at Charlie.
Charlie promised Kim he wouldn't bet on racquetball if she wouldn't buy any shoes for a month. Kim had nothing to say to that.
"You know her very well, don't you, Charlie?" Taryn joked, smiling at Kim. "Everyone else can resist a shoe sale except Kim."
"We all have our weaknesses," Kim said, shrugging. "There's no crime in liking shoes."
"What's your weakness, Taryn?" Gideon asked.
"Um, I'd have to say....bags," she answered shyly.
"Bags? What kind of bags?" Gideon asked.
"Oh, any kind, really. I love colourful tote bags and those really nice shopping bags that have string for the handles."
"You should see use when we go to the mall," Kim joked. "Taryn goes crazy over the bags I get from shoe stores so I have to buy other bags to put my shoes in."
"Seriously?" Charlie asked incredulously. "You ladies are crazy."
"At least bags can be recycled," Taryn remarked, giggling.
They joked some more about their shopping trips.
A few minutes later, Gideon put down his fork and said, "Well, folks, I'm sorry to cut this short, but I've got a lot of work to do before court tomorrow."
"Can't you stay a little bit longer?" Kim asked, dismayed.
"Maybe some other time," Gideon said, standing up. He pulled a twenty dollar bill from his wallet and placed it on the table.
"It was nice meeting you, Taryn," he said, reaching over to shake her hand. "Take care."
"You too," she murmured, chagrined that he was leaving. She wondered if he'd want to see her again.
After Gideon left, Charlie tried to make Taryn feel better by telling her how much he enjoyed her latest painting from the gallery. Taryn tried not to feel disappointed that Gideon hadn't asked for her cell number. She guessed he wasn't interested in getting to know her better.
"I don't know what's up with Gideon," Kim said, in a reassuring tone. "He's usually more relaxed than this."
"It's okay," Taryn replied. "He probably has a lot on his plate."
Just then, Charlie's cell phone made a beeping noise.
"Excuse me," Charlie said, as he looked at the screen.
Charlie chuckled as he read the message.
"What is it, babe?" Kim asked.
"Gideon wants me to text him Taryn's phone number," Charlie replied. "I guess he forgot to ask for it."
Laughing, Taryn gave Charlie her phone number so he could text it to his friend.
Taryn felt relieved that Gideon was interested in maybe contacting her sometime. At least he didn't reject her outright.
Taryn didn't meet a lot of men. She worked on her paintings most of the time, but art was a solitary pursuit. She had been painting since she was in high school. As a teenager, she also took private art lessons when she could afford them. Her first boyfriend was another student at her art college. Things didn't last long with him due to her boyfriend's moodiness and jealous nature. Taryn knew better than to stay with a guy like that. She had seen other girls her age get into trouble with boys and she wanted to avoid similar fiascoes.
Once everyone finished eating their meals and were getting ready to leave, Kim asked Taryn what her plans were for the rest of the day.
"Oh, I have lots of cleaning to do at my apartment," she answered. "It's become a disaster since I've been painting so much."
"Well, if you don't feel like cleaning, give me a call later," Kim offered, holding Charlie's hand as they left the restaurant.
Taryn nodded, waving at them as she walked to her car. Getting into her car, Taryn realized that it could use a cleaning, too. Oh well. One thing at a time.