like a throne to sit in.
I quietly made dinner in the other cast iron pan I had brought and then pulled out the fresh bread from the Dutch Oven, making two plates, then handing one to Jolene.
Her eyes grew wide as she stared down at the plate and she looked up at me. “Did you make fresh bread from that pot thing.”
“Yes, I did. And the pot thing is called a Dutch Oven.”
“Wow.” She sounded mildly impressed. “No one has ever made me bread on the spot on a date. This is almost like Hunger Games. Are you a baker? Are you going to throw me left over bread?”
I winked at her. “Only if you kiss me in a cave.”
Jolene laughed and every time she did it was an intoxicating sound, warm and a little rough, lacking a bit of femininity but in such a wonderful way. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of sounds she would make writhing underneath me. I had a small taste of it the night at the bar, but I knew it wasn’t the real Jolene, only the one she allowed people to see.
We finished dinner and I put everything away as I grabbed the white sheet.
“This must be the movie?” Jolene pointed to the sheet in my hand.
“You catch on quick.” I tied the sheet between two trees and moved my truck so the bed of it faced the sheet. I had “borrowed” the projector from the office and connected it to my laptop, popping in the DVD. I grabbed the blankets out of the truck and threw it in the back. We settled in, with a good two feet between us, each covering ourselves with separate blankets when the famous castle came onto the screen and the music that almost every person knew came on.
Jolene looked to me but I just shrugged and tried to hide the smile on my face. The ship came into view as the movie started but my focus was on Jolene. A wide smile filled her face. With the last of the sun setting, it literally stole my breath.
“Really?” She didn’t look at me, her eyes glued to the screen but she tried as hard as she could to hold back the smile and laughter as the screen filled with the large sailing ship and the men singing in the background.
“Pocahontas?”
“Yeah,” I answered. I couldn’t help my smile, knowing I finally surprised her.
She smiled and settled into the truck bed, watching the movie. We silently watched the movie as the sun finally disappeared behind the mountains, bathing the meadow into a deep purple. About thirty minutes into the movie, Jolene turned towards me. “I think it is safe to say that no guy has ever watched a Disney movie with me on a date.”
Disney movie for the win, and why hello there man pride, I’ve missed you.
“Yeah?” I simply said, trying not to look too smug.
“Yep. Why a Disney movie?”
“I found it fitting for the setting. I’ve watched my fair share of Disney movies,” I said without thinking.
Jolene gave me a confused look and I quickly said, “I have a lot of nieces and nephews. I watch a lot of kid movies.” I didn’t know how much I wanted to tell her about my family and my past. That all seemed too much for a first friend outing.
She turned on her side and wrapped the blanket closer to her. It was starting to get pretty cold. “Do you have brothers and sisters?”
An innocent question but for me it was again looking into a small volcano, one you didn’t want to get to close too since it was about to erupt.
“I’m one of seven kids.”
“Whoa. Seven kids? Holy crap that’s a lot.”
I nodded because it was true. I came from a large family.
“I’m the second youngest and I have three brothers and three sisters. Do you have any siblings?”
“No, only me.” Her answer was short, clipped even. Maybe family wasn’t the easiest thing to talk about.
“How old are you?” I asked her.
“Twenty-five.”
I smiled. “I’m twenty-four.”
“You’re younger than me?”
“When’s your birthday?”
“January 18th”
“Then yep I am younger by about eight months.”
She made a noise of agreement but I couldn’t