come out and play;;

Liam wasn’t sure where he was going with the ice cream sundae, but when she agreed to his terms a sense of relief and excitement washed over him all at once. It meant a little bit more time with the doctor who had managed to take him by pleasant surprise, and he in no circumstance could complain about that. “I’ll warn you though, I’m big on toppings…might get a bit pricey,” he commented as he reached out to receive his shirt, returning it to sit unbuttoned over his torso, just as it had been when they first bumped into one another. “And here I was planning on never washing it again.” A dramaticized sigh escaped his lips before he nodded in the direction of the door, leading Alice out to the grounds of the place. “Alright…so out here we’ve got my work of art…” He continued on his way, rounding the back of the building to the lakeside part of the property that really brought him into a state of ease. Twinkle lights stretched across each end of the yard, and a number of handmade cedar chairs surrounded a large bonfire pit. “And this is my happy place. Settle out here for a night with a blanket, some apple cider and get a good fire going and you’re set.” He paused, turning to face Alice as he tried to get a read of how she felt about the place. “Alright, I think that’s enough yammering from me. Do you get outdoors much?”

The comment about toppings made Alice chuckle slightly, her sassy exterior crumbling slightly at the mention of price. "We might have to go halves." She teased, rolling her eyes before they scanned him in his shirt. It was funny, how he looked almost exactly the same to how he did when they first met. Funny, how if he hadn't given her the plaid, they may not have met up today. The blonde followed Liam outside, nodding as he spoke. She had to admit, it did look pretty great. "Maybe I'll have to drop by at a later time next time." She muttered, only imagining how it looked when it got dark. "Me? No, not really. Something I've always regret, being too busy for stuff like that." She smiled over to him. "You know what I'd like to do? One of those.. high wire courses." She'd mulled over it for quite a while. What she'd like to do on her days off. Alice had never had the chance.

Beckett had to restrain himself from jumping into the air with victory. He felt giddy inside, and excited. He hadn’t dated in awhile, but had always dreamed of romance. He did consider himself a hopeless romantic. “Thank you,” he breathed, a big smile on his face. Alice was a pretty woman, and he was getting to go on a date with her! “Would John Stowie’s Steak work for you? I’ve only been there a few times, but it’s fuckin’ delicious.”  Any good time that you are free?” He pulled out his phone and pulled up his calendar to check what was good for him. “I have Sunday off this weekend, is that a good time for you?” 

At his reaction, she let out a chuckle; Alice didn't understand why it was such a victory to him that they were going on a date. She'd let herself relax, she told herself. It was a date. Beckett was nice, let alone hot, so.. she'd enjoy it. "I don't think I've ever been, but yeah, that sounds really good." She nodded, shrugging and trying to recall where it was. Alice rarely ventured out to restaurants, if she was honest; it was always bars and clothes shops whenever she went out. "I have a morning shift, but I'm free after five?"

Liam had become so invested in his business and the upkeep of it that he couldn’t remember him being distracted by a beautiful and somewhat mysterious woman in years. After their initial meeting, he found himself wondering whether or not Alice would come around and if he’d get to enjoy the back and forth that came with their first interaction again. That question was answered as soon as she responded to his welcome. “Only to people who grab his attention.” He simply shrugged and offered her a grin, his gaze betraying him and glancing over her before returning to meet her gaze. “So would you like the grand tour? It’ll only cost you an ice cream sundae. Five stars, though…definitely worth it.”

It had been a while for Alice, to find herself intrigued by someone as much as Liam on their first meeting. He was-- confident. Not cocky. Knew his worth. She liked that. It was a brief encounter, but there was something about him that made her want to get to know him. That's why she was there, really. Even if she didn't want to admit it. At the reply, the blonde smirked slightly, meeting his eyes before nodding. "I think I can afford it." She responded with a chuckle, before passing the plaid back over to him. "I believe this is yours? Washed, of course."

There was something about maintaining the grounds at Thoreau’s that brought Liam peace. It was that one thing he could rely on every day and he had since he made the move and opened up the bed & breakfast. His attention was pulled away from his work when he saw a familiar blonde move through the front entrance. He wasn’t one to tend to the reception of the place, but there was something about Alice that had captivated him during their first run in and piqued his curiosity. Setting the shovel that he had been welding aside, he wiped the dirt from his hands onto his jeans and headed inside after her. “You lost, Doc? I hear this place has got a mean scone and a half decent cup of coffee…there’s also this strange guy who works here and rents out his shirts to strangers. I’d steer clear of him if I were you.”

@dralicescott

It wasn't often that Alice would feel more interested than usual in someone she met. Along the walk to the little place he told her he worked at, the blonde had thought about not returning the shirt to Liam. Keeping it a little longer, seeing if he'd come after her instead. After all, she wasn't the one to make the chase. But she'd caved, more curious to see his work place than anything, and soon enough found herself wandering through the doors to reception. "So he often hands his shirts out?" Alice tilted her head and sighed. "Here I was thinking I was special." She teased.

Beckett gave a soft smile, shrugging his shoulders. “You’d be surprised,” he murmured. He’d been complimented before, of course, but it was rarely. He had always been the average guy, never been the lovely guy. He was just the average person, there really wasn’t much special about Beckett. At least, that’s what he thought. That’s what he was told most of his life - that he was basically another nobody. He could see her surprise, and felt a little guilty that he was just now mentioning his child. “She’s twelve. I had her when I was nineteen and—,” he sighed. “It’s kind of a lengthy story.”

Beckett let out a breath that he didn’t think he was holding. A big grin spreading across his face and a bit of disbelief making it’s way into his mind. “Okay,” he nodded his head, thinking of how lucky he was. “You think I’m lovely?” He raised an eyebrow, feeling flattered. “Hey, no worries. I totally understand that and respect it.” He was serious in this, and had already expected to get rejected to begin with. He didn’t want to push her for anything and would understand if it never led anywhere. He was use to those sort of things, especially when he thought about how he hadn’t even told her about how he had a daughter. Thinking about that, he almost wanted to slap himself for not mentioning it to begin with. Now, that was a breaking point for some women when he went out so he decided he’d get this over with, “I have a daughter, by the way. I know it’s a deal breaker for some, and I don’t want to waste your time if it is. I would very much enjoy a date with you, and would treat you right but if that’s a no go from you, I get it. I also don’t want to date someone who wouldn’t like my kid. She’s a fuckin’ pain in my ass at times, but I love her just the same and wouldn’t give her up for anyone.”

Alice rolled her eyes at the question of her thinking he was lovely. Of course he was lovely, and of course she thought so. Why else would she have said okay to the date? She'd have been incredibly surprised if he'd never heard that before. "You're saying that as if no one's ever told you." She commented, a light chuckle escaping her lips. At least he understood where she was coming from. The sad truth was that the blonde's fear of commitment meant that it would probably end sooner rather than later. But it was better to try, than to not at all, right? Then he mentioned a daughter, and she tilted her head to the side as he spoke. Beckett had a child? She didn't know this. Their conversations at the hospital, and this one, never mentioned or even indicated that he had a daughter. True, Alice was caught offguard at this, and she listened to him carefully. "How old is she?"

“Exactly. That.” Rhys’s brows rose for the briefest of moments, a small laugh escaping him as he heard the cheer in the background. As she echoed the group of men, he nodded his head, taking a long drink from the glass in his hand. “A cat or a hamster? That’s one way to do it. I mean, I have a cockerel in my back yard, so it’s rarely ever quiet at my place.” In the literally sense, anyway. When Elena was away, though, the place did seem quieter than usual. Life had simply been uneventful and for him, which as a general rule was pretty rare. 

It wasn't the quietest of places, which made the perfect scene for a drinking game. Alice loved having company while she drank, though a majority of the time, if not every time it was because she'd met someone there, and hadn't come with them. Sad, if people thought of it in that way. "A cockerel?" She exclaimed, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "Now why on Earth have you got a cockerel?"

“I’m an exotic dancer so these heels may be a little higher than what you’re used too.” She smirked. “I know this store that I always go too that specializes in stripper clothes. You should take a look! They have some super cute lingerie. Nothing like a little lace to make a girl feel sexy.” She smirked.

Alice raised an eyebrow at the girl's statement of her profession. "Always worth a shot." She mentioned, in relation to the heels; she was more than sure they'd be higher than the ones she was currently wearing, similar to the rest of her closet. But she was always open to trying them. "Oh, really? I am looking to invest in something new and sexy."

Almost immediately, Milena raised her hands up and playful surrender. “Hey, don’t go after me,” the editor joked. “It’s my mom’s quick fix, not mine.” Though Mila had full confidence that the trick would do it’s job, mostly because she’d seen it happen with her own eyes and even if she hadn’t, Mila believed her mother was almost always right. “Worst comes to worst, hopefully you can still find the top somewhere and just get a new one?”

Alice couldn't help but let out a laugh, and nod her head. "Alright, alright. I'll blame your mom, not you." She teased. She was more than sure it was worth a shot, though, and the girl seemed fairly confident in it. "Oh, any excuse to go shopping, honestly."

Based on their short interaction, Liam hadn’t been surprised by the blonde’s response. It wasn’t because she gave the impression that spending time with people outside of her job wasn’t something she did. It was what he had seen in many of the people he knew who worked in hospitals and had chosen that career path. It seemed to be a lifestyle those he knew understood what they were getting into, though he still couldn’t quite comprehend living it out. The freedom that came with his job was crucial for him and allowed him to put the time he wanted into the things he was truly passionate about. It allowed him to escape into nature when he felt that tug towards it, and it brought in an impressive variety of personalities that each seemed to add their own spark into his world. He could only assume that her job was what she was passionate about. 

“Does that ever get dry for you?” He wondered if she had always been like this, but he knew better than to ask such invasive questions after just meeting someone. “Just realized I haven’t introduced myself yet…I’m Liam.” He extended his hand as he watched her gaze traveling down his shirt. It had taken a generous amount of self restraint to keep his own eyes from wandering when the blonde before him maintained a striking level of beauty that seemed effortless. “I’ll make sure to have a strain on my shirt next time we bump into each other.”

Liam chucked and shook his head lightly at her half-prospoal for a visit to his Bed & Breakfast. He wasn’t once to declare his ownership of the place, and was perfectly content with people seeing him as the groundskeeper. “The impressing comes when you see it in person…can’t let you think I’m all talk. It’s called Thoreau’s…you can drop by sometime and give me my shirt back.” He couldn’t help but take in the way she looked so small in his shirt and the way she added a hint of herself to it by knotting the bottom of it. “Can’t have you looking better in my shirt than I do for long, so visit soon, alright?”

It wasn't like Alice didn't think about what life could've been like if hse hadn't trained medically. Maybe she'd have stayed with her ex. What a frightening thought. Maybe she'd have a family by now. That was something she wanted, no matter what. A family. But she was getting.. old. The blonde was thirty three and married to her career. Not even close to a relationship. It was.. something she didn't want to think about during a conversation with the male in front of her.

"Yes." She answered instantly, as if she didn't need a second thought on it. Usually, she wouldn't be so open with her lack of social life with random individuals she met on the street, but-- he seemed different. "Alice." Extending her own, she shook his hand Finally, a name to that rather gorgeous face. "You better do, it's only fair." Alice chuckled.

“So what was your plan? Buy a new shirt?” questioned Anna as she came to stand beside her neighbour, a small playful smile crossing her features. “I’m sure a decent dry cleaners would be able to get that out for you…” She had a list of those, used to rely on them to clean all of her clothes, but that was a while ago, of course. “But, I’m sorry, that totally sucks.”

"Funnily enough, yeah." Alice nodded, looking back into the shop window at the varuety of shirts she could choose from. The girl seemed almost judgmental at her situation and if truth be told, she didn't blame her; it wasn't the most practical of all solutions. "Well, I'm on my lunch break, and it's too far to go back to my house, eat, and relax, it's too far."

Liam was slightly taken aback by her response, immediately feeling pity for the woman. He lived a life surrounded by people who brought joy into his life, or at least it was what he aimed for, and his ability to read people easily led him to believe that she didn’t put as much thought into who she surrounded herself with. “Well I’ll try real hard not to comment on how you look, alright? But seriously…you should probably hang around new people.” Liam wasn’t typically concerned about other people’s life choices, especially when they were complete strangers, and yet he still found himself feeling slightly concerned for the woman.

“You’re making me look like Cookie Monster with the way you’re eating that thing.” He smiled and offered a nod when she thanked him; he would have told her that he was just being honest, but kept quiet as she continued to speak. “That’s exactly what I’m saying…but it’s only right if you acknowledge that I’d make that stain look damn good.”

“A doctor saving lives just around the corner…” He was sure that she frequently got praised for her line of work, so while he did hold a respect for that career path, he chose to avoid inflating her ego any more. “Are you happy in your job? And I work at a bed and breakfast over on the lakeside. Keep the grounds looking all pretty.” He paused and then slowly removed the red plaid button up that had loosely covered his arms, holding it out in her general direction. “There ya go…you can cover up that stain with it if you’re going back to work. I mean if you’re in paediatrics the kids will have a field day with your current attire, but adults don’t seem as forgiving.” He gestured towards his own shirt that he held out in offering, a smug grin taking over his features. “Heard they were showing that thing off last week during fashion week in Paris.”

Truthfully, Alice had cared too much about the words of other people before, and had changed, since. She used to change to ensure that others would approve of her, and in a way, she saw how that could make sense now. Instead, she'd adopted a style, and a fashion sense when training in her profession and kept it. "I barely hang around people outside of the hospital as it is." Alice chuckled, shrugging her shoulders as if it didn't mean a thing. She knew, however, that one of the main reasons for her move all those years ago was to socialise more, and yet here she was; working almost every day of the week.

Letting out a laugh that surprised even her, it was almost endearing to see him as the cookie monster. The only reason she ate so daintily was because she didn't want to look like such a fool in front of him. Then-- why did she care what he thought? Shamelessly dragging her eyes down to his torso, where the stain was on her, Alice made a face of approval. "You're not wrong."

Beckett didn’t even hesitate to reply, “I can see I make you smile, which I’ll do more of as it suits you. I’ll never comment on your clothes again, even if you’re covered in mud.” He can’t help but grin at these two reasons, but becomes a little more serious with the third reason. “I’ll make sure you have a nice evening and take care of you. Even if it doesn’t lead anywhere, I can give you a night to not think about work —  or any worries in general.” He made it sound so sincere, and he has a soft look on his face as he stares at her. He tries not to get his hopes up, but he can’t help feel his heart beat a little faster as he waits for her answer. 

Beckett was charming, there was no way of getting around that fact. Alice had been on many dates since her last full relationship, but she never seemed to call them back, or interact with them much afterwards. Mostly, because they were both after the same thing; one night. Just the one. But Beckett seemed like he had it all covered. "--okay." She replied, looking down at the floor, before back up at him. "But, I don't want you to get your hopes up, okay? I don't.. date. And you're so lovely, that if it doesn't lead anywhere, I'm worried I'll hurt you."

He looked down and shrugged. “If it makes any difference, I have pretty bad sweat stains under here.” He pointed to his armpit and flashed a cheeky grin. “In all seriousness, you didn’t get burnt, right?”

“Ugh, shopping sounds nice. I have to get some new black work heels anyway, I might go tomorrow though. I have an earlier shift tonight around 8 o’clock.” She smirked, sipping her drink. “We should go sometime though. I can tell you’d be a good shopping buddy.”

Raising an eyebrow, Alice looked over towards her. "Yeah? What do you do?" She never could resist shopping, especially if it involved shoes. Heels were her favourite thing, and it was rare that she was seen without wearing a pair. As one of her patients had told her - it was like, her thing. "I'll happily take that as a compliment. We definitely should, it would be fun shopping with someone instead of on my own." She smiled.

Jogging down the street, Cooper ran past the woman and then stopped. Was she yelling at him? He turned around and pulled out his earbuds, yelling, “What are you sayin’ to me?”

Alice hadn't even clocked that the male had earbuds in, before he'd turned back around to yell at her. "Oh, you weren't-- nevermind, that's my fault. I was sure you were staring at the stain on my shirt."