Chapter 58
"I am hoping that you will not mind waiting until after dinner?" Vincent questioned gently.
"I guess not," she told him and led the way into the apartment. "What needs to be warmed up?"
"Actually I do not know. William told me not to look in the basket until I arrived here," he reported.
Looking at him in surprise she asked, "And you didn't look?"
"No," he reported with a slightly bewildered look on his face.
"I would have!" Catherine assured him with a laugh and as soon as he put the basket down on the counter moved in to begin the search.
Vincent, however, reached into the basket first and brought out a cloth covered bundle. "Catherine, would you see to the food while I put these on the table?"
Curious as to what was in his hand, as well as what enticing aromas from the basket were, she almost reluctantly agreed and he turned to go back into the living room.
Unrolling the cloth he had wrapped around the two delicate candles Rebecca had given him, Vincent placed them on the table and after lighting them went back into the kitchen to help Catherine.
Meanwhile, she had been discovering all the delights William had sent them. The first thing she had opened was clearly meant for their desert. There was half of an apple pie on the plate. In a checkered napkin she also found a half a dozen homemade rolls. She was beginning to wonder how many people William had been told this meal was for! The bowl that she unwrapped next had something that smelled like corn, but looked like it has some kind of breading with it. Vincent had returned to the kitchen by then and she asked, "Do you know what this is Vincent?"
He smiled, taking a deep whiff of it, "That is William's scalloped corn. It is a specialty of his. You will love it, we all do!"
"I'm sure I will if it tastes as wonderful as it smells. I'll warm it up while you get out the rest of the food."
As she turned to the micro wave, Vincent pulled out the last and largest container. He opened it to find noodles, beef and some kind of sauce. "I don't know what this is, but it also smells wonderful," he told her.
She sniffed the air and said, "That's beef stroganoff, but the noodles look unusual. Where does William get his pasta?"
Vincent looked at her oddly and replied, "He makes it."
Shaking her head, she opened the cupboard and pulled out a box of spaghetti. "This is the way normal people get their pasta Vincent."
Looking at the contents, he protested, "But it is so hard and dry!"
"Welcome to my world," she sighed. "Now let me heat up the stroganoff while you take everything else out to the table. Here, the corn is warm now too."
Catherine joined him shortly and after holding out her chair for her Vincent sat down. They ate, talking about how good the food was and what they had done during the day. But by the time they had finished the meal, and only the pie remained, she still had no further clue as to why he had planned this special mean for them.
Vincent suggested that they wait before having their desert because he wanted to talk to her about something first.
'Ah ha!' she thought, maybe she was about to discover the reason for all this.
He guided her into the living room and over to the couch, when she sat down Vincent gave her one long enigmatic look and then taking her hand, went down on one knee in front of her.
To be continued….