Chapter VII: The French Doctor and the Postman

Spice Meter: 2 flames

Dearest reader, I think it's only fair we give Papa Joe some love. Why don't we pull the curtain back on that coffee outing with Dr. Vivianne? Whilst Shane and Oliver were happily celebrating their monthaverssary, there were other… stimulating events occurring at the same time. This Author can't wait to see if the French doctor will be the one for our dear Papa Joe!

Joe felt like a teenager going on his first date. The feeling of expectation was lovely, and it was something he hadn't felt for the longest time. He hoped everything would go swimmingly with Vivianne that afternoon. It was a good thing he'd kept it casual for a first outing. If there's anything he'd learned at his mature age, it's that a casual setting makes for a relaxed mood. If there's one thing you want on a first date, it was for both parties to be relaxed. Would Vivianne think of this invitation as a date? Well, he'd find out soon enough. He checked himself out in the mirror before heading out to Happy Paws. The blue striped shirt and jeans were a good look on him. Oh dear, he could tell he had it bad already! Joe smirked as he got in his truck.

Valentino was all set and ready to go when he arrived to pick him up. Christiana, his groomer, had done an outstanding job. The pooch was all fluffy, his grinch paws had been trimmed, and he even was sporting a little blue bow tie on his collar. Joe had to laugh when he saw Valentino looking at him and then at Vivianne, wondering with whom he should go.

"Show him his leash. That will tell him he needs to go to you," Vivianne said, in her fascinating French laced accent.

"Come, buddy!" Joe did as Vivianne instructed, and immediately Valentino padded over to him. "I think it's amazing he's so well trained," Joe said, as he attached the leash to the pup's collar.

"Hugo and Liz, God bless their souls, were amazing with their pets. A trained dog is a happy dog, and they did right by Valentino. They did a great job with Flynn as well, although cats are in a league all their own!" Vivianne looked at Valentino lovingly and lifted her gaze up to Joe's. Once again, he was dumbstruck at his reaction to this woman he barely knew. "Ready for coffee, Joe?"

It took him a second to respond. "Yes, yes, of course! Please lead the way."

It was a short walk to a nearby café. Valentino was over the moon with his walkies and sniffed every corner and fire hydrant along the way. Joe had to admit he was a good buffer. Valentino was not only a source of conversation topics, but he also provided never-ending entertainment. By the time they reached the café, Joe and Vivianne had laughed endlessly over his antics. They took a seat at one of the outside tables and ordered a latte for Vivianne, black coffee with a splash of milk for Joe, and of course, Valentino had to get his own Pup Cup. Valentino devoured his treat in record time, ending up covered in whipped cream. Vivianne cleaned his beard and whiskers lovingly while speaking to him in soothing tones. Joe couldn't help but smile at the picture they painted.

"Joe, tell me about yourself. All I know is you're Oliver's father and you like dogs." Vivianne took a sip of her latte and looked at him expectantly, a gentle smile on her face.

"I'm 65 and retired. I also worked for the Post Office for quite some time, but I left to work for FedEx. Oliver has never quite forgiven me for that!"

"I can see how that could happen, even not knowing the details" Vivianne said intuitively. "Oliver seems very passionate about his work at the Dead Letter Office."

Joe's eyes softened at her words. "That he is. When you first meet him, it doesn't seem that way, but my son is very passionate about his work. Thankfully, I can see he's approaching his personal life in the same way."

"From your words, I take it this wasn't always the case?"

"No, but I wasn't there during that part of his life. Thankfully it was Shane who brought us back together."

"That sounds like an incredible story."

"It is. It still pains me that I lost so much time with Oliver. Shane was heaven-sent. I'm blessed to call her my daughter now."

"That's beautiful, Joe. Shane seems like a lovely woman and I can tell Oliver loves her to distraction. I have never seen anyone so uncomfortable inside Happy Paws," Vivianne laughed, and the musical lilt of her laughter had Joe mesmerized. "Nothing else explains how he would have taken Flynn and Valentino home. He must love her more than life itself!"

"That he does! Adopting the furry hooligans is the best thing that could have happened to Oliver." Valentino barked, voicing his annoyance at being called a hooligan. Joe and Vivianne cracked up. Both petted the feisty dog and Joe continued the conversation. "He has come a very long way and I couldn't be happier for him! But, enough about me. Please tell me something about yourself, Vivianne. You seem very educated, and there's obviously the accent. How did you end up in Colorado?"

"I spent the summers with my grandparents when I was younger. They had this amazing ranch on the outskirts of Denver. That's where my appreciation for horses and farm animals came from. I inherited the property when they passed away and currently live there."

"A ranch is a lot of work, Vivianne. How do you manage the upkeep and work at Happy Paws as well?"

"Well, the ranch came with a foreman. Samuel Brown and his family have worked at Moonrise Ranch practically forever, and they're really my extended family."

Joe was liking what he heard more and more. If she lived on a ranch, that meant she was very down-to-earth. "Maybe one day I can visit Moonrise Ranch, well, if I'm not being too forward, Vivianne."

She had to admit the conversation flowed freely, and nothing felt forced between them. Vivianne felt at ease with Joe, and she hadn't felt like that around a man in ages.

"Let's just say that might be a possibility," she smiled softly, taking another sip of her coffee while she scratched Valentino's head.

Joe flashed his trademark brilliant smile. She hadn't said no right off the bat, so there was hope! "I can't help but wonder, Vivianne, have you been married? Do you have kids?"

Vivianne chuckled, and it was a pleasing sound to say the least. "All the questions of a first date when you've reached a certain age!" Joe was pleased she did see the coffee outing as a date! He kept his excitement in check and let her continue. "I am widowed. My husband died 8 years ago when I was 50. He lost his battle with cancer. The whole process was long and drawn out. I was so burnt out when Leo passed away, I couldn't even manage to go to the grocery store. It was all extremely painful, but as cliché as it may sound, time does heal everything. As for children, I have a daughter! Her name's Juliette. She's a lawyer and a novelist. I also have a grandson, who's my pride and joy. She named him Olivier after my grandfather, her great-grandfather."

Joe couldn't believe it. In different languages, her grandson and his son shared iterations of the same name. Oliver always said there were no coincidences and he had to think his son was right! "Well, I haven't asked you something that's incredibly important."

Vivianne tilted her head, wondering what that question could be. She nodded, letting Joe know he could proceed with whatever was on his mind.

"How did you get your beautiful accent?" Joe leaned over the table, propping himself on his forearms and lacing his fingers together.

"That's easy. My father was French. He was the French Embassy's cultural attaché in Washington DC. His name was Henri, God bless his soul, and he met my mother, Margaux, while she was in grad school at Georgetown. I miss her so much…," Vivianne's expression turned wistful as she remembered her mother. "I was an only child and travelled with them wherever they needed to go. A lot of time was spent in France, but my parents eschewed the banality of Paris. They kept a house in Reims and that's where I spent most of the time. The summers with my maternal grandparents kept me grounded. You already know that's where my love for animals came from. After college, I decided to move to Colorado and went to veterinary school in Fort Collins. I guess you could say the rest is history."

Joe and Vivianne had been so engrossed in their conversation they hadn't realized how late it was. Both were surprised at how time had flown. That's often what happens when you're in good company and you're having fun, right? Joe didn't want the interlude to end, but he also didn't want to come on too strong on a first outing.

"Oh dear. I should get back. I need to check up on a foal at the ranch." Vivianne sounded a tad upset about leaving.

"Would you like to get together tomorrow?" Joe asked in a rush of breath.

Vivianne blinked. She knew this date had gone well, but she wasn't expecting Joe to want to see her again so soon. It was so flattering and she couldn't help it. She smiled widely and accepted. "What do you suggest? Brunch?"

"How about a picnic? Alamo Placita Park has beautiful picnic spots."

"That sounds delightful! How about we each bring something to share?"

"That sounds wonderful, Vivianne. Would it be too forward to say I'm already looking forward to tomorrow?"

Vivianne's hazel eyes glimmered in appreciation. "No, it isn't too forward. I'm looking forward to tomorrow as well."

As they both stood, Joe held her hand between his in a gentlemanly gesture of departure…but he didn't let go as soon as he should have. Vivianne noticed but had to admit she didn't mind.

The following day, Joe awoke as soon as the sun broke through the window. Flynn was padding around in circles, meowing for his breakfast. Valentino had jumped on the bed, his paws on Joe's chest, begging for his morning walkies and treats. "Dear heavens, Valentino, I hope you don't do this to Oliver…" Joe petted his fur and could've sworn the dog just winked at him. "I swear, the only thing left for you to do is talk! Come on, you crazy dog! Let's take you out and give Flynn his breakfast."

Joe felt like he was grinning like a madman the entire morning. His coffee date with Vivianne had gone incredibly well and he couldn't wait to see her again today. Even though it went against his chivalrous nature, they had agreed to meet at Oliver and Shane's house to head to the park. It made sense since the house was closer. Depending on how this outing went, he hoped there would be ample opportunity to take Vivianne out on a proper date and go all out for her. He wasn't one for being fancy, but she deserved to get dressed up and go out to a nice restaurant, with flowers, and all that. Joe couldn't wait to talk to Oliver and Shane to hear their opinions about this. Oh dear, he was getting ahead of himself… He just had to wait and see how today went.

While Joe prepared his picnic basket, Vivianne fretted about what to wear, what to take for food and how to calm herself down.

"Grandma's pacing, Mom!" Olivier cried out. Vivianne had to laugh. Her own grandson was now tattling on her.

"Mom, it's okay! It seems like this Joe O'Toole is a magnificent upstanding man. I googled him and he's really something."

"Juliette, you did what?" Vivianne was flabbergasted.

"Mother, you know I'm a novelist and I used to be a lawyer. I'm great at research and have a skeptical mind. I had to google him. I wouldn't want just anyone taking out my beautiful, sophisticated, heart-of-gold mother."

Vivianne hugged her only child. "What would I do without you, Juliette?"

"You're my world, Mom. I also have to take care of you. It's been long enough since Daddy died. He'd want you to be happy too." Juliette's eyes watered, and Vivianne's did as well.

"Sweetie, we might be jumping the gun here. It's only the second outing and it's very casual."

"Oh, I don't know, Mom. Picnics can be very romantic."

"Stop it, or I'm going to start pacing again."

Gently squeezing Vivianne's arm, Juliette helped her pack the small picnic basket she was taking. She also reassured her mother she looked fabulous in her dark washed jeans and cream-colored cashmere sweater. Vivianne was the epitome of relaxed chic, her outfit completed by golden hoops in her ears and ballerina flats on her feet. Her long straight platinum blonde hair was styled in a loose chignon with wisps of hair framing her face. Juliette couldn't get past how understatedly gorgeous her mother was. She had fine lines of wisdom etching her face, and her expressive gentle eyes always took her breath away. There was nobody gentler nor more giving than her mother. Juliette remembered how she had taken care of her father during those long excruciating years. She did it with such love and grace… she only hoped to find somebody who could love her like her mom had loved her father.

Feeling like she was sending her own daughter off on a date, Juliette waved to Vivianne as she drove away to meet up with Joe. God bless, mother. Juliette thought. God only knows she deserves all the happiness in the world.

The park was gorgeous, giving Vivianne and Joe the most beautiful autumn setting for their second outing. They found an unoccupied spot overlooking the sunken garden beds characteristic of Alamo Placita and opened the picnic baskets.

"I didn't know what you'd like Joe, so I brought a couple of favorites. My daughter helped me choose," Vivianne said, as she laid out cowboy caviar, a cold salad with black beans and corn and tortilla chips. She also brought individual portions of an apple galette in puff pastry. Joe was delighted as he loved fruit desserts. He had brought chicken salad sandwiches on a hearty sourdough bread, along with bottled water and iced tea.

"I would've brought some beer or wine, but I didn't want to presume. Maybe on another occasion, Joe?"

"I'd hope so, Vivianne. And by the way, I'm a beer guy."

Vivianne's lips curved in a soft smile. "I figured you would be."

Both grinned as they took a bite of the sandwiches, feeling like teenagers, giddy with the feeling that both wanted their acquaintance to grow further.

"Joe… I was wondering something." He looked at her expectantly. "Why did you leave the USPS for FedEx? It seemed like there was more behind that story. If I'm prying, you can just say so."

"Don't worry, Vivianne," he took a deep breath before answering. It was something he didn't like to talk about, but maybe it was time to share the story with someone. Vivianne felt like the ideal person. "At the time, I needed to get away. My ex-wife had died and Oliver cut ties with me. Even though we'd been divorced for a while, I never remarried, as she was still in my heart. I remember going on hikes in the woods, wanting to find a reason to see the sun again. Knowing Moira was gone broke my heart; then not having my son in my life completely shattered what was left of it. I needed to put distance between me and all the things aligned with Oliver. I moved away from Denver and quit the Post Office. I wrote him letters for the longest time… but I never got any response."

Vivianne's eyes were damp with tears. She couldn't believe how open and vulnerable Joe was with her. That certainly was quite the life story… And to find out he wasn't Oliver's biological father! It spoke volumes about the kind of man he was. Vivianne felt her heart slipping little by little into this man's hands. The only thing she could say for certain at this moment was she needed to deepen her acquaintance with Joseph O'Toole. Her gut told her she couldn't let him slip through her fingers.

The afternoon continued as they chatted about every topic under the sun. Both liked action and sports movies, agreeing the Indiana Jones trilogy was the best of all time. Vivianne also liked to go hiking on sunrise or sunset walks. Obviously, they both liked dogs and she shared she had a golden retriever named Michel. As for music, their tastes were a bit eclectic, but from the same decade… Joe liked 70's rock like the Grateful Dead and The Rolling Stones, while Vivianne opted for tunes by Barbra Streisand, Fleetwood Mac, and the BeeGees. Once again, time had flown, and Joe couldn't believe he had to cut the date short.

"Vivianne, I need to go back to the house. I need to take Valentino out and Oliver and Shane should be arriving home soon from their mini getaway."

She felt a little bit sad, but all good things had to come to an end eventually, didn't they? However, she hoped he might invite her out again. If he didn't, she'd just invite him to the ranch the following weekend. They proceeded to clean up the remains of their picnic lunch and loaded up Joe's truck. Once back at Oliver and Shane's house, Vivianne waited on the front porch, as Joe took Valentino out to the backyard.

"So, Vivianne…. It's been a beautiful afternoon." Joe took her hands with his own.

"Indeed. I did have a marvelous time." Her hazel eyes lit up with gold flecks and Joe's stomach flipped. Did he dare? It had been so long, but…this woman did things to him that not even Moira, God bless her soul, had done when he had been completely under her spell. He pulled Vivianne closer, still holding her hands, and gently, he brought one of his strong callused hands to her cheek. He saw her eyes clouding, and not feeling any resistance on her part, brought her face closer as his fingers burrowed in her hair.

The moment their lips met, something exploded between them that had long been buried by both. It was hope… that at this stage in life they finally could've met someone special. Truth be told, they felt more than hope, but maybe it was too early to say so other than in a kiss. They drew back from each other at the same time, smiling brilliantly and then fusing into a hug that spoke volumes about what just transpired.

"Ermmmm… Dad?" And just like that, Joe and Vivianne realized Shane and Oliver were home.

Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious. Apparently when Oliver saw Shane reach for her binoculars, he dashed from the car to see what was going on at the front porch of his house. He didn't know if he was surprised or pleased to catch his dad in such a compromising predicament! However, to find out exactly how Oliver and Shane feel about this unexpected turn of events, we will have to exercise yet another bit of patience. Until next time, dear reader!