"What should we call this?"...the making of a Sims story

Cameron had Tuesday off, so that was the day he picked for his date with Angie. That worked for her, too; she had to work that morning, but she would be free by mid-afternoon. Now, all Cam had to worry about was the unpredictable Brindleton weather. A rainy day would make a walk on the beach less appealing.

But Cameron awoke that morning to a brilliant sky. Everything was going as planned.

After breakfast, he strolled outside to enjoy the sunshine in Sable Square. He talked to Duncan Edwards and Ryan Bellamy, two of the Brindletonians he’d gotten to know. Both Dunc and Ryan were married men, and both had young children. Both were usually quiet. Today, though, they were in the mood to talk, and so was Cameron.
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Cameron later admitted he’d been nervous about his date from the moment he awakened. “I’m glad I ran into Ryan and Duncan. Hanging out with them got me thinking about other things, and that helped me relax.”

The two guys went on their way, and Cameron decided to walk around his neighborhood. It was far too nice to stay outside. He hadn’t walked far before he saw a woman he’d never met. She was looking at her phone with a look of bewilderment on her face.

Cam approached her with a smile. “May I help you?” he asked.
She smiled back. “Oh, hello. I’m new in the neighborhood. I’m sure you couldn’t tell that, could you?” She laughed softly, and Cameron laughed too.
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“Of course not. If I had to guess, I’d say you were born here. I’m Cameron Ross. I live just over there.” He pointed in the direction of his grandparents’ house.
“Hi, Cameron. I’m Mary Kate Sims. My family and I just moved here. We’re living at Cavalier Cove.”

Mary Kate was talkative and engaging, and Cameron and she hit it off immediately. He learned her husband’s name was Graham, and they had a teenage daughter, Zoe. Both Mary Kate and Graham were teachers. Zoe would be going to Buckingham High with Halle and Patrick.

By the time Cam finished his conversation with Mary Kate, it was well past noon. Cam had just enough time for a workout and a shower before his date. He decided to visit the Willow Creek gym instead of the one in his own neighborhood.

As it turned out, Cameron barely got his treadmill moving before the Willow Creek gang descended upon him. Within ten minutes, he had discussed his evening plans with Tim and Ava Horton; Tom Geiger; Summer Holiday’s dad, Brooks; and Kaleigh Rinehart-Scott.

“Rustic Sails? That’s solid,” Tim approved. “Great atmosphere.”
“You won’t run into half of Willow Creek there,” Tom pointed out.
“Leanna and I went on our first date there,” a proud Brooks recalled.
“Angie blushed and giggled when I told her how sweet I think it is that you two are going out,” gushed Kaleigh.

As Cameron was walking out of the gym, he met Kaitlynne Blanton. She smiled the moment he saw him. “Hello, Cameron,” she said, playfully.
Gee, I wonder what she’s going to talk to me about? he said to himself. Kaitlynne was one of Angie’s best friends and confidants.
Kaitlynne wasted no time. “I know a sweet gal who has a date tonight, and she is OVER. THE. MOON about it.”
Cameron felt himself blush. “You do, huh?”
“I really do. Seriously, Cam. Angie is absolutely delighted to go out with you. She would die if she knew I told you this…but she really does like you. A lot.”
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Kaitlynne paused, weighing her words carefully. “I don’t mean to put pressure on you to make it a Perfect Date. Really, it’s the opposite. Just relax and be yourself. Have fun. Don’t worry about trying to impress her.”
She smiled sweetly and tossed him an innocent, playful wink. “You already have.”

Kaitlynne’s words had exactly the effect she’d hoped they would. By the time Cam and Angie met at the Rustic Sails Seafood Company, he was completely at ease.
“All I was thinking about was how much fun I was going to have,” Cameron recalled.

Angie had followed Kaitlynne’s fashion advice, choosing a dress her friend called “casual-flirty-cute.” It was a warm night, so Angie pulled her long brown hair back from her pretty face.
“I actually thought I looked cute,” she bashfully admitted. “Kait said I did. And Cam did, too.” She giggled as she remembered the way she’d caught him off guard.
“She looked gorgeous,” was Cameron’s assessment. “I told her she looked cute. As soon as I said it, I wondered if she realized I meant it as a compliment.”

The host seated them at a table on the deck, overlooking the Bay. A waiter, who told them his name was Ethan, took their order. Angie chose Trout Meunière and Cam picked Lobster Tortellini. They both chose the Chef’s Special drink, some Calming Chamomile tea. Tim would have approved; Cameron was “going big.”
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Cameron figured he might see some of his neighborhood friends at the restaurant, and he was right. Randall and Chandler Nelson were seated at the table nearest them. Mike and Kate McGuire had the table across the patio.
Randall saw Cam and Angie first. “Whoa, look who’s there, Chan. It’s Cameron Ross. Wonder who he’s with?” he asked his wife. “Let’s go meet her.”
“Don’t you dare,” Chandler advised. “Let them have a quiet evening together.”

“This is absolutely perfect,” Angie mused.
Cameron smiled. “Thanks, Angie. I’m glad you’re having fun…you are, aren’t you?”
She giggled softly. “Of course I am.” She paused for a moment. “This is…my first real date.”
Cam looked surprised. “I thought you went to Prom our senior year, with a guy from out of town.”
“I did…but the guy I was with is the son of a woman my mom worked with. She set us up because neither of us was going to go to our Proms otherwise. It wasn’t really a date,” she admitted.
“High school dating is way, way overrated,” Cameron said. “There’s too much drama most of the time.”
“You’re making me really glad I missed out on it.”

Angie looked out over the Bay, watching a sailboat pass silently through the harbor. The sound of the water, lapping gently against the wharf, was soothing. The lights from the houses across the harbor twinkled on the Bay like starlight.
“You like Brindleton Bay, don’t you?” she asked him.
“I really do. It took some getting used to. I really missed everybody in Willow Creek. I was going home, like, every day.”
“I know,” Angie admitted, and then she blushed.
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The longer they talked, the more comfortable they felt. Cameron flirted with Angie a little bit–seeing how she would react. To his delight–and somewhat to his surprise–Angie flirted right back. That’s a side of Angie I’ve never seen, he thought to himself.But I like it…
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Angie felt different tonight: as confident in a social setting as she was in a classroom or a medical office. She was not only intelligent, but Kaitlynne and Cameron were right: She was super cute. She was the kind of girl any guy would be thrilled to have dinner with, and for the first time in her life, Angie felt like that girl.
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“I’m getting hungry,” Cameron admitted. “They’re taking their time with our food, aren’t they?”
“Good things are worth waiting for.” Angie smiled, her eyes sparkling.
Just then, Ethan arrived with their food. He balanced the tray on one hand like a boss waiter should.
And then he dropped the tray. The plates crashed to the deck, startling the other diners. “Oh, PLUMBOB ON A STICK!” Ethan exclaimed. He turned to apologize…and stepped directly in the mess he'd just made.
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Ethan mumbled three more apologies before he scrambled back to the kitchen to inform the chef he would need a second order. “It was no big deal,” Cameron remembered with a twinkle in his eye. “It gave us more time to talk.”
By the time their food arrived, Willow Petersen and her mother had sat down near them. They’d come in for a late-night dessert. Willow caught Cameron’s eye and smiled.
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“I am so hungry,” Angie admitted as she dug into her meal. All Cam could do was nod, because his mouth was already full of tortellini. “We barely talked during our meal,” Cameron remembered. “We’d been talking the whole time, though…so it didn’t feel awkward.”

When Angie and Cameron finished their meal, they were the last two diners at their table.
“I had thought we’d go for a walk after dinner, but…it’s getting really late,” Cameron said, a bit sheepishly. “I’m sorry…”
“Shhhh. This has been just perfect,” Angie reassured him. “I have to work tomorrow morning, so I really need to get home soon, anyway.”
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Ethan the waiter cautiously approached their table, apologizing several more times for dropping their food and making them wait so long.
“It was really no problem,” Cameron assured him again. “We weren’t in a hurry.”
“It’s our first date,” Angie added, and her cheeks turned the color of her dress.
The clumsy waiter stammered again. “Oh, plum…I’m…”
“It’s all good,” Cam interrupted. “It’s a great story.”

Cam and Angie got up from their chairs. They had taken two or three steps when Cameron turned, and his eyes met Angie’s. And, then…
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“He kissed me first,” Angie recalled later. “He surprised me a little bit, but it was a nice surprise.”
“She definitely kissed me back,” Cameron remembered.
Ethan kept it classy and turned away, but he smiled and, best of all, he had nothing in his hands that he could possibly have dropped to ruin the moment.

Their kiss was soft and sweet. It left both of them smiling.
“Was that…” Cameron began.
“Shhhh. Just perfect.”