Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop
Two hours later, they hadn't moved much further than the couch. Kate had shifted so her back was against the cushioned arm so her head didn't keep hitting the back; she'd gotten tired of seeing him wince every time she did when she forgot about the cuts. When she moved from the center of the couch to the side, she swung her legs up onto the cushions. They didn't stay there for long. Castle scooted over and pulled her bare feet into his lap. She didn't try to reclaim them as he started to gently massage her soles.
The TV was going in the background, white noise as they sat. He had turned on whatever had been in the DVD player and Kate had to hide a blush when the third season of Temptation Lane started playing. But Castle didn't seem to notice what was on the screen. He was watching her as she picked at her cuticle.
"Hungry?" she asked, looking up at him through her lashes. "It's lunchtime."
He didn't pause as he ran a finger over the arch of her foot, loosening the muscle there. Kate had to hold back a small sigh at the motion. "We couldn't have been here for that long. It was just breakfast a minute ago."
Kate held out her wrist so he could see the watch. "It's past noon, Rick." It took all of her energy to take her feet from his hands. Took even more not to put them back into his lap as she missed the warmth. "I'm starving. Sandwiches sound good?" Her toes curled against the chill of the kitchen tile as she reached for the bread, dug in one of the drawers for a knife.
"What kind?" he called from the couch, turning his head to look at her from his seat.
"Whatever kind I make."
"Aw, that's not fair, Kate!" He was on his feet, skirting the couch to stand next to her. He leaned on the counter, his chin on his hands as he rested his elbows on the polished granite. "I'm the guest. You're supposed to take orders."
Instead of listening to him whine, Kate pulled down the peanut butter from the cupboard, twisting the top off. She undid the tie on the loaf of bread, took out four slices of bread and set them on the cutting board.
As she scooped peanut butter from the jar, Castle's eyes narrowed at her. "Seriously? Peanut butter? What are we? Six?"
Kate grinned and smeared the knife of peanut butter over Castle's nose. "Shush you or you won't get anything."
He swiped the thick butter off his nose and, before Kate could jerk back, Castle wiped some of the peanut butter over her mouth. She gasped, dropping the knife onto the counter as she stared at him. He just grinned, eating the peanut butter off his fingers before heading for the bathroom to get the rest off.
"Just for that, you don't get a sandwich!" she called after him.
She heard the water turn on in the sink and took the chance to lick her lips. He hadn't really covered them with it so she was able to get most of it off before he returned. When she opened her mouth to berate him, he flicked his wet fingers at her and the water droplets hit her face.
"You are not winning any popularity points here." Kate picked up the knife and started spreading the bread with a layer of the peanut butter, resolutely avoiding his eyes.
Castle slipped his finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Oh please, Kate. You love me."
It took her a moment to pull her head back, focus on the sandwiches and not his eyes. He moved away from her, grabbing glasses from the cabinet across the kitchen, pouring lemonade into them. Kate brushed past him, snagging a jar of raspberry jelly from the door of the fridge before he could shut it. He leaned on the counter, watching as she cut the sandwiches in neat halves, taking plates down and putting the PB&J sandwiches on them. He could have sworn there was a tiny, barely-there smile on her face under the annoyed exterior she was trying to keep up.
They ate on the couch, Angela and Joseph sneaking around behind their spouses' backs while Marguerite fought for her life in a hospital room. Castle hadn't seen too many of the soap opera episodes – his mother had done a few back when she was getting into the business – and they were hard to keep up with. He had no idea how all of these characters were connected through the outrageous plots, but Kate was enthralled with the over-the-top theatrics on screen. She had gone from sitting back against the arm of the couch, still careful of her head, to on the edge, her feet crossed under her body, watching the actors. The plate with half of the sandwich was balanced between her knees, forgotten.
When the end credits for the fifth episode they had watched in a row rolled, Kate finally started in on the second half of her sandwich, looking over at Castle when he didn't speak. "You're done already?"
"Well, you did just sort of have a mini-marathon of a soap opera. I finished eating a while ago."
"Shoot!" She got up, catching the plate before it hit the ground. "What time is it? I need to get Al."
Castle grabbed her wrist to stop her from running toward the door with the sandwich in her hand. "Hey. I'll pick her up." She started to pull away but he tugged her back so she plopped onto the couch. The glare didn't stop him. "It's not a problem. You just sit here and watch your stories."
"Saying they're 'my stories' makes me sound old," she muttered, biting into the sandwich to avoid looking at him as he shrugged his coat on.
"But we both know you aren't. You're a sparkling specimen of a young woman." He tweaked her ear before moving to the door.
"Wait." Kate turned around on the couch to face him. "You know where to meet her, right? By the fence for the playground. That's where she'll be looking for me."
He smiled, warm and kind and genuine. Completely the essence of himself. "I got it. Trust me."
On the way down the stairs, he called up the car service that the publishing house provided and had one of the town cars sent to Kate's building. Al would get a kick out of riding around the city in the chauffeured car, even if it was just from her school to home.
Castle told the driver to wait when he parked across from the school and got out to stand near the meeting spot the Becketts used. He got a few glances from parents and he wasn't sure if they were recognizing him from writing or just confused at the lack of Kate there.
"Rick!"
Al barreled into him a moment after he bent down to let her hug him. He had to shift backwards as she hit him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hey there, missy."
She didn't let go of him when he straightened, so he boosted her up on his side, an arm around her waist as he walked toward the car. "Where's Mom?"
"Back home. She got a boo-boo at work and is spending the day watching those silly shows of hers."
"The Lane ones?" Al asked, her eyes scanning for her mother's familiar blue Crown Vic.
Castle nodded. "Those." When the driver saw him, he jumped out, opening the back door of the town car. "Thanks, Ron."
"We're driving in a limo?"
He looked over at Al as she squirmed down out of his arms to stare at the black car. "You bet. Get in and we can brag to Mom about the limo ride."
Al needed no further prompting. She smiled up at Ron before climbing into the backseat . It was a normal car from the back, minus the soft leather seats and extra leg room. But as he watched Al's reaction, Castle could have sworn it was like she was transported to a different world. He had to lean over and buckle the seatbelt for her since she was busy gazing around the interior.
"Hey, Al?" he asked once Ron started out into the light traffic around the school. Castle waited until Al's eyes settled on him before continuing. "I've got a question for you."
"Okay." She swung her legs out, letting them fall back against the seat.
Now he was nervous. She kept those bright blue eyes on his, tilting her head a little to the side in confusion when he didn't speak for a minute. He barely avoided twisting his hands together. "What would you say if I said I wanted to go out with your mom?"
"Like, out where?"
"Dinner?" It came out like a question. He started to wonder if asking Al's permission was a bad idea. What if she said no? What if she said yes but then Kate said no? Should he have just asked Kate and not bothered with Al? But that didn't seem right; the girl had the same stake in any possible relationship as Kate did.
Al interrupted his thoughts by placing a hand on his forearm. "Sure."
"Really?"
The girl laughed, patting his arm. "Yeah." Then she lit up, giving his arm a shake. "Hey! Bring Mom in the limo! She's never been in a limo."
He ran his hand over her hair until she batted him away. "We'll see." Then he turned the conversation to things that didn't have him sweating over a girl's 'yes' or 'no' answer. They talked about school, about this annoying boy who sat next to her and tried to copy her answers. Castle tried, futilely, to defend the boy, something about sticking up for the other boys, but Al fixed him with a glare that she had to have learned from watching her mother shoot the same look at people.
When the stopped outside of Kate's building, Castle snagged Al's jacket before she could bound out of the car. "No word of this to Mom, okay? Our secret?"
"Duh," Al said as she got out. She thanked Ron for driving her in the limo before going to wait at the front door.
The apartment door was unlocked when Al tried the knob after the ride up in the elevator. Kate was still on the couch, stretched out along the entire length with her head on the arm. Al dropped her backpack inside the doorway and ran to jump up on Kate's midsection, pressing kisses to her mother's cheek.
"You okay, Mom?" she asked, sitting on Kate's waist, the end of one braid in either hand. Kate glanced over at Castle who just shrugged. "Rick told me you got a boo-boo."
Kate sat up, bringing her knees up to cradle Al in her lap. "I'm fine. Just a little cut." She placed a kiss on Al's nose. "You're stuck with me for a good long time, kid."
"Mom! We got to drive in a limo!"
Castle held his hands up defensively when Kate looked over, arching a brow. "Just a town car, not a stretch limo. It was easier than trying to hail a cab."
"It was fun!" Al stated firmly, sliding off her mother's waist and onto the ground. She watched the scene in the living room happening on Temptation Lane for a minute before sighing, shaking her head. Castle refused to laugh at the hint of disapproval in the girl's exhale. "Rick, are you staying for dinner?"
This time, he looked to Kate for guidance. She only shrugged, sitting up on the couch now that Al was off of her. Then Castle shook his head. "I'm going to head home and eat with Mother. She has the night off from rehearsals and I'm sure she'll have stories to tell me." Al looked sad at the turn of events, biting her lip in an attempt not to whine. So he walked over and scooped her up, spinning her around twice before setting her back on the ground. "Don't you worry, Al. I'll be back."
Al grabbed him up in another hug around his thighs, pressing her nose into the jeans. "Miss you already."
Kate was surprised when he looked over at her, squeezing Al's head gently against his leg. "Same goes, kid."
He closed the door behind him, pausing a moment in the hallway to let his head fall against the wall. He could hear Kate asking Al about school through the door, heard Al recount the tale of the boy copying off her math homework. The sound of their voices layered on top of the sound of his heart beating in his ears. Then he pushed away, going down the stairs, and opening the door to the car before Ron could grab it. He spent the short drive across the island on his phone, searching for restaurants.
He was still looking when he unlocked his door and stepped in. It was quiet, eerily so. Normally Martha would be at the piano or playing music from the iPod dock and stereo system or clanging around in the kitchen. None of that was going on right now.
"Mother?" he called, toeing off his shoes and hanging his jacket up in the closet just inside the loft.
Nothing.
He hummed in confusion, peeking into the kitchen and living room. The piano was covered, the stove off, and most of the lights dimmed. But even in the low lighting, he saw the note on the kitchen island. She was invited out to a small cast party and would be back later in the evening, told him not to wait up for her.
Part of him wanted to go back to Kate and Al, have dinner with them. But he really did need to get some writing done and perhaps a night alone with his laptop would be the right decision in this case. He still had some time before dinner so he grabbed his computer, the notebook he had been taking notes in while at the precinct, and his phone.
Once he was sprawled out on his couch, the last thing he wanted to do was write, no matter how tempting his subject was. Instead, he continued looking for the perfect place for dinner with Kate. Every choice seemed too expensive, too cheap, too formal, too casual. Others held memories of dates with Meredith, ones he didn't want tainting this could-be relationship with Kate.
"Later," he muttered to himself, minimizing the search window and pulling up the document with the chapter he had been working on for the past few days. "You can look for a restaurant later. Fictional version of her first."
As difficult as writing some of the case details was, the knowledge that once he finished this chapter he could look for a date location was enough to keep him going.