<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/5WGMhX4.jpg)</div><div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/IgjDnJr.jpg)</div><br/><strong>Name:</strong><strong>Sara McComb &amp; Pepe</strong><br/><br/><strong>Date:</strong>April 1, 2017<br/><strong>Time:</strong>early afternoon<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Joao<br/><strong>Summary:</strong>Making an idiot of herself in the park<br/><br/><br/><br/><hr/><hr/><br/>Mentally, Sara was taking notes and assessing.  That, she supposed, was where her professionalism came in, even if it wasn’t exactly stepping up to keep her from acting like a teen with a first crush.<br/><br/>Big dog.  A quick glance down at Pepe made her wonder just how well that would work.  The dogs just had to get along, as she just couldn’t see getting involved with someone who didn’t love Pepe.  Well, he seemed to already like Pepe, and Pepe liked him.<em> “Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you?”</em><br/><br/>But so what?  There were worse beginnings, and even if it didn’t turn out like Snow White and Prince Charming … but who the hell actually knew how that turned out?  Maybe that first passion had fizzled.  Maybe Prince Charming couldn’t keep it in his pants, or was lousy beneath those silk sheets.  Maybe Snow White found she really didn’t like the messiness of sex, or was horrified when she found out that Charming wanted to put that where?<br/><br/><em>“You are kidding, right?  THIS is what you think about when trying to flirt with a gorgeous man?  A doctor?  A nurse?”</em><br/><br/><em>“Oh, yes.  I’m in the Octavian.  We’re in the Octavian.  Oh, you have a sister?  That’s nice – maybe she and Vicky are close to each other in age.   It would be wonderful for her to find a friend in the building.” </em>And preferably a friend that didn’t make Sara worry about what she was out doing, though if she were honest, she didn’t really worry all that much.  People had to live their lives, make their own mistakes – and hopefully have a lot of fun doing it.<br/><br/>John didn’t seem to mind, and they both kept smiling at each other, smiling, indicating that the interest was at least mutual.   If there were awkward moments, neither were taking them to heart, and the information was flowing and neither one seemed to be bothered about how polished it was.  She could listen to that beautifully accented voice all day long.  No attachments – now those were some beautiful words in any language, and as Pepe might say, he was speaking the language of love.  Or at least lust.<br/><br/><em>“Well … how about tonight?  I haven’t been shopping yet, so the cupboards are pretty bare.  Maybe Vi … “</em>Her traitorous mouth closed tight on the almost suggestion that Vicky might join them, and his sister, too.    It would be the nice thing, the right thing to do, but would she seem terribly selfish if she didn’t?  Maybe she could suggest that she order pizza for them instead?<em>“Vicky probably would prefer pizza – you know how kids are.” </em>Boy, she was glad Vicky wasn’t around to hear her shave a few years off her age.  That wouldn’t be pretty,  not pretty at all.<br/><br/>Luckily, her phone was still in her pocket, so the exchange of numbers was completed, along with a puzzle.  Maybe she could try Google Translate?  But no, that would spoil the surprise.<em>“I’d love that.  I hope you'll say it for me, too.”</em><em>"You'll feel pretty damn foolish if it means 'I'm allergic to shellfish'."<br/></em><br/>Yes, her face said that she could probably put her head in the cup of her hand and just stare at him across a candlelit table for a few hours while her imagination went wild.  Love at first sight, lust at first sight, maybe it didn’t matter.  She wasn’t about to look a pint-sized gift horse in the mouth.<br/><br/><em>“I’m glad.  I’m usually not so … easily flustered, believe it or not. “ </em>Her smile reached her eyes, warm, inviting,  and she reached out to lay her hand on his for a moment, given that she’d missed the opportunity before.  Let him believe what he wanted to believe about the reasons.  He didn’t seem like the sort of arrogant ass who’d take making women’s eyes erupt into stars as his due.  He seemed nice, sweet,  and if Pepe approved … well, maybe there were just all sorts of possibilities.<br/><br/><em>“Seven o’clock?  It's a little early, but I skipped lunch, what with the moving.  Since you know all the good places around, how about somewhere we could walk to, sans leashes?   I’m pretty easy when It comes too food – and drinks, too.”  </em>There, that should cover the eventualities, and even if he picked her least favorite cuisine, she could deal.  Why sweat the small stuff when the possibilities were so … attractive.<br/><br/><em>“We could meet in the Atrium.  I met a few of the other neighbors there earlier.  Mrs. Jordan … have you met her yet?  She took one look at Pepe, and I thought she was going to yell for someone to bring a can of Raid.  I'd love to know what she thought of your dog.”<br/></em><br/>