Thank you all, for reading and sticking with me!
Seven o'clock rolled around and Seth showed up at Lauren's quaint little home.
She was right, the fence had seen better days and there were more weeds than grass growing in the front yard.
Seth knocked at the door and Lauren welcomed him in. "I hope you like Rhubarb pie. I saw one in the bakery window and couldn't help myself."
"Thank you, Dr. Hazlitt. Actually, I've never had it before. I'll give it a shot."
"Oh, you don't know what you're missing!" Seth replied.
The smells from the kitchen were wonderful. However, half the area was full of moving boxes and bins and there was no dinner table or chairs.
"Dinner's ready, it's just cooling off. Do you mind if we sit on the couch and eat dinner at the coffee table? I'm waiting for a new kitchen table and chairs."
"Not at all, smells terrific. What is it?" Seth glanced over at the casserole that looked quite interesting.
"It's my take on a Mexican casserole. I don't like spicy food so I only use ground beef, some seasoning, shredded cheese, tortilla shells and top it with sour cream and olives." Lauren was beaming proudly. "It's cheap and can last me several days." She heaped a scoop onto a plate and handed it to Seth. Then she prepared a dish herself.
Seth headed to the couch when he heard Lauren say, "Would you like something to drink? I don't have any soda. Just iced tea and some hard cider." Seth looked over his shoulder and said, "If it's Sam Adams I'll take it!"
"Coming right up!" Lauren grabbed two bottles and set them on the table. On the couch she had a note pad. Lauren joined Seth at the table. They talked about the two office spaces Lauren and Eve visited.
In between, Seth helped himself to a second helping of casserole. Lauren eagerly cleared the dishes and refused to let Seth help. "You're my guest. Sit down and enjoy your cider. I'll cut into the pie." Seth smiled and relaxed on the couch.
Lauren did a quick clean up of the kitchen and sliced each of them a piece of pie. She then sat down, balancing the plate on her leg. She took a bite of the pie while looking at her note pad. It definitely wasn't tasty to her. She made a sour face and turned abruptly only to have the dish fall to the floor. She spit the piece into her napkin and said a mild curse under her breath.
Seth bent down to help her with the mess. "Looks like Rhubarb pie is not your cup of tea. I guess it's an acquired taste."
While cleaning up Lauren's hand brushed over Seth's and, for a moment, both seemed to experience a slight electric shock go through their bodies. They immediately looked away.
"Wow! You really enjoy Rhubarb pie Dr. Hazlitt? It's…it's…ick." It was the only response she could make before heading to the kitchen for some paper towels.
It didn't take very long to clean up the mess and neither commented on what happened between them.
Seth stayed another hour helping Lauren make a final decision on the perfect place to open shop. "Well, it's time I headed home Lauren. The dinner was wonderful and, uh, sorry about the pie situation."
Lauren walked him to the door. "Thanks, for coming over and helping me make a decision." Then, she did something that neither one of them expected. Lauren leaned in and gave Seth a kiss on the lips. It was gentle enough but when their lips touched Seth instinctively stepped closer and put his hands around Lauren and let the kiss linger.
"Maybe I'll see you…tomorrow?" Lauren asked.
"You never know," Seth teased. "You may just find me down by the docks at 8am looking for some fresh fish." Seth commented as if giving her a hint to seek him out.
He tipped at his hat and walked to his car, smiling to himself. He hadn't felt this way in a long time. The kiss was beautiful and made his heart flutter just a bit. He started to think to himself, to have a woman, a young woman at that, be interested in an old ogre like me. His smile widened and he slept quite soundly that night.