Annie and Dan Pt. 01

Even as he was sitting, he looked up at Annie, "Where were we? Oh, you were sharing about the farm you grew up on in Seldon."

Now it was her turn to blush in surprise, "Yeah, Seldon..." She talked about the small farm she lived on, the restaurant her parents owned after selling the farm in high school, and a bit about high school.

"I remember a bit about Seldon High," Dan shared. "We played them a few times when I was over the mountain in the valley, but that was a bit before you were there." She smiled and received a smile and a wink in return. He asked about a few of the landmarks in the area and the name of the restaurant again.

Annie replied with a bit of sadness, "The Lone Pine." Her parents bought it about 10 years ago and made it into a place popular with the locals and folks passing through as well. They spent hours upon hours working, only to have her father's cancer take it all away. In the past year, her father was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer that ate away his energy and their savings along with it. The restaurant was sold, and a few months later, the cancer won the battle and took her father.

Paula interrupted to talk about the town she grew up in, not that anyone was really listening. Annie was lost in thought, and Dan looked as if he wanted to say something but didn't. He shifted a bit and his foot brushed against Annie's own. Was that on purpose? she thought. No, it was in her head; he was probably trying to get away from Paula. This made her smile just the same.

The burgers, shakes and chicken strips arrived amongst a lighter mood. Stories of past employers and hopes for the future were common topics. Talk turned to what parts of the city they lived in. Beth was the most local to their current location, living only a mile or so from the office. Paula, Annie, and Dan all lived on the west side of the city. Paula was the closest to the city, Dan the farthest, and Annie in the middle but closer to Dan than Paula. Erin was the only one living more south in a newer neighborhood of condos.

Small talk continued until all were finished eating. Dan quickly gathered the baskets, and bused the table before heading to the door to open it for the girls. Annie hung back a bit, realizing he would be the last onto the sidewalk, and she wanted to visit more. It worked. They talked more of Seldon, high school, and a bit of college. She felt her young age a bit as she realized he was caught up on the story of her life, not the details obviously, but her timeline was current. Being out of college only a few years, she didn't have much more to share.

Dan continued the conversation as they walked into the office, talking about his college and early jobs leading into his entry into furniture design.

"Well, I should probably get to work and figure out this new system," he said as they both removed their wet coats. He deftly moved to help her out of her raincoat, shaking it over the entry rug before handing it back to her.

"Thanks. Are you taking the train back home after work?" She hoped this didn't seem too forward then laughed a bit at herself for second guessing such an innocent question.

He smiled back at her and quickly replied, "Of course. Do want to let me know when you are about ready? I'll catch the train with you if you're going that way as well."

"Great! See you in a few hours."

Annie returned to her books and computer to continue the transition to the 21st century. The hours went by quickly, and before she knew it, 5 o'clock rolled around. She put on her coat, said goodnight to Paula, and left their shared office.

Walking through the reception area, she chatted briefly with Beth about their respective past weekends. Annie enjoyed hearing about Beth's adventures in the city each weekend, almost living vicariously through them. Annie enjoyed her own weekend, but it was more relaxed than her shorter colleague's. She imagined Beth being quite the sight at the club on Friday nights. Between her spunky attitude, trendy dress, and large breasts, she likely garnered a lot of attention.

She continued down the hall and knocked lightly on the design studio's open door. Dan was working alone and looked up, smiling.

"Ready?"

"You bet. Give me a few seconds to close out of this," he responded, gesturing at his computer.

"Sure. Meet me in the lobby." Annie walked out of the office and towards a smiling Beth. "Whatever, Beth."

Chapter 3

Dan enjoyed the morning so far; Erin had walked him through their portfolio of standard production pieces and custom work. She also brought him up to speed on the changes already in place with the designs as well as her plans for future work. Erin was easy to talk to and easy to look at, about 5'7 or 5'8, but her high-heel boots brought her within a couple inches of his six foot height. She was wearing black leggings that disappeared under a large sweater dress that draped off one shoulder.

Dan found the bare shoulder actually quite distracting, and not just the bare skin, although it gave hints to her fit physique. He thought about what was under the sweater, specifically her bra, or possibly lack of. Dan was sure she was wearing one as she appeared to have nice-sized breasts, a handful if you will. And surely, under a sweater, she'd need something. He settled on either a strapless bra of some sort of single strapped one. That helped a bit, but then his mind drifted to the style, color, and whether it matched her panties. He was able to shake it off and regain focus on the task at hand.

They spent some time at his computer going through the design files and software. As she typed on the keyboard, he noticed a wedding ring, a decent sized one at that. Looking over at her station, he noticed a few pictures of her and a man about his age. He guessed her to be about 30, give or take a few years. He didn't see any children's photos but was smart enough not to ask.

But he did ask about her husband. "Married I see?"

"Three years now. His name is John. An accountant in the city." She continued on talking about how they met, where the photos on her desk where taken, and finally about the kid situation. They were going to try this coming year for their first.

Dan always chuckled at the 'trying' notion. He was smart enough, though, to realize that for some it wasn't all fun and games and the struggle is real, with calendars, doctors, etc. But his mind drifted to the idea of trying with Erin couldn't be all bad. John must be a lucky guy.

It was time for the meeting, so they wrapped up their overview and walked to the boardroom. He entered just behind Erin and a man slightly older than himself. The dress was short enough to give some hint of her legs. He liked to see more, specifically her ass, but he wasn't complaining. She quickly went to the other side of the long table and sat next to Beth. He sat on the near side of the table next to a woman his age or maybe a few years older.

"Good morning, you must be Dan, the new guy. I'm Paula."

"Morning. Yes, Dan. Nice to meet you, Paula. What do you do here?"

"I'm in charge of all of the sales. I also designed our website; have you seen that?"

"No, I haven't," he lied. He did his research when he applied for the job which included the website. It was atrocious, way too busy, bordering on painful to look at and worse to navigate. It was near the top of his list of changes to make, but he was one to not rock the boat before settling in.

"And this is Annie. She's our financial department," she shared as she leaned back giving a view to the girl from the train. Dan immediately smiled, and not the 'nice to meet you' smile from a few moments ago, but a genuine smile of seeing her again.

"Hi, Annie. Dan. Dan Remington." Did she just blush? Nah, it must be the warmth in here.

"Hi," she smiled back at him and quickly disappeared as Paula went back into talking with him.

Dan quickly realized he should have sat next to Erin instead of taking a chance sitting here. Paula droned on and on about this and that. He had a hard time following the random trivialities of both her work and personal life. He gave her the cursory nods and 'uh-huhs' which did nothing but encourage her to go on.

He used this time to check her out. Yeah, should have sat next to Erin, he thought. She was definitely a few years older and a bit harder looking than the rest. He could imagine she was a good looking twenty-something, but at fortyish, the skirt was too short and the heels too high. Maybe Friday night, but not Monday morning.

He glanced across the table at Erin and Beth. They chatted and giggled like old friends. Beth was younger, maybe early to mid 20's. She was very cute. And little. He wondered if she was even five foot. Maybe short would be more apt because her chest did not give the 'little' vibe. On the contrary, she was a bit top heavy, definitely more than Erin's handful, which was even more exaggerated by the rest of her petite frame. And no ring. Not that he was looking, but it was something he usually noticed. He laughed it off as a keeping his options open. This thought made him smile again as he was definitely not a 'go-getter' in the dating category. He was more reserved in reality. Just then Beth and Erin looked up at him. Now it was his turn to blush and smile.

Patty started the meeting with his introduction, followed by the other gentleman's presentation. John walked them through the new facility and production process. Dan was trying to listen carefully as this was integral to his new position. Obviously Paula could care less because she continued on about her amazing life and wonderful boyfriend.

Dan caught Annie's eye and gave a look of desperation, to which Annie gave him a knowing smile.

Plans were made for lunch and a group met in the lobby to head to some local place. Patty, John, and Todd didn't join them as they were heading over to the production facility for the afternoon.

Dan held the door as the girls exited, which turned a bit awkward when Beth was waiting for him to move so she could lock the door. That aside, they were on their way.

Dan enjoyed getting away from Paula. The rain made a good excuse to walk quickly, something that didn't work well with the heels and tight skirt. He and Annie visited about backgrounds and laughed as they realized they grew up in the same part of the state, although about 45 miles apart. Dan noted in his head that it was probably 10 or more years apart as well.

"Watch out!" Dan called out and grabbed her arm to pull her aside. She was looking at him and not paying attention to the puddles. He noticed her small flats weren't going to fare well in anything very deep. As it was, the long jeans flared a bit and were getting wet anyway.

He saw they were close and walked a few steps ahead to get the door. It was gentlemanly of course, but is also gave him a chance to smile at each girl as they walked by. After they all passed by, it gave him a chance to view their assets without them knowing. His eyes were drawn to Annie's assets, actually, her ass. The jeans flared at the bottom, but became a bit more fitting as they climbed to and hugged her butt. And it was shapely. He loved curves, and hers were beautiful. She definitely wasn't as skinny as Paula or even Erin, but it looked firm and real. He liked it. It was then he realized how tall she was, nearly the same as Erin, but with flats instead of the higher-heeled boots.

He could see why they came here often. The two guys behind the counter shamelessly flirted with the girls. To which all but Annie flirted back just as openly. She smiled, but Dan could tell she was a bit more reserved, which was magnified by Paula's nearly jumping on the counter to flirt back. It was sad actually, but still entertaining.

Walking back to the table last, he had a decision to make; there was an empty seat next to both Paula and Annie. Just as he decided to sit next to Annie to continue their conversation, Paula scooted over, patting the seat next to her. Shit.

Even as he was sitting, he looked up at Annie, "Where were we? Oh, you were sharing about the farm you grew up on in Seldon." He caught Paula's look of disappointment out of the corner of his eye and Annie's smile at the same time.

Annie shared more, and Dan intently listened; there were no empty 'uh-huhs', just good conversation. That was until he asked about the restaurant her parents owned. At the mention of the name, she quieted. There was something more, but he didn't want to pry. He looked into her blue eyes, seeing a tear form but not quite drop. He shifted in his seat uneasily and accidentally brushed his leg against hers. A shiver went through his body that took him completely by surprise. She looked up and smiled at that moment.

Paula took the quiet as her time to share and carried on about her own past, but Dan didn't hear any of it. He continued looking at Annie, wondering what was going on. He felt like he could hear her heartbeat over the din of the room but shook it off when the food arrived.

The burgers were large and very good. Annie and Paula ordered chicken strips, which looked good as well. He enjoyed the conversation and appreciated the girls were actually eating. It always annoyed him when women picked at their food and pretended that they never ate. He liked real things, real women, not fakes. Maybe that was the issue with Paula.

During the conversation, he scanned the table, noting that Paula also had a wedding ring. Odd, didn't she mention her boyfriend a while back? Maybe he misheard; it was possible as he had tuned out much of what she had said since meeting her. Beth and Annie were each ringless. He wasn't going to ask but made a point to listen carefully to the girl talk. Nothing was explicitly mentioned about relationships, but there was talk of going out and a few names mentioned.

They finished up with Dan clearing the table. He opened the door and followed the girls back to the office, enjoying more conversation with Annie on the way. He picked up that she was out of college only a year or so, and in listening to her stories, there didn't seem to be much between high school and college. That would put her in her early twenties. He shared a bit of his college life and early career in design when they arrived at the office. He was a bit disappointed to end their conversation, but he also knew they had work to do.

Annie was struggling with her jacket so he leaned over to help out, taking it from her to shake the excess water off onto the entry rug.

He started to head to the studio when she asked about catching the train together on the way home. He smiled at her question as he didn't quite have the courage to ask. Silly, though, they were colleagues who rode the same train; what was such the big deal? They agreed to get together at the end of the day.

Once in the design studio, he and Erin continued working on getting him up to speed until she left around 4:30. He explored the current designs and thought about starting some sketches but wasn't feeling it yet. He puttered about looking into drawers and cabinets gathering materials he would need to start some initial drawings tomorrow. He would have been done sooner, but the clock kept grabbing his attention. How sad is that, watching the clock on the first day on the job, he thought. He wasn't ready to admit there was another reason.

He was back at his computer when there was a light rapping on the open door. He looked up and smiled at Annie.

"Ready?"

"You bet. Give me a few seconds to close out of this," he responded, gesturing at his computer.

"Sure. Meet me in the lobby," she said as she turned to go down to the lobby.

Dan shut down the programs followed by the computer itself. After tidying up, he grabbed his jacket, shut the door and went to the lobby. Annie was there chatting with Beth.

"Goodnight, Beth," they both said in unison, sharing a smile as they did.

Beth grinned at them, "Goodnight you two."

He opened the door as they exited into the rain. Outside, he asked if she wanted to grab a coffee for the trip home.

"I'd love to, really, but I need to get home. The complex is sending over someone to look at our plumbing, and Kevin is finishing up a job late tonight."

Kevin? Dan's heart sank a little which surprised him. Why should he care? He dismissed the feeling, put on a brave face, and asked her about Kevin.

"Kevin's my boyfriend. Been together for a couple of years now. He runs a crew of roofers for his dad's company."

"Nice. That's hard work; not sure I'd want to be on a roof in this weather." Dan tried to keep up his end of the conversation, but he really wasn't interested in talking about Kevin.

"We just moved in together several weeks ago, about the same time I took this job."

"How's that going?"

"Fine, no big issues so far. We're still unpacking a bit, trying to figure out whose stuff were keeping, and whose we're pitching."

"Been there, done that," he laughed in response. "Good luck, it'll be great."

"I hope," she admitted and left it at that. It was starting to sound like a conversation she had with her dad before he died.

Both had a pass to the transit system so they skipped the ticketing machine and heading to the platform. It was starting to rain again and the cover of the platform was a welcoming spot to wait.

"Do you always take the train?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"Not usually, but my car is acting up. It left me stranded in rush hour traffic a few weeks ago. And this morning it wouldn't start at first. I really don't want it to leave me stranded again."

"That sucks. What kind of car is it?"

"A '74 Super Beetle. It was a project my dad helped me with in high school."

At that comment, Dan looked over and saw the same look from earlier in the day. He finally gained the courage to ask when the train pulled in. They quietly boarded the near empty car and sat down next to each other in the back.

"So, what happened to your dad?" he asked, this time more out of concern than curiosity. She didn't reply, but he could see she wasn't ignoring him.

Annie shared with Dan about how they worked on her Beetle in high school. She told him how, as an only child, she was the son her dad never had. They worked on her car and his cars as well. She admitted that she didn't pick up on the mechanical part as much as he had wished, but they both enjoyed the time together. She went on to talk about the restaurant, the long hours and tough first few years. Annie did the bookkeeping after her homework was done in high school; it was truly a family effort. By the time she went to college, the business was doing well, and her parents were able to pay for a professional accountant and a manager that allowed them to cut back a bit.

Dan looked up, and, to his surprise, they had already passed through the city a while ago; he was so absorbed into Annie that he missed the crowds altogether.

She then talked briefly of her dad's cancer, losing the restaurant and nearly the house, and ultimately his death a month or so ago.

Dan wanted to hug her at that moment, but he felt uncomfortable with that amount of personal touch seeing that he just met her today. He did, however, pat her on the knee and was genuinely surprised when she grabbed his hand and squeezed. There was that shiver again.

The train slowed, "This is my stop." She dabbed at the corners of her eyes as she stood to move toward the exit. Dan got up and followed her. "What are you doing? This isn't your stop is it?"

"I want to make sure that bug of your fires up. Can't leave a pretty girl stranded if her car won't start, can we?" He gave her a smile and wink. Dan noticed her blush even standing on the dark platform.