Point, Click, Love by Molly Shapiro Page B

think that’s great.”
    “I know. It is great. And I don’t care what happens now.”
    “Good. That’s a great attitude. I’m proud of you, Katie.”
    “Thanks, Maxine.”
    But as the day wore on and Katie picked up her kids and took them to the zoo, all the while thinking about Ed, she couldn’t fool herself any longer. She did care. She desperately wanted him to call that day, and she carried her cell phone in her pocket instead of in her purse, so she’d be sure to feel its vibration. By six o’clock, when there was still nothing, Katie decided she would have to forget about Ed and chalk up the experience to a good lesson learned: no sex on the first date.
    When she arrived home and walked in the back door, she noticed the light blinking on her answering machine. Then she remembered. She had never given Ed her cell-phone number. He had only her home number. She rushed to the machine and pressed “play.”
    “Hi, Katie. It’s Ed. I wanted to thank you for an amazing evening. Give me a call. I’d really love to see you again.”
    It seemed that Ed was no game player, so Katie decided she wasn’t going to be one either. She called Ed that same night, right after putting her kids to bed. They talked on the phone for an hour and a half and made plans to see each other the next weekend, when Rob had the kids. Ed called again the next night and they talked for two hours. The next day, Katie came home from work to find a bouquet of red roses sitting on her front porch with a card that said: “Hope you had a wonderful day.” Rather than waiting for his call, Katie phoned Ed immediately to thank him. He told her he couldn’t wait until Friday night to see her and asked if she would meet him for lunch the next day. She did, and whenthey were done eating they sat in Ed’s Mercedes and made out for ten minutes.
    The weekend was filled with nonstop activity. They went to a gallery opening, a tapas bar with live music, a play at the university, and a cocktail party thrown by one of Ed’s coworkers. It was also filled with nonstop sex.
    Katie was amazed at how in synch they were when it came to sex, how they always wanted it at the same time, how they both knew exactly what to do. There were moments when Katie wondered if she was getting too caught up in the sex, if maybe it was clouding her judgment. But then she thought, no, she really did like him. She enjoyed every minute of their time together, in bed and out.
    Katie’s only concern was that Ed was going a little too fast. They talked every day. He sent flowers at least once a week. He gave her gifts—CDs, lingerie, small household appliances. Then, after only five weeks of dating, he said it.
    “I think I’m falling in love with you,” he whispered while they were lying in bed.
    Katie looked at him and, before she could catch herself, said, “Me too.”
    She knew she shouldn’t have said it after knowing him such a short time, but it just came out. She wondered if maybe it was real. Maybe he did love her and maybe she did love him. So what was the harm in saying so?
    After that, Ed started making references to their future together. He’d talk about trips they would take and cities they might want to live in one day. Once he pointed out the bedrooms that Frank and Maggie would take when they moved in. He even gave Katie a key to his house and the code to his alarm, telling her she should feel free to come and go as she pleased. Katie knew it was crazy, but she couldn’t see the harm in letting Ed fantasize. Who knew what would happen?
    But all the talk had an effect on her. She had always vowed never to get married again, but listening to Ed and all his plans made her wonder if maybe she had been wrong. Maybe, with the right person, marrying again could be a good thing.
    Katie and Ed had been together only two months before he came right out and asked her: “Have you ever thought about marrying again?”
    “Actually, I was always pretty sure I never