Unsuspecting Love Chapter 2: It's a Date, a charmed fanfic

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Chapter 2: It's a Date

Quake was once again busy, but Piper didn't care. She talked to Chef Moore yesterday, and he agreed to hire a new chef. One straight from Paris, he claimed, and Piper had been forced to suppress a groan. Chef Moore's cooks from Paris usually turned out to be some snobby guy who thought he was above everyone else, when he could barely tell the difference between a knife and a fork. Piper sometimes wondered in Chef Moore just did it to aggravate her. If he did, he was succeeding.

She never wanted to run a restaurant. She wanted to be a chef, not running some restaurant for some guy out of the country. Chef Moore originally hired her as a chef, but after two days, she found herself running the restaurant. She sometimes wondered why she was still working this job, but she would quickly remember her grandmother's hospital bills. Grams, as her grandmother had been so lovingly called, had been sick in her last few years of life. And before her passing a little over six months ago, Grams had managed to rack up quite a hospital bill. But Piper didn't care. She loved her Grams dearly and would have done it all over again if she had the choice.

Piper took a moment to survey the crowd. Seeing no potential accidents in sight, she took the moment to take a break.

But that was when she saw him, the Chinese man who told her about the sage yesterday. Making a quick decision before another accident could occur, Piper smoothed the black dress she was wearing and headed to the Chinese man who sat at the bar.

She slid into the seat next to him and said, "You were right."

The man swiveled around to look at her. The man gave her a quizzical look, and she explained, "About the risotto yesterday. It did need more sage."

The man smiled and answered in his lightly accented voice, "I know. My name is Mark. Mark Chang." He extended his hand.

She shook his hand and replied, "My name is Piper. Piper Halli---" She was cut off by the sound of waiter dropping his try and the sound of breaking glass. "---well," she said completing her sentence and wincing at the accident. She decided to ignore the accident. There was nothing she could do about it now.

Mark winced along with her. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to be rude of anything."

"Don't---" Piper was cut off once again, but this time by the sound of things crashing in the kitchen. Piper groaned and set her head in her hands.

Someone came running up quickly.

"Pip---"

"I'm coming," she said before the boy could finish saying her name. She looked at Mark. "I'm sorry," she said and got up.

Piper stormed into the kitchen. This better be good, she thought.

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Mark almost jumped out of his seat when he heard a voice say, "You were right."

Mark turned to look at her. He gave her a surprised look, almost believing she wasn't sitting next to him. She must have thought he was confused, because she explained, "About the risotto yesterday. It did need more sage."

Mark smiled and replied, "I know. My name is Mark. Mark Chang." He extended his hand.

Mark winced along with her. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to be rude of anything."

"Don't---" Piper was cut off once again, but this time by the sound of things crashing in the kitchen. Piper groaned and set her head in her hands.

Someone came running up quickly.

"Pip---"

"I'm coming," she said before the boy could finish saying her name. She looked at Mark. "I'm sorry," she said and got up.

I'm sorry too, he mentally thought. He was sorry she had to go, but she had a job to do. Mark decided he would wait here until she was done, even if it took an hour. He had no one to go home to. He could go to his mother's, but she would just nag him about not finding a nice Chinese girl to marry yet. Mark loved his mother, but she just didn't understand he wanted to find someone on his own, someone who loved him for who he was, not just because he was Chinese.

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Forty-five minutes later, Piper walked out of the kitchen, relieved she left no dead bodies behind her. God Bless Sarah; she was the only one who kept her sane.

Piper looked towards the bar, expecting Mark to be gone. So when she saw him looking at her and waving, she almost died of shock. She never, ever, met a man who would wait almost an hour for her.

She waved back at Mark, and headed to him. "I can't believe you're still here," she said.

Mark smiled. "I had a good reason to stay."

Piper smiled with delight. She was the reason he had to stay.

Upon seeing her smile, Mark asked, "Have dinner with me tomorrow night."

Piper's face fell. "I would love to, but I'm working the dinner shift all week."

"How about lunch?"

Piper smiled again. "That would be wonderful."

"Tomorrow at eleven?"

"Sounds great." Piper wrote her address and phone number on a napkin and handed it to him.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Mark said, taking the napkin.

"Tomorrow. I have to get back to work. I'll see you." Piper walked off towards the kitchen.

Mark watched her as she walked away. She was so beautiful. She was one of those beauties who didn't know how beautiful she was, not like some of those women who knew they were beautiful and flaunted it. She also wore almost no makeup, which he liked. He'd seen some women wear enough makeup to knock a drag queen out of the running.

Mark was relieved he had the next day off of work. Although, he thought as he watched Piper helping a customer and she looked up at Mark and smiled, I would be willing to miss a day for this.

Mark gathered his stuff and left the restaurant. I can't wait for tomorrow, he thought.

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Author's Note: I hope you liked. I know it's moving at a slow pace, but I promise some spice will be added soon. I need Piper and Mark's relationship to develop a little more.

Next Chapter: Piper's sisters are introduced and Piper and Mark's date.