It wasn't hard to get settled into the apartment. The heat worked well to ward off the cold, and there was more than enough room for all my clothes. Having the food from Jodie was an immense help too, since I didn't have to go shopping right away, and I just let my body relax and recover from the long drive. She was also an exceptional cook, and I'd texted her multiple times thanking her for the various dishes. Every time, she offered more if I ever wanted to stop by for dinner.

Blake and Ray were giving me constant ranch updates, as though they thought I'd come back and fire them or something, so that was good. I talked to Mckenna every night too, and you'll be shocked to know that while I thought it might be a mistake to get involved with the landlady, she thought I should absolutely go for it. Jodie was pretty, a good cook, nice, and flirty enough for me to know that she was into me. To Mckenna, that meant I should at least go see what a dinner would be like. I was almost certain that she was single, and there was no harm in seeing her. So, I decided to take her up on her offer the night before New Year's Eve.

I was a bit nervous as I walked up the steps to her door. Was this considered a date? Was she just being polite? I wasn't even sure what I wanted this to be! With a sigh, I rang the doorbell, hoping that by the end of the night, I would have a firmer understanding of my own desires.

When Jodie answered the door, I felt a stir of excitement flow through me. She was wearing a pair of jeans that hugged her hips, and a blue and white flannel shirt that had several buttons undone. She was barefoot, which somehow was a perfect look for her, and I realized she had to be maybe six inches shorter than me. It was a nice height if I wanted to hug her.

Not that I wanted to hug her of course.

"Good evening, Jodie. Thanks for the invitation," I said with a smile. "I brought a loaf of bread and some cannoli." I really had no idea if this was good or not. She said dinner was pasta, and I wasn't old enough to buy the wine that guests customarily bring, so I did the best I could at the local supermarket.

"That's perfect!" she replied happily, stepping aside so I could come in. "Here, let me take your jacket!" she reached up, giving a tug to the collar of my leather jacket, and I twisted to let it slip off my arms one at a time, while I juggled the bread and dessert.

She had a very nice home, and looked to have done some remodeling, as I didn't think many ranch style homes had open floor plans. But there were nice hardwood floors, a bright kitchen and a cozy living room with a fireplace. The dining room had a nice view of the woods behind the house, where I was pretty sure the horse trails were.

"This is a great place! I don't think I'd ever leave if I lived here." I looked around and was very impressed with what she'd done. The house was similar to what I'd grown up with at my grandfather's, but much nicer. We'd never remodeled or knocked down walls. I could see why she had done it though, it was spectacular.

She blushed at the praise and then shrugged. "I got stuck watching a lot of house remodeling shows and decided to give it a shot. It didn't work too well though, I have no skill with tools, so I hired a contractor to finish it. But it did come out pretty well!"

"I wouldn't have had the guts to even try it," I admitted with a chuckle. I was liking this already. I normally hated being in these situations. Strange house, new person, no friend for a buffer. But Jodie was making it easy. She wasn't up in my face but was more relaxed and welcoming. Maybe Mckenna was right? I couldn't tell her that though, she'd never let me hear the end of it!

"It was a messy few months, and I hated being here for it, but you don't remember that part when you see it." She went over into the kitchen where a pot was bubbling on the stove. "Do you want to cut up the bread? Dinner is just about done." She pointed at a knife block, and I got to work, slicing several pieces of the baguette off for us to eat.

She quickly drained the pasta, a fettuccine, and then mixed it into an alfredo sauce on the stove top. For some reason, I had been expecting a red sauce of some kind, so I was happily surprised, since I loved a good alfredo sauce, no matter how unhealthy it was. She took a pair of heavy plates out of an upper cabinet, and then scooped a healthy amount of pasta onto each before sprinkling a little chopped parsley onto them.

"I know, I made too much, but you can take anything we don't finish." She apologized as she carried the plates to the table. I brought the bread and then she grabbed a little dish of olive oil to dip the bread in. This was like eating in a restaurant!

She may not have invited me on a 'date' but she was sure making a great impression. I couldn't help but be impressed by all the effort. "Jodie, this is seriously amazing. You didn't have to go all out. I would have been happy with grilled cheese or something!"

She turned a bit pink at that. "I couldn't do that. I had to welcome you properly!" she insisted.

"You've been so friendly ever since I've arrived that I'm pretty sure you have the proper greeting down cold," I assured her as I pulled out her chair for her. It was the least I could do since she'd gone through all the trouble of cooking.

I sat on the other side of the table and looked across at her. She was just watching me. Was I supposed to do something? Was there a social cue I missed? Fuck! "Do you say grace at all?" she asked.

The real answer, not since my dad kicked me out, wasn't proper for the situation. But I'd been raised in a Baptist household by a man who was a true believer. The church we attended made sure we knew that gays, liberals, and abortion were the work of the devil. Luckily, my mom wasn't into the whole church thing. She went, but she also told us not to stress too much about it in those private moments when dad wasn't around. Not that she stopped him from kicking me out, or from telling everyone about me, but I was pretty sure that her life with him wasn't the best either.

"No, I don't really pray. But you're more than welcome to if you'd like," I replied.

She shook her head quickly. "No, it's ok. I just didn't want to start if you wanted to."

"Then we better eat. This smells much too good to let it get cold!" I told her.

The pasta was even better than it smelled. I hadn't noticed, but there were little pieces of grilled chicken in there, and I couldn't help but sigh happily into each bite. I hadn't had anyone treat me this well other than my grandfather and Mckenna, and I was worried for my heart. I was determined to go slow, but she was making it so hard!

"If you ever give up the ranch, you could just sell this and make a fortune!" I commented. "All of the food you've shared has been so good, I'll need to get more exercise to work it off!"

"What kind of workout did you need?" she asked, with a little smirk.

I tried to ignore that, but I had a feeling that she meant exactly what I thought she was implying. "Light weights, a lot of cardio. I get a lot of that when it is soccer season, but I need to do some before we start practices. Would it be okay to jog on the horse trails?"

"Of course! They're well marked, so that wouldn't be an issue. Don't go when it's dark though, the footing isn't perfect because the horses don't need it as smooth as we do and there could be some rocks or tree roots," she advised.

"Yeah, I don't need a twisted ankle. Good point." The last thing I needed was an injury when I'd be competing for a starting position! "Maybe I should walk it at first, and then jog out on the main roads."

"That is safer. I love the trails, but I'd hate to see you hurt. If you want, I can go with you, show you the trail," she suggested. "There are several different options, so you can go for a longer time, or just a quickie depending on your mood."

"Which one do you prefer?" I blurted out, a second before my brain caught onto the connotations of what she'd said.

"I don't think I could ever say no to a longer one. I'd do that all day if I could. But sometimes a quickie is just what you need," she said with a sly smile.

Well, fuck. I walked right into that one. "That is umm... That's good to know."

"Too forward?" she asked, a frown on her face.

"Jodie, I really don't know. I don't date, it's been a rough decade or so. You're really nice, and you're beautiful, and I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me since I got here. But I need to take things slow. My semester hasn't even started, I still don't know my way around town, and I left my best friend in Texas. If you don't mind moving at a snail's pace, then we'll see. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to you, but I just got here and don't want to mess up something by rushing with the one person I even know in the state," I explained. I can't remember the last time I said that much in a single conversation!

"I'm sorry Frankie, I really am. I knew I was coming on too strong, but I couldn't help it. You're a gorgeous young woman, and it is pretty lonely out here. I will try to tone it down, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. That seems good. Thanks."

"In the meantime, tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Do you want to come by and watch the ball drop? It sucks being alone for the new year, so it would be nice to have you here, even as a friend."

I was happy that she had understood, and it was a nice offer. I knew Mckenna would already be killing me for not flirting right back and probably hopping into bed with her, but I just couldn't. Not yet. Not that fast. "I can be here, that would be great."