Chapter 4

Richie kept looking up from the cutting board to see what his friends were doing. He could see them talking, and the occasional giggle came from Celeste, but he couldn't hear what they were talking about. It looked like they were really hitting it off well. They both seemed comfortable considering they were alone, talking and barely knew each other. And, amazingly, Celeste was a formidable opponent for McLeod since she seemed to have an advantage in the chess game set up between the two. That's not an easy task when your opponent has been playing for nearly 300 years.

Richie wished he could hear what they were talking about. He just hoped that it was a more intimate conversation than talking about the weather. Volunteering to make dinner so Mac would spend some time with Celeste had seemed like a good idea at the time, but was turning out to be too much work and frustration.

He looked back down at the cutting board where a pile of salad ingredients sat in a pile. The vegetables were cut inconsistently, yielding some big and some small pieces of the same variety. A child could do better, Richie thought. "So guys. How do you feel about pizza?"

Duncan looked up to his young friend with a smile and sent a knowing nod in Celeste's direction. "I told you." Duncan stood up and walked into the kitchen to see what Richie had been working on. He picked up one of the fatter chunks of carrot and took a bite. "What's the matter Richie? Are the vegetables too fresh?"

Richie grimaced as McLeod taunted him. "No, I just discovered that I like eating much more than cooking." He went to the sink to rinse off the knife and his hands. "What do you like on your pizza Celeste?"

"Oh, I like just about anything." She had a big grin across her face and her eyes were locked with Duncan's. Richie made a mental note of this. Was she smiling about his lack of culinary ability or did McLeod somehow get her to smile that big.

"Alright, well, I'm gonna go pick us up a pizza. Why don't you two finish your game." Richie motioned to the board as Duncan walked back over to sit by Celeste again.

Duncan smiled again at his young friend. "Ok, but don't eat half of it on the way home this time."

Another giggle slipped out as Celeste tried to stifle her laugh. Something about the way her two new friends interacted was more than a little amusing to her. It reminded her of a man teasing his son. More specifically, a man who's son had a crush on his father's girlfriend. Had Duncan noticed that Richie seemed to like her a little more than a casual friend should, or was it just her imagination? And was she willing to admit that Duncan had been noticeably flirting with her, and that she actually liked it. She was not one to go unnoticed by men, but it had been rare that the attention had not been more than an annoyance to her. After all, she had tried to have relationships before, and they never ended well. It had been easier for her to just not get involved. And yet, here she sat next to this handsome stranger, with nothing on her mind but him. What has come over me?

The sound of the door closing behind Richie pulled her back from her thoughts as she suddenly realized that they were now alone. His eyes met hers again and his smile slowly faded as if something had just occurred to him.

"He's a good kid." Duncan looked down at his drink and paused before taking a sip. "Doesn't always know what he's getting into, but his heart is in the right place."

Celeste notice right away that the tone in Duncan's voice had suddenly changed. "I've only known him for a week, but that is something I picked up right away. He's a hard worker to."

"Yeah, he is." Duncan paused, "so, tell me about yourself. I know you're a math tutor but what else do you like to do? What's your major? How old are you?"

Celeste's face turned pale. The sudden feeling of being surprised by a pop quiz washed over her. "Oh, ahh, well, I'm 28 and I am a performing arts major. Dance to be precise. The tutoring is just a little side job that helps to pay for school."

"Oh, so you're a dancer?" The way the man said it made it sound dirty. "That explains why Richie has that puppy love look in his eye. So, is that how you met? Is the whole tutor story for my benefit? For some reason Richie thinks that I have to like all his girlfriends."

It took a second for Celeste to realize what had happened. The smiling and flirting was all for show. He wanted Richie to think that he liked her. This man that had somehow wrongly caught her attention, did not have any interest in her at all. To make it worse, he thought she was a stripper that Richie had fallen for.

Celeste stood up abruptly. A flood of emotions suddenly threatening to overwhelm her. Pain, anger, embarrassment, all showed on her face as she opened her mouth to say something. But no words came out. She cut herself off from saying the first thing that came to her mind and tried to calm herself. "Well, it seems you have me all figured out, don't you Mr. McLeod."

As soon as he has said it, he realized how it had sounded to the woman. Richie had become like a son to him and at times, the protective nature of a parent was the most dominant trait that showed through. This was one of those times. Mac just wanted Richie to be with a nice girl with both feet on the ground. Too often, Richie found himself involved with drugs, violence and emotional turmoil, simply because he liked the wrong type of women.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way. I just…"

"You just saw the cover and assumed the book wasn't worth reading. Don't worry about it Mr. McLeod. I am only interested in helping Richie and being his friend. And with someone like you watching over him, he's going to need as many friends as he can get." Celeste started looking around the room for her backpack. "I think I should go. Please tell Richie that I am sorry I couldn't stay and that I will see him tomorrow." She bent over, pulled her bag over her shoulder and started for the door.