After stopping at the condo for enough time to freshen up and change their clothes, Robert and Annie timed their arrival perfectly, and met Fred and Sherry at the entrance to the restaurant. They were soon seated at a table where formal introductions were made.
From the first few minutes of their time together it was obvious that Annie fit in with Fred and Sherry as easily as Robert did. The two women could have been cousins, as at least in height and hair color they were very similar. Sherry had short hair, which was a major difference between them.
Eventually they finished their meals and while they sat waiting for the arrival of dessert menus they got into a conversation about music. Fred announced that he was a big fan of Bob Dylan, among others, and Annie surprised him by letting him know that she lived about a block from his first home in Duluth. She was quite knowledgeable about his Minnesota roots and had a spirited conversation with Fred about him and his music.
Once their desserts were ordered, the two women decided to make the obligatory joint trip to the ladies room. They had barely left the table when Fred said, "I really like your girlfriend, Robert. Maybe I could ask her to get me a photo of Dylan's first home. I'd really like that: do you think she'd mind?"
Robert was a little embarrassed as he said, "She's not my girlfriend. We are friends, for sure, and no, I don't really think she'd mind your request at all."
Fred looked a little puzzled as he said, "Well, you may not think she's your girlfriend, but from the looks I see her giving you, she hasn't got the memo yet. She's one heck of a good looking woman, and it's obvious that she really likes you. She's constantly smiling as she looks your way, and she does that a lot. You had better get off the fence, or someone is going to beat you to her."
Robert was obviously flustered now and said, "I... I guess I didn't notice that. I'm not used to the idea of having a girlfriend, but Annie would certainly be better than I probably deserve." He saw that the two girls were on their way back to the table, and didn't say any more than that. Fred noticed that Robert did look at Annie closely as she came back to the table, and it was obvious that she had a big smile on her face, and that it was directed towards Robert.
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It was almost 10 o'clock when they left the restaurant, and everyone was in agreement that they'd had a great meal. Rather than call an end to the night they decided to visit a nearby bar that advertised a band and dance floor. As they entered, Robert and Fred told the girls that they would limit themselves to one drink so that they could drive safely, but the girls could enjoy more than one if they wanted to.
Since it was a weeknight, there were several tables and booths available, and the two couples were soon seated in a booth enjoying their first beverage. The two men chose light beer, while their companions decided to try something fancier.
It wasn't long before both couples were on the dance floor, enjoying themselves. For Robert it was especially enjoyable, as he normally didn't get a chance to dance unless his sister was in attendance. Annie seemed to be quite comfortable with the idea of sharing a slow dance with him, although he noticed a couple of times that she stiffened up when he moved such that their bodies made full contact.
He was trying to keep that from happening though, as he knew that he'd likely respond in a way that might cause a bigger reaction in Annie. That had almost happened the last time they had been this close together, the night that they held a lengthy embrace in his room in Hinckley.
The two couples were on and off the dance floor often over the course of the next hour, and at one point Fred suggested that they switch partners for a dance. Robert could see that Annie was momentarily flustered, but she soon smiled and said, "That would be fine, Fred." The two couples changed partners and carried on with the next dance, another slow one.
Robert and Sherry were only dancing for about half a minute before Sherry said, "I really like your girlfriend, Robert. She's really nice, and you two seem to get along very well."
After a few seconds Robert answered, "I was telling Fred that Annie and I weren't really a couple, that way. We are good friends, though, and I guess I wouldn't mind at all if she was my girlfriend. We haven't really ever talked about anything like that."
"Well, I can safely say that she seems to like you a lot. She told me that she came here to Thunder Bay because she was afraid you were trying to discourage her from getting to know you better. She said that the two of you straightened that out, and she certainly seemed happy about that." Sherry chuckled at the look of confusion on Robert's face and continued, "Oh come on, Robert! Surely you realize that she would be more than happy to be your regular girlfriend."
After a few seconds Robert responded with, "Thanks for the information, Sherry. I guess I'll have to do something about that, but I'm not really experienced with girlfriends, or even dealing with the whole subject." She had given him a lot more to think about, and his mind was now on Annie, and whether his friends were right about her feelings.
The subject ended when Sherry said, "Just be yourself, Robert. I don't know you well, but what I've seen of you makes me realize that you should be any woman's idea of a good boyfriend."
Robert wondered briefly if Sherry was serious with her comment or not, but realized he already had enough to think about. As they continued their dance he looked over and noticed that Annie looked very good in the skirt she had chosen to buy. Her legs were slender and flawless below her skirt, and he was happy that he had convinced her to switch from her normal attire.
Sherry had added a lot more information for Robert to consider, and for the rest of the time that they were in the bar, his mind was partially occupied with the here and now, while the rest of the time he was considering what his friends had said.
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At slightly after midnight Robert and Annie returned to his condo. She was feeling the effects of the two mixed drinks that she had enjoyed in the bar, and thanked Robert for a wonderful night out. "I haven't had this much fun in a long, long time. I really like your friends, and maybe someday the three of you can come down to Duluth and I'll take you out on the town there."
"Be careful what you suggest, Annie, as we may take you up on that. I know that Fred would probably go down there tomorrow if you could point out the house that Bob Dylan first lived in. I knew he had grown up in Hibbing, but I didn't know about the Duluth connection."
They continued their conversation as they sat in the living room, with Robert pointing out that over the course of the evening Annie didn't seem to even notice the fact that her scarred arms were visible. She had to acknowledge that neither Fred nor Sherry seemed to take note of them. Eventually, though, they agreed that it was time to call an end to the night. As the two of them walked into the hallway leading to the bedrooms, Annie turned and then took Robert into her arms.
