Written in the Stars

By Tvdfanpam

Chapter 37

More Ray and Stella

Ray said goodbye to Stella at Starbucks and got in his 'new' car. He dialed Ana through the car's hands free program and she picked up on the first ring. "Hi Dad! Hope I wasn't interrupting anything important!" Ana said breathlessly. "I called to remind you we are having Thanksgiving here at the new house this year. My first Thanksgiving with Christian! Hope you can make it! Mom and Bob won't be coming and Grace and Carrick are going to be out of town. You can bring a date if you want to!"

"I might do that!" He said with a smile. "I met someone today." He told his daughter. Ana squealed in the background. Ray winced at the loud noise.

"Tell me all about her! What's her name? How did you meet?" Ana was full of questions. Ray sighed and told his daughter about his coffee date with Stella as he drove back to his new house.

Three days later…Stella was running around her small house. She had got off work a little later than she planned and had to stop by the grocery store and get beer and wine. She ran into her bedroom to the master bathroom and showered and changed into a comfortable knit Luluroe dress and tidied her house a little bit more. Ray Steele was coming for a home cooked meal and she wanted everything to look just right. It had been some time since she had cooked a meal for anyone besides herself and her elderly father.

She was making a sheet pan supper she saw on the Food Network: boneless pork chops, Yukon gold potatoes and fresh green beans and a chocolate cake! The cake was ready, just had to put the sheet pan in the oven. She bought some Michelob Gold beer and some Stella Rosa Moscato wine and they were chilling in the fridge.

Ray rang the doorbell and took a deep breath. He was nervous! First date in two years! Stella answered the door a little breathless. Ray stared at the pretty lady in front of him. She was prettier than he remembered! "Hello Stella! Good to see you again." She stepped aside so Ray could come in. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek and handed her a pot of mums. She smiled at that! "I thought you could plant these and have them for more than a few days."

"Thank you Ray. That is very thoughtful of you. I love flowers and these look like the kind that come back every year. I will plant these in my yard on my day off." He followed her into the small house looking around.

"Nice house. Have you lived here long?" He said to make conversation. It was a nice older home in a good neighborhood. She nodded her head yes.

"It was my grandparents' home. I inherited it when they passed five years ago in a car accident. My grandpa was too old to drive and he fell asleep at the wheel and ran into a tree a few blocks from here." She frowned, not knowing why she told him all of that. She didn't usually tell people that when she first met them.

"My grandparents are gone too and I was their heir. We have small families in common." Ray said trying to make her feel better. She smiled at him.

"I have Michelob Gold. Would you like a beer?" She asked, hoping he liked that kind. He nodded and she went to the refrigerator and got a beer out for him. She pulled the wine out as well and turned to Ray. "Care to open this for me? I am great at breaking off the cork into the wine!" He laughed and took the bottle out of her hand and picked up the corkscrew laying on the counter and quickly pulled the cork out in one piece. It made a 'pop' as he pulled it out and laid it on the counter beside the corkscrew. He poured her some into a glass that was on the counter.

"Thanks for the beer. I'm not a wine drinker but will drink almost any beer." They clinked bottle to glass and took a drink. Stella turned to the stove and opened the oven door to check on supper. The smell of cooking meat wafted out. "Whatever that is, it smells delicious." Ray said with a smile, practically licking his lips in anticipation. He leaned against the counter not sure what to do.

"I made pork chops, roasted potatoes and green beans. There are some dinner rolls to heat up and I also made a chocolate cake. I hope you are hungry!" Stella teased Ray, not missing his eyes light up at the mention of cake. The oven timer went off and she put on the oven mitts beside the stove and pulled the food out of the oven. She grabbed a spatula and dished the food onto the waiting plates and they carried them to the small dining room where she had the table set for two.

"This tasted great Stella. Thank you. I eat a lot of take out or chicken pot pies that I can bake in the oven though don't tell my daughter, she would be horrified. She brings me food to heat and eat every couple of weeks." Ray ate everything on his plate and was eyeing the pan in the kitchen to see if there was any food left.

"Please! Help yourself to more." Stella said and Ray practically jumped up and ran to the kitchen to get more. "I'm glad you like it." She wasn't a big eater and had trouble eating the food on her plate with her stomach tied in knots.

They chatted as they ate and Stella managed to eat half of her food; that was a good amount for her. Ray ate two pieces of cake and Stella promised to send some home with him. They went in and made quick work of cleaning up the kitchen then retired to the living room with more beer and wine. Stella curled up on the end of the sofa and Ray was on the other end. He smiled at her and her stomach did a flip.

They talked about movies they liked; they both liked action/adventure and Ray was surprised to find out that Stella had seen all the Avenger movies and all the Transformer movies. He had all of those and watched them on the weekends when he wasn't fishing. Stella told Ray she used to go fishing with her dad and hated taking the fish off the hook but loved the taste of fresh fish cooked over a campfire. Ray stared in surprise. Not a lot of women liked to camp, let alone eat fish over a fire! His heart began to race!

"I know we haven't known each other very long, but would you like to go to dinner next Thursday with me? My daughter is having Thanksgiving Dinner in her new house and she will have lots of food. She said I could invite people." Stella sat her wineglass down on the coffee table. "Your dad would also be welcome." Ray said quickly. "Ana won't mind, the more the merrier."

"Where does your daughter live?" Stella asked. Ray told her in Edmonds. "Can I let you know?" Stella's heart was racing now. Dinner with the family? She wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet. "Who else will be there?" She asked casually, taking another sip of her wine.

"Some of her husband's family, I think." And the staff, but he wasn't going to tell Stella yet who his daughter was or who she was married to.

A/N: Short chapter with Ray and Stella! Thanksgiving at the new house next with Ana and Christian.