10

I'm really really enjoying this!!

Another fabulous chapter!  You certainly have a talent for writing.

I loved Jim's bouquet idea and I loved this moment:

“Hey, Jim?” she asked nervously. This was it; this was the time she was going to tell him. Jim slipped his arm from around her waist to take hold of her hand. He looked over at her with a smile that spread from ear to ear. Pam felt him give her hand a squeeze and when she looked up and met his eyes, she lost all her thoughts. No, not right, not yet, she thought. I have to get this right. “I just need my sweater before we go.”

An echo of The Dundies for me.

Can't wait for Pam to spill!

10

Okay.

First off, how fun is it to find a fabulous new writer on this site? I absolutely adore the burst of energy you brought to MTT in those last few days of the strike, and in all honesty, I think you're one of the best new authors on the site today. There's a freshness of your writing that one doesn't often find in the latest fics; it's sweet, and sometimes deliciously sugary, but it reaches a level of thoughtfulness we don't often see from "first-timers." You write with such precision and creativity that it's an absolute pleasure to read the same words over and over again, and I really applaud your fresh approach to fic and fun here at MTT.

There's a lot to love in this chapter, but I have to say that I'm madly obsessed with the balance you've struck between "cheese" and "meat," so to speak. Let me start by saying this: there's NOTHING wrong with cheese in fic, those perfectly gooey moments where we just want to curl up with a box of chocolates and enjoy the sweetness of a well-written fic. But you've done something different here. You've created these "cheesy" moments (which again are the bread 'n butter of fic) like Jim and his perfect bouquet of paint things and roses, moments like the necessary "hello" kiss before they could leave for the date, and balanced them with a hulking plot that really is "meaty" and fascinating. Too many people assume that Jim and Pam's first date after "The Job" ended with tearful "OMG I love you"s and hot sex against a brick wall, but I love the realistic subtlety you've brought to this story. Pam's apprehension and excitement to finally tell Jim how she feels is full of the realism I love to find in well-written fic, and the weight of her emotions adds a perfect balance to those sweeter, lighter moments you've written in the story. I say this to say that you're excelling in creating a sense of balance for your story, and the result is a charming chapter that's an absolute BLAST to read. Well done, well done, and try not to be so long with the next chapter, okay? Okay, good, we're agreed. Next chapter by Saturday, I ook forward to reading it.  ;-)

Now, judging from all those food references, you can probably tell I haven't had lunch yet, so let's go rectify that. Bravo again, my friend!

Never Acquiesce.  --CH

This is such a sweet story already! Keep the chapters coming. You got the characters down. I like reading about Jim & Pam's first dates!

Author's Response: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far :)