Dede re-read her hook before hitting the POST button on her screen:
"Me: 23/F ISO place with working heat tonight. You: Have place with good working heat. No weirdos."
There was more. The long and short of it was that Dede's landlord had two crews in the middle of repairs to both the roof and the furnace of Dede's apartment, and it was supposed to get below freezing.
She was just glad she didn't have any pets.
Later on, Dede turned the sign to CLOSED at nine PM after seating the last dinner party. Fredo's was nice and warm inside, and as hostess she was entitled to a steaming-hot, carb-heavy Italian meal before commencing her closing duties.
She sat at the bar eating her hot spaghetti and meatballs, when right on schedule at nine twenty, a thirty or thirty-five year old man asked Angel, the bartender, whether anyone was expecting Joseph.
Luckily the bar was at the far end of the restaurant and the drafty chill from Joseph's entry from outside didn't reach Dede's seat.
Angel indicated Dede, and Joseph introduced himself. "Can I buy you a drink?"
"I'm Dede. I'm staff here, so, don't worry about it. What about you, Joseph? What would you like?"
Joseph thought about it, looked at Dede's dish of pasta, and opted for a glass of house Red.
Angel carded him.
Joseph looked amused at that and told Angel it was flattering.
She took a picture of the front and back of his ID before handing it back and pouring the wine.
"Have a nice night,
Mr. B
." She tapped the edge of her smartphone significantly with a look of warning at Joseph.
Dede nodded her appreciation to Angel. She chit-chatted with Joseph and by the time she finished her hot meal she decided to take him up on his offer.
There were only a couple of tables of diners left, and not more than four people sitting at the bar. Dede cleared her plate and sent it to the dishroom, and fetched her bag and outdoor gear from the coatroom.
It seemed like all Joseph had to do was put his insulated windbreaker back on over his flannel shirt. He did have a tee on underneath that, but no hat, gloves or scarf.
Meanwhile Dede stepped out of her shoes, and unselfconsciously pulled an extra-thick pair of black tights from her tote bag and stepped into them right there at the far end of the dining room. Nobody but Joseph was looking. Angel didn't care. Dede pulled them all the way up underneath her skirt, over the sheer hose she already had on, and smoothed the skirt down again after the tights were snug around her waist.
Once she had her shoes back on, and a wool tartan scarf, a red knit beanie cap, her parka with the fur-lined hood, thin undergloves and finally knit mittens over those, she followed Joseph outside to his truck, waving good-night to Angel.
Dede left her car at the restaurant, it wasn't far.
Joseph got the door for her and she climbed into the cab. It was still a little warm inside from Joseph's drive over. Joseph unzipped his jacket and kept the heat cranked for the short drive to his place. The big engine was still hot even after being shut off for half an hour, and the heat kicked in right away.
It only got hotter, and Joseph walked Dede to the door to his building without zipping the jacket back up.
The apartment was sweltering inside. The heat had been set high before Joseph went to the restaurant.
Dede sighed delightedly as she shed her outerwear. "So, we good to get ready for bed now? I need to go to my other job in the morning."
Joseph smiled accommodatingly and showed Dede the facilities. She worked on her face and her teeth in there with items from her small toiletries bag.
Joseph let her have the bathroom and changed into the lightest shorts and tee he could find.
Dede pulled flannel pajamas on before leaving the bathroom with her toiletries and tote bag. She slid on her own pair of fleece slippers. She felt nice and warm.
Joseph was overheating like mad. When Dede came out of the bathroom, she saw him flapping his tee shirt. "You can turn the heat down, you know," she promised graciously.
"The glass of wine didn't help," Joseph conceded.
He asked Dede if she needed anything. She climbed into his bed. The sheets and pillowcases were good and clean, and she slid under the thin wool blanket and bedspread. Joseph unfolded the feather duvet he rarely used and drew it up to her shoulders.
"This is great, Joseph. Can you just plug my phone in somewhere?" Dede pulled the charger from her tote bag, on the floor beside the bed. Joseph went to find a spot for her phone and charger and she snuggled in cozily. The feathers were cushy.
She was asleep before Joseph had his teeth brushed. When she woke up some time later, she looked into the dark of the unfamiliar room. She felt so comfortable swaddled in Joseph's blankets and feather duvet. A mass of covers was wadded against her left side, and she realized Joseph had pushed them off of himself.
Dede snaked an arm beneath the pile of covers between herself and Joseph. Her hand found Joseph's back. She moved closer, wrapped her arm over his waist, and fitted against his backside spoon style. The sheet, blankets and duvet bunched up around her shoulders and between Dede's chest and Jack's back.
Joseph's waist felt fit and warm. He fanned his face after a few minutes, and Dede realized he was too hot. "I can let go and give you space."
"I like it," Joseph promised.