Castle had been sitting on his living room couch for almost two hours, trying to come up with the best plan for his date with Beckett. He could easily call any restaurants in town and make reservation, but somehow he wanted this date to be special. Taking his date to a fancy dinner—with tux, dress, and whatnot—was way to plain for him. He couldn't do the same with Beckett. He felt that the woman deserved something more.
When he said to her that she was a mystery he thought he was never going to solve, he meant it. He knew that she didn't enjoy eating at an extravagant restaurant due to its tiny portion of meal, and he couldn't agree more. So, what would it be tonight?
God, he's stuck! He was completely out of ideas. He glanced at his watch; she could have finished her work and headed home to get ready.
Alexis went down the stairs and walked towards him. "Dad, I'm off to Paige's. Her parents asked me to have dinner with them. Where's Gram?"
"Out with her friends to see some painting exhibition along with dinner and God knows what else."
She looked at her beloved dad, who definitely seemed confused. "What is it, Dad? Wanna tell me something?" she sat beside him. "The date with Beckett is still on, right?"
He sighed. "I can't make any plans."
She frowned. "My Dad? Confused with making date plans?"
"This is Beckett we're talking about, Sweetie. Not just some other woman."
She smiled. She knew how special Beckett was to her father. "Why don't you just cook? Your Carbonara has got Gram's and my approval. It's like, super delicious. I know there's plenty of stuff in the fridge that you can cook. Shrimps, squids, broccoli, asparagus, tofu, you name it!"
He turned to his daughter. "You sure it's a good idea?"
"Dad, I've watched far too many romantic movies and read so many romance novels to know that a guy who can cook is sexy."
"My God," he whispered. "I think you grew up too fast. When did that happen?"
"Actually, it happened a long time ago," she got up. "I gotta go. I'm not looking forward to be late. Besides, this is the first time Paige and I made up after that incident. I really don't wanna miss this," she lowered down to land a kiss on his cheek. "I'll be home before midnight. Love you, Dad. Good luck with the date. You know better than me, anyway."
"Love you, too. Thanks for the advice,"
"Anytime, Dad." She walked out of the door.
"Be careful!" Castle shouted, hoping Alexis could still hear it.
Castle stared at the door and he realized his daughter's advice was not bad at all; brilliant, even. Beckett might know that he could cook, but she had never tried any of his cooking. That night, he determined to impress her in a far tastier—and easier—way, if it's compared with sneaking into a place in Chinatown to collect information while playing poker with Russian mobsters.
