Thanks to Toby, blabbed news about him and Mary Beth appeared to not sit too well with Gwen.  Her reply to his question about her DIY and other statements were terse at best.  Was she simply annoyed at her son?  Or did Elijah have something or anything to do with her succinctness?  Either way, it was noticeable, especially after witnessing firsthand how outgoing she had previously been.  Her tone of voice, however, evidently changed when she greeted Rosalie.<br/><br/>Elijah in no way blamed Toby or his daughter for the spilled gossip, nor was he angry with either of them.  It simply was what it was.  The kids, in their own little minds, considered him and Mary Beth seeing each other socially to be headline news.  He had to chuckle at the thought, while he watched Gwen and Toby leave.  Mary Beth continued to observe him.  They would be seeing each other in a matter of hours for their first date.  So technically, Toby was right in that they were dating.  The youngster had no way of knowing they hadn’t been on a date yet, mostly on account of Elijah having to juggle for a sitter.<br/><br/>With Rosalie strapped into her car seat, which was situated in the backseat of his Wrangler, the pair of Primeaus headed for home.  And somewhere outta the ether, she decided to ask a simple question.  “Daddy, do you like Gwint?”<br/><br/>Eh?  Who or what in the hell is a Gwint?  Elijah blinked, while glancing left and right at the passing and idling traffic.  “Uh, I dunno what that is, sweetie,” he responded.<br/><br/>“Gwint, Daddy!  Gwint!  You know Gwint!” Rosalie exclaimed, exasperation building by the second.<br/><br/>“Um, still no clue, Tootsie Pop,” he admitted.<br/><br/>She sighed in frustration, and he had to bite down to refrain from laughing out loud.  “Daddy, Gwint.  You know, Gwint.  Toby’s Mom!”  Finally, she revealed what a Gwint was.<br/><br/>Oh, for cripes sake, he thought.  Here we go again.  First it was nerve, now this.  “Okay, I think you mean Gwen,” he said, already anticipating her acidic response.<br/><br/>“That’s what I’ve been saying, Daddy!” she scolded.  “You just don’t listen.”  Rosalie sighed again like a pro, seemingly defeated.<br/><br/>Oh, I listen fine, ya little chipmunk!  You’re the one who’s not saying it right!  Pick your arguments, Elijah, pick your arguments.  And one with a bright five-year-old would go nowhere.<br/><br/>“Um, I do like Gwen, Rosie,” he offered, careful not to give the little snitch<i>too </i>much ammunition for future broadcasts.  “She’s a real nice lady.  Why do you ask?”<br/><br/>“Well, Daddy, if you can date Miss Sinclair, can you date Gwint, too?”  Oh man, that was such a priceless question, especially coming from a five-year-old.  If only she knew all the angst and headache and whatever else there was to even consider such a scenario.  By now, Elijah was quite used to and very fond of his ability to breathe in oxygen.  So no, Operation Dating Mary Beth and Gwen would not be put into action anytime soon.  Rosalie seemed crestfallen when he explained that for him, it was always one at a time.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center">&gt; &gt; &gt; &gt; &gt; &gt;&lt; &lt; &lt; &lt; &lt; &lt;​</div><br/>“Who gets the halibut with asparagus and wild rice?” a woman other than their original waitress asked.<br/><br/>“Right here,” Mary Beth perked up, with a raised index finger.<br/><br/>While she placed his plate in front of him, she winked and said, “Shoulda known you’d be having the steak.”  She asked if there was anything else they needed, and sauntered away when they said there was not.<br/><br/>Elijah eyed his medium-well New York strip, with mashed potatoes and sautéed mushrooms, knowing he wouldn’t be needing a doggie bag for later.<br/><br/>They traded individual bites of their main courses, and both agreed the other’s was very yummy.  After a moderately quiet dinner, Mary Beth ordered a slice of key lime cheesecake and coffee, while Elijah opted for just coffee, with cream and sugar.  He was duly impressed that her plate was just as clean as his of any culinary evidence.<br/><br/>“May I ask you a question, Eli?” Mary Beth asked.  He nodded while sipping from his coffee mug.  Did anyone ever say no to such a question? he wondered.<br/><br/>“What, uh, do you think of Gwen?  Gwen Whitmore,” she said.<br/><br/>He blinked.  Was something in the water?  Some kinda bacteria floating around in the air?  First his daughter, now Mary Beth inquiring about Gwen.  He surmised that the waitress would be next to ask about Gwen.<br/><br/>Not sure as to why a woman he was out on a date with would be asking about another woman, he answered her.  “She’s a nice lady and a good mother, with a sharp sense of humor.  Why?”<br/><br/>Embarrassed, she flushed and stammered, “I’m, uh, sorry.  I was just wondering if you might, um, be interested in her like this.”  To be clear as to what she meant, she flicked a finger back and forth between them.  “And if you are, then I would step aside.”  Elijah was oh so close to releasing a belly laugh, recalling his last icy encounter with said Gwen Whitmore.<br/><br/>“Don’t think it matters much, Mary Beth,” he stated with a grin.  “See, I don’t think she’s even vaguely interested in me that way.”  Forget coffee.  He’d be ordering a double espresso next!<br/><br/>“Oh trust me, she’s interested,” she confidently said.<br/><br/>Elijah smiled at her, and then said, “Don’t tell me, woman’s intuition?”<br/><br/>“You don’t believe in that?” Mary Beth challenged.<br/><br/>A shrug was her immediate reply, followed by, “Why would I?  I’m not a woman,” Elijah correctly pointed out.<br/><br/>She laughed and nodded.  “This is true, and so I’ve noticed,” she said.  “But really, Eli, I would not have said it if I didn’t believe it.  Sometimes, I see the way she looks at you when you’re not aware she’s looking.”<br/><br/>Now it was his turn to nod.  “Fair enough,” he said, and left it at that.  She seemed satisfied with his comment.<br/><br/>Since they each drove to the restaurant, there was no one for him to take home, or invite back to his place.  Elijah winced at the image of Mary Beth in his bed.  Not that he wouldn’t want to, quite the contrary actually.  Rather, it was the horrifying thought of Rosalie being armed with that massive chunk of gossip.  He could see it now, in bold headlines splashed all over the school:<b><i>Miss Sinclair Is Sleeping With My Daddy!</i></b>Photos at 11 p.m.  Nope, he’d be damn sure that if she ever spent the night, Rosalie would be having a sleepover somewhere else.<br/><br/>They’d evenly split the bill, although Mary Beth still insisted on paying more, arguing that her meal cost a bit more than his.  AND she ordered dessert.  Elijah was having none of it, and she eventually agreed to the equal terms.  He walked her to her car, and both agreed their dinners were delicious and they’d had a good time this evening.  She ignored her wide open car door for now, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss.  He was going nowhere anytime soon, so he leaned into her, happily returning her kiss.<br/><br/>Pulling into his designated parking spot, Elijah shut the engine off and sat there in silence, listening to the engine’s numerous pings and clicks as it cooled down.  He knew he’d be seeing Mary Beth again, and he noticed how she struggled with something almost the entire evening.  Pure speculation wondered if it might be about her wanting to ask about spending the night, whether at his place or hers.  Thoughts raced between Mary Beth and Gwen.  Back to Mary Beth.  Then back to Gwen.  He shook his head in frustration, as if that simple act was sufficient enough to rid both of them from his mind.<br/><br/>Instead, he thought of another member of the female species, and how she would very soon be tucked into her own bed.