InsaneJournal

Since he had moved back to Los Angeles, most of Asher's free time had been spent trying to find both a new house and a buyer for the old one. Though he had only been in the Seattle home for a little more than a year, he was lucky enough to have gotten a good deal of renovating done with the help of his brother. Penn had come up on a number of occasions and before Asher had decided to move back home, they had finished both the bathrooms, the kitchen, completely redid the deck outside, put drywall and carpet in the basement, and fixed the roof. Sure, there was still a good bit to be done to the house, but they had finished enough that the resale price on the Seattle house would cover the mortgage and make a nice down-payment on whatever they found in LA. Thankfully, after almost three months of waiting, Asher had a potential buyer and was just waiting for a credit check to clear before all the paperwork was signed. The timing, of course, couldn't have been more perfect as Asher, just that morning, had found a foreclosure listing in Pasadena only a few blocks from his parents' place. When he had made the plans with Jilli for Monday night, he had just finished putting in a bid on the house, a property worth more than his Seattle home but costing much less.

Now, that all might seem just like pointless rambling but it really isn't. You see, Asher had been putting his entire life on hold for the last couple of months. Hell, for the last couple of years. It was almost as though he was waiting for the stars to align and everything to fall into place. When he heard from his realtor that somebody was interested in buying the Seattle home, he thought .. alright, maybe this is cause to celebrate. And when he happened to stumble across the three bedroom, two bathroom ranch house in Amity's school district for a steal of a price, he thought .. now this is definitely cause to celebrate! Asher was generally a pretty serious guy, but even he had to break out of his shell when fate started dealing him some good cards. What does this all have to do with Jilli? Well, she just happened to be in Los Angeles when Asher was in a good mood for a change and finally felt like he had reason to not be a mopey old man. And besides, she really did owe him that date from a few months back .. so why not take the opportunity to stop being a complete ass about the age thing and just go have a good time?

When he saw that she was planning to go back to New York on Tuesday, he had honestly thought that his good luck had run out. But when she agreed to go, he honestly felt a little excited about the whole thing. Only a little though. This was Asher, after all. It'd take a brick to the head to loosen the guy up. Or, well, somebody with a whole lot more spunk than he was used to. Losing your wife only a few years into marriage, having to raise a kid by yourself and give up on all the dreams for something better than hotel management had a tendency to drain the life out of you. But there were certain people in this world who, when you surround yourselves with them, you suddenly feel a little more carefree, a little more daring, a little less like a stodgy old fart. Jillian just happened to be one of those people for Asher and even if they never became anything more than friends, which he assumed would be the case considering the bitter rapport that they'd shared lately due to his comments about her age .. he'd be okay. Well, they'd both be okay. Sometimes, in this life, all you needed was a friend who could pick up your spirits.

Now, it was pretty safe to say that while Asher might not have acted like he had been at all interested in her, he had enjoyed the short bit of banter that they'd had going on. He also enjoyed the few random kisses he'd received from the younger Belmont. Not to mention the more than comfy towels he'd gotten as a Christmas present after a certain conversation about her showing up when he was wearing only that .. a plain white towel. Towels which, by the way, had come into good use since he had obtained them. In fact, in preparation for the evening, he had used one after his shower .. something he'd probably mention to her later just because he could.

In regards to where the evening would take them, or rather for what Asher had planned, he honestly hadn't put a whole hell of a lot of thought into it. He hadn't made reservations anywhere because the whole thing had been very last minute and he figured it would be close to impossible to get anything by then. Besides, he figured it'd be more fun to just pick a random place and go. Depending on what she answered the door wearing, as no clothing requirements had been made, he had a few ideas of things to pass the time. He'd actually considered taking her to play mini-golf but thought it might be a little chilly for the outdoor activity. For some unknown reason, the California nights had been colder than they normally would be by now. Damn the unset of 2012! Because he was less than sure about what they'd end up doing tonight, he opted for a more casual look than something he'd normally where. A pair of crisp blue jeans and an untucked, short-sleeved, button-down shirt ... not wet. It was simple and easy, could pass for someplace nice in a pinch, and yet left him comfortable enough if they ended up bowling or .. singing more karaoke.

Before he was allowed to leave his house that night, his daughter had decided she needed to inspect the outfit and make sure that it was presentable for Jillian. Ami even went so far as to tell him to change his shoes from the pair of dress ones he had on originally to the pair of white sneakers he finally left the house in. Along with him for the ride to Danielle's place was a single white daisy. He had thought about bringing a rose but figured he got her roses for Christmas so why be cliché. Besides, the daisy had just struck him as slightly less overkill and a little more natural. Parking his Chevy Aveo5 outfront of the house once he was finally there, he grabbed the flower from off the passenger seat and headed towards the front door. Thanks to the shower he'd gotten, he smelled freshly of soap and that tiny hint of aftershave he always wore. He hadn't shaved completely because he was so used to that bit of scruff on his face, but everything was trimmed down to the point where he basically looked as though he had a permanent five o'clock shadow. As he stood at the door, he patted the pockets of his jeans just to double check that he had his wallet, cellphone, and keys before he knocked. He'd hate to have to run back to the house for anything once he'd already picked her up. And with one final glance at the silver watch resting on his right wrist, he finally let his knuckles hit the front door at exactly 6 PM.