Hello everyone, I'm back. I apologise for such a long absence. I have a string of excuses which I won't bore you with, suffice to say we have internet now, and touch wood we will have no more problems with it! I hope you are all well? Thank you for the lovely comments I've received so far. I've decided that I will allocate a day to each story, so that each will be updated at least once a week. This story will be updated on Wednesday evenings.
The restaurant was set inside what appeared to be one long barn, high above them a vaulted ceiling showed aged timbers stretching from one side to the other, interspersed with overhead lighting that hung down on thick silver wires, leaving the barn illuminated with a golden glow.
Despite it's obvious appeal it was quiet, there were only a handful of occupied tables, all families crowded around the oblong tables, chatting and sharing forkfuls of their meals with one another.
Max led her to a corner table by the far window where he pulled out a chair for her and waited for her to sit before he sat opposite. She smiled as he sat, and reached a hand out across the table to him, running her fingers across the top of his hand before interlinking her fingers with his.
"I know it's probably not what you're used to..."
He glanced about them, it was nothing fancy, just good honest home cooked food served with a smile.
Connie followed his gaze, she could see why he wanted to bring her hear, it was a part of his childhood, and therefore a part of him. She leaned slightly so that she could read from the specials board behind Max's head.
"You won't find any caviar on the menu..."
He was joking but when she looked at him she could see how much he wanted her to like the place. She nudged him with the toe of her boot under the table.
"Stop worrying."
She said quietly, and watched as he raised an eyebrow and squeezed her fingers. They had always had this, the uncanny ability to know what one another were thinking before they had said it.
"Anything you fancy?"
He asked, not bothering to cast a glance behind him, he frequented so often that he knew what they would be serving.
"Surprise me."
She said, her lips smiling. She was hungry, really hungry, for the first time in such a long time that whatever Max presented her with, she would eat. He raised an eyebrow again and his eyes twinkled in that way that they did when he was amused by his own thoughts.
"You asked for it."
He said, his voice strained as he leant back and waved a hand, catching the eye of a waiter.
"Jacob!"
He greeted the waiter by name, and the waiter in turn clapped Max on the back and looked pointedly from him to Connie.
"How's Gran?"
Max asked, ignoring Jacob's glances.
The waiter drew up his shoulders and expelled a breath of air from between his lips.
"I've just been up to see her."
He glanced to Connie again who merely smiled politely.
"What was it this time?"
Max asked, smiling, and again his eyes glittered with amusement.
"She thought she saw a bear out of the window."
Jacob shrugged and Connie glanced up.
"A bear?"
She asked, and Jacob shrugged.
"It was a laundry basket. Took quiet a fright, but I think I scared it off."
He said, and Max grinned again and drew in a breath, ready, finally to put Jacob out of his misery.
"This is Connie."
He said, and he raised his eyes, looking at Connie across the table with that look of his, the look of pure adoration and pride.
Jacob looked visibly relieved, and then, surprising her, he held out his hand which she took after only a moments pause.
"Jacob...his cousin."
His hand was warm and strong as he looked genuinely relieved to have finally been introduced to her.
"Your cousin?"
Connie repeated looking to Max and folding her hands together, she felt suddenly flustered. She hadn't been expecting to meet a member of his family, and now that she was, she surprised herself by how nervous she felt.
"It's about time somebody tamed him."
Jacob hugged the menu's that he was holding to his chest and twirled a pencil back and forth between his fingers.
"He's been on his own too long, he was becoming feral."
Jacob smiled and all at once Connie saw the vague family resemblance between them, they both had that smile that cut across their faces quick enough to take your breath away.
"I wasn't quite feral..."
Max interjected with a roll of his eyes.
"It's like Gran always says."
Jacob interupted with a flourish of his pencil.
"People aren't meant to be alone, everyone needs a partner or they become unbalanced, and you, Sir, were becoming unbalanced. It's nature."
He shrugged again, though he clearly found it amusing to be reciting his Grandmother, and Max sighed dramatically.
"Well I'm sure she'll set me right."
His eyes never left Connie's as he spoke.
"She's an awfully strong force of nature."
He added with a wink.
