Chapter 7: The Big Date

Marie gets to go to the restaurant in style, but not the way she expected. Her evening also turns out to be more than she could have ever dreamt of, thanks to Jake.

"Do I look okay?" Marie urgently asked her roommate Karen for the tenth time that night.

The skunk looked over at the panicked raccoon in the black silk dress with the ruby necklace. "You look divine," the skunk chuckled. "Now sit and calm down!"

"Okay…okay!" the excited raccoon sat down at the kitchen counter and logged into her laptop. "Which fork is the fish fork again?" she muttered to herself.

"Would you stop that? You're going to be too nervous to eat."

"I'm already too nervous! I don't want him to think I'm some redneck hick from down South."

"You're worried that a raccoon who is from Happy Town and has served time in jail, is going to look down on you? Just follow his lead."

"You're right, I am being silly!"

She sat there for a few minutes before she jumped up and began pacing again.

"You keep doing that, you're going to get sweaty!" her roommate warned her. "Sit down and wait, he'll be here in a few minutes."

With a huff, Marie sat down for a few moments, and then she looked at the kitchen clock. "He's late!" she muttered. "I reckon he's not coming after all?"

"That clock is ten minutes fast," Karen reminded her. "We set it that way because you don't like being late."

The raccoon jumped up again, crossed over to the door, and peeked through the eyehole. With a start, she stepped back and whispered, "He's standing in front of the door!"

The skunk ran over and peeked at the male raccoon, he was standing in front of the doorway staring at his watch. Karen softly whispered to her roommate, "He's punctual!" They both stood and waited, looking at the door. Precisely on time, he rang the doorbell.

Before she could answer the door, her roommate grabbed Marie's arm. "Let him wait for a moment," she giggled. "See what he does."

"That's not nice!" Marie whispered back.

"I know! Now go into the bedroom and don't come out until I call you."

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

The doorbell buzzed again and the skunk opened the door. Standing before her was the handsome raccoon in a dark blue suit holding a dozen white and yellow daisies. "You're late!" Karen complained while pointing towards the kitchen clock.

"No, I'm not!" the male raccoon replied in a confused tone. "I should be right on time?"

The skunk in the pink tee shirt and torn jeans just stood there in the doorway, not moving.

"Is Marie available?" Jake patiently asked.

The skunk stepped back and called for her roommate.

"May I come…" Jake began to ask, but he didn't finish what he was saying when Marie stepped out of her room, and instead he just stared at the sight of her. The black silk dress accented her curves just right and the color highlighted her grey and dark grey fur. He about dropped the flowers as he stood there with his muzzle agape.

"Are those for me, Sugar?" she asked, trying not to giggle at the way he was acting.

"What?" he asked as if in a fog.

"The flowers are they for me?"

"Oh yes!" he answered as he snapped out of his trance. "These are for you." He grinned while he handed them to her, their paws briefly touching causing them both to blush.

"You two are going to be late if you don't hurry," Karen interjected before she took the flowers from her roommate's paws. "I'll put these in a vase for you."

"Thank you," Marie almost purred.

"Oh, and I have something for you too!" Jake added with a grin. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to Karen. She looked at him in surprise as she opened the box, only to find a cheap plastic Mickey Mouse watch inside. "So you won't ask me for the time again."

Karen let out a laugh. "That really was mean of me," she replied.

"No, mean was my leaving without saying why," he said, not to her, but to Marie.

"Just don't do it again, Sugar."

"Now my new plastic watch tells me you two will be late if you don't get going!" the skunk admonished them both.

He offered her his arm while they left the apartment and walked to the elevator. She was surprised to find a black luxury sedan waiting for them. A tall well-dressed black panther with scars on his right eye and wearing a black chauffeur's hat held the door open. "I thought you were driving?" she asked the raccoon.

"I can't," he shrugged as he grinned at her. "I never got my license."

"Good evening madam," the chauffeur greeted her while he helped her into the car.

"Thank you," she replied.

"Marie, this is Renato Manchas," Jake introduced her to the driver. "He's a friend."

"At your service," Renato chuckled while he tipped his cap and slightly bowed. "You look very pretty tonight, miss."

"Thank you kindly," Marie almost squealed in delight while she looked around at the inside of the car, she had never been in such a luxurious vehicle before. She gave Jake a grin when he slipped into the car beside her.

Heads turned when they arrived at the restaurant, apparently, a few famous movie stars were inside and it brought out the paparazzi. Marie was surprised when the reporters ran to film them as they stepped out of the car.

"Who's that?"

"No one special!

"That's the raccoon that got that medal."

"Runnel, I think that's his name."

Jake took her arm and escorted her into the restaurant. When they approached the maître d', the old goat looked down at them. "Good evening, I'm Jake Runnel and Kat is expecting me," Jake told him.

"I'm sorry sir, but you are not on tonight's list," the old goat haughtily snorted.

"Just tell Kat I'm here," Jake icily replied with a forced smile. "As I said, she's expecting me."

"Really sir, Chef Korre is too busy to be bothered by your likes," the maître d' sniffled out. "So, please leave or I will have you removed."

Marie looked first at the raccoon and then at the goat in confusion.

"Just do us both a favor and tell Kat I'm here," Jake said trying not to growl in growing frustration.

"I'm sorry…" the goat began again, only to be cut off by a shout from across the restaurant.

"Jake, there you are!" a portly lynx dressed in a chef's jacket yelled while she approached the raccoon with open arms. "Why didn't you use the backdoor? You always come in the back of the restaurant, you're family around here!"

"Kat!" the raccoon protested before he was crushed by the bigger cat's embrace.

"And this must be Marie?" the chef enthusiastically laughed. "Now come on you two, your table awaits you!" She grabbed Marie's paw and pulled her toward the kitchen with Jake following behind. There was surprised murmuring from many of the other patrons wanting to know why the raccoons were getting such special treatment. They left the dining room and entered the kitchen, where there was a table complete with white linens and a candle set up in a corner.

"Slow down!" Jake chuckled while he pulled a chair out for Marie. "Marie Millbrooks, I'd like to introduce you to Chef Kat Korre."

"It's nice to meet you!" Marie gushed. "I saw y'all on Iron Skillet."

"Well you both just take a seat, this is what we call in the business the Chef's Table and it is reserved only for very special guests," the lynx laughed. "I don't usually do a Chef's Table, but Jake called and I owe this coon a big favor. Did he tell you that when he was in jail, he talked my nephew out of committing suicide? It turns out that cat is a bit of an artist and is now an apprentice glassblower for Dale Cabassous, so sit and I will serve you myself."

"Kat, you really don't need to do that!" Jake protested.

The cat walked over and kissed the raccoon's cheek. "Of course I do, like I said earlier you're family."

Kat had opted to serve them a gourmet five-course meal starting with a smoked oyster with a sweet jalapeno sauce, followed by a creamy mushroom soup. After that, the celebrity chef had to make her rounds in the restaurant. "My place is the latest craze in the city today but if I don't play the crowd, it will be forgotten tomorrow." When she returned, Kat served them braised artichokes with sun-dried tomatoes. Then the chef pulled up a chair and joined them for a dish of stuffed squab served over wild rice. While they ate, Jake leaned back and happily watched while the farmer's daughter and the celebrity chef got into a conversation about, of all things, the best types of apples to use to make applesauce.

"Jake, if I wasn't already married I would steal this girl from you!" Kat proclaimed. "But my wife would not be happy if I brought her home." The chef excused herself and returned with a slice of cake with rum-poached fruit and two forks. She obviously expected them to intimately share the same dish. A waiter also arrived with cups of coffee.

Later that night after they said goodbye to the chef and had returned back to her apartment, Jake escorted her to her door. She battled with herself about inviting him in for a nightcap with the possibility of more, but instead, he stopped in front of her doorway. "I had fun tonight and I think Kat really likes you," He said with a nervous smile.

"I had fun too," she replied. "Thank you for taking me there, Sugar."

"I would like to go out with you again," he nervously continued while she opened the door. Her roommate had already conveniently disappeared into her own bedroom.

"I'd like that."

"Maybe next weekend?"

"That would be lovely, but this time no limos or fancy restaurants," she giggled. "Let's be less pretentious."

"Ah, I'll work on that, and by the way thank you."

"For what?" she asked in surprise. Again without realizing it, she cocked her head in that cute canine questioning way.

"For showing me what a fish fork was," he chuckled. "I had no idea what all that different silverware is used for, that was the first time I'd been in such a fancy restaurant. Well, that's not quite true because I've had late-night snacks with Kat before, but I never went through the front door and always we ate at the kitchen counter."

She leaned forward, ready to invite him in but he was hesitant. Finally, he broke their silence. "Good night." He said before he reached and took her paw in his. Lifting it to his lips, he gave it a tender kiss. "I'll call you, thank you again."

After he turned to leave, she stood in the doorway and gaily called out, "Don't lose my phone number again, Sugar!"

He laughed before he replied, "I gave it to my secretary Betty and she's more reliable than I am!"

After he entered the elevator, Marie ran down the hallway to peek out of a window, watching when the other raccoon climbed into the sedan's passenger side front seat next to the driver.

"Well, someone must have had a good time?" Karen asked while she joined her by the hallway window. "I guess I was wrong about him too?"

"What about?" Marie asked.

"You know, the more expensive the restaurant the wider they'll expect you to…well, you know!"

"He even didn't try. I would have let him if he had asked, but he's a real gentlemammal. He even kissed my paw goodnight and didn't try to kiss me! Y'all know that old routine that good girls never kiss on a first date?"

"So do you have another date?" Karen asked and Marie nodded while she stared out the window at the departing sedan. "Good, you still have his medal"

"Dagnabit!" the raccoon at the window sort of cursed.