Chapter XII: A Monumental Night Part II
Spice Meter: 1 flame
My dears, I won't take up much of your time, since I am sure your heart's desire is to witness Joe and Vivianne's big date night. The only thing I feel compelled to say is that I love them and their story simply must continue! Let's get on with it, shall we?
Joe parked Oliver's Jaguar in front of what was Vivianne's house at Moonrise Ranch. He looked quite spiffy if he thought so himself. Shane had outdone herself and helped him pick out a dark blue 3-piece suit with a very subtle gray pinstripe. The gray dress shirt and light blue silk tie made his magnetic blue eyes stand out. Shane said he looked almost as handsome as Oliver, which he guessed was a good thing. He chuckled. Shane was indeed a force of nature!
Joe saw a man's silhouette on Vivianne's front porch. Frowning, he wondered who it could be. Maybe the foreman?
"Oh wow, Joe is that you?" a surprised voice asked.
"Yes…"
"Joe, it's Sam, from the fishing club!"
Joe was shocked. Vivianne's foreman was Sam? Of course! Samuel Brown! He hadn't put two and two together when Vivianne mentioned him, because he only knew him by his nickname. They had been buddies before he moved on from the Postal Service to work for FedEx. That was quite some time ago. Joe had fond memories of them in the fishing club together. Their camaraderie helped him ease some of the pain he felt after Oliver cut ties with him.
"Sam, I can't believe this!" He rushed to hug his friend and clasped his hand in his.
"Joseph…you're here…" Vivianne emerged from her front door. Her understated elegant look made Joe immediately weak in the knees.
"Ms. Vivianne, here I was, giving you the third degree because I just had to know who the heck had designs on you! As it turns out, Joe is a long-time friend of mine. What a coincidence!" Sam shook his head in astonishment.
"My son says there are no coincidences," Joe said pensively.
"I think Oliver might be right," Vivianne smiled. If she needed another sign to know she needed to keep Joe in her life, this was yet another one.
Seeing how his boss and friend held each other's gaze, Samuel knew both were already head over heels for each other. He couldn't be more pleased. He certainly had a lot of misgivings about Mrs. Vivianne dating again. She hadn't dated anyone since her husband's passing, which was 8 years ago. It was almost like Joe was heaven sent! Samuel could finally breathe easier. He was sure Mr. Leo up above had something to do with this.
"These are for you, Vivianne," Joe held out a bouquet of pink, purple, and yellow dahlias. It was the first time he'd ever brought her flowers, and he wanted the bouquet to be both distinctive and meaningful. Everyone gifted roses. Since he felt Vivianne was in a league all her own, she was deserving of something completely different.
"These are gorgeous, Joseph. Thank you so much." She looked up at him with so much feeling in her eyes, Joe felt a punch to his stomach. Could it be? Could she be in love with him?
After putting the flowers in a vase, Joe led Vivianne to the Jaguar and opened the passenger door for her. During the drive, they listened to an oldies station that was playing the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Vivianne laughed good-naturedly at Joe's attempt to imitate Barry Gibb's falsetto. The mood was light, hopeful, and filled with furtive glances between the two of them.
Shane's selection for their dinner date was unbeatable. She made reservations at Rioja, a highly rated, but unpretentious restaurant known for its Spanish-Mediterranean cuisine. After ordering a bottle of a nice red Ribera del Duero selected by Vivianne, they chose an arugula salad and goat cheese tart as their starters.
As the waiter poured their wine into crystal goblets, Joe couldn't help but gaze at Vivianne and appreciate how beautiful she looked. She wore a simple, yet elegant long-sleeved, v-necked black dress. Her straight platinum hair framed her face, and a delicate gold necklace adorned her neck. Joe loved this look on her, as she almost always wore her hair up due to her job and daily tasks at the ranch. He knew she recognized this was a significant change of pace from the casual coffees and trail hikes they had been on previously.
"Joseph, the dahlias were perfection," Vivianne commented, referring to the bouquet of flowers he gave her earlier.
"I didn't want to give you the usual roses. You're different," he replied succinctly.
"I could tell that was your intention," Vivianne's hazel eyes glimmered, "I also understand their meaning."
"So, you might know how I feel, Vivianne," he said, his eyes boring deep into hers.
Vivianne felt heat rushing from her chest up to her face. She had seen how Oliver looked at Shane. She could hardly believe she was now the target of the infamous O'Toole smoldering gaze. Oh dear… this evening had the potential to be a monumental night for them.
"How about we talk about those flowers and their meaning later tonight? I asked Sam to leave a fire burning for us in the outside firepit. I'd very much enjoy having a nightcap with you there. The view of the night sky at the ranch is amazing to say the least."
Joe smiled in agreement, but the conversation stopped momentarily due to the arrival of their starters. Sampling the offerings from each other's plates, they commented on how delicious the food was and how happy they were over Shane's meddling in their date.
"You love her very much, don't you, Joseph?"
Joe's heart twinged, thinking how much he loved Shane. "She's the daughter I never knew I always wanted."
"That's beautiful," Vivianne said, deep feeling permeating her words. "Maybe I could have the same blessing when Juliette finds a worthy life partner."
She continued to tell Joe about her daughter's tumultuous relationship with Charles, her ex-husband. Her heart still ached over how much Juliette had suffered, especially trying to protect her small child from his father. Charles never acknowledged his drinking problem and it ended up destroying their marriage.
"I feel for your daughter, Vivianne. I know what it's like to be left all alone to raise a child. At least Juliette has you," Joe said in a gentle tone.
Vivianne smiled softly. "My Juliette is a warrior. She became a lawyer and pursued her writing, all the while taking care of Olivier. When she published her first novel, we alternated between joyous laughter and fits of tears. It was an amazing moment. I can't wait for you to meet her, as well as my grandson."
"It will be my utmost pleasure, not to mention honor, to meet them," Joe said, his words flowing from his heart.
The waiter took their entrée order. Vivianne selected baked halibut in saffron sauce and Joe opted for a pan-roasted pork chop. They chose to share artichoke tortelloni as a side dish. There was something very intimate about sharing plates over dinner at a restaurant, Joe thought. He had forgotten how this felt and he was delighted over how natural everything felt with Vivianne.
"Joseph, I have been meaning to say I think it's wonderful you already know Samuel."
"That is certainly something. I would've never expected to run into Sam on your front porch!"
"He mentioned you were in a fishing club together?"
"Yes, that's how we met. I joined the Denver Bassmasters when Oliver went off to college. I needed to spend some time doing something other than grieving what I felt was the loss of my son. Sam was wonderful. He showed me the ropes and we also became fishing partners outside of the club."
"I'd love to go fishing with you sometime, Joseph," Vivianne said, her lips curving into a soft, gorgeous smile.
"You would?" Joe blinked. "You like fishing?" Would this woman ever cease to amaze him?
"Of course. I only catch and release, but I do enjoy the simplicity and peacefulness of a small boat in the middle of a lake early in the morning."
"That's what I relish the most about fishing. It's blissful, feeling the enormity of nature around you and how peaceful it can be," Joe said, his excitement obvious about his pastime. He paused, took a breath, and soldiered on with the next question. "How do you feel about camping?"
"I think it's an activity that should be done at least once in a lifetime," Vivianne replied, as she nursed her wine, taking small sips from her crystal goblet.
"Well, that's encouraging! You didn't adamantly refuse right off the bat!" They looked at each other with identical cheerful looks. Joe daydreamed about he and Vivianne, in the woods, in a lovely spot by a stream, cuddling in front of a fire and retiring to a cozy tent for two for the night.
The food arrived and they were incredibly pleased with their choices. Stuffed after the meal, they decided to forego dessert. It was a shame because Joe had been eyeing a mango tart on the menu.
"How about we order it and pick it up after the recital? The restaurant will still be open and it's not far from the concert hall. We can take it back to the ranch and share it by the firepit."
Joe flashed his brilliant smile, loving how Vivianne's mind worked. "That's perfect. Let's add the fig beignets too, what do you think?
Vivianne happily agreed with Joe's brilliant idea. As he took care of the check, she noticed his cellphone ringing. She hoped nothing was amiss with Shane and Oliver and encouraged him to take the call in case something was wrong.
"Oh, that's not a call, I set an alarm on my phone to make sure we get to the concert hall on time. We don't want to be late to Olivier's recital, do we?"
Vivianne's lips quivered slightly. Her heart flipped, did a double jump inside her chest and steadfastly tumbled right into love with one Joseph Henry O'Toole. If he didn't feel the same way about her… oh dear, it would be very hard to get over him now. She excused herself for a minute to go to the ladies' restroom…to gather courage and strength. When she made her way back to the table, Joe was ready to go. They finally headed to the Boettcher Concert Hall for Oliver's violin recital.
The hubbub at the recital's premises seemed out of the ordinary for a children's recital. Joe didn't know much about these sorts of events, but it seemed like this one was a big deal. His eyes widened when he saw Olivier featured on the promo poster for Denver's Symphonic Orchestra. The little boy was showcased as guest first violin for specific performances during the season.
"Vivianne, you failed to mention your grandson was a prodigy!"
"He's just our Olivier… who happens to have quite the talent for playing the violin." Vivianne smiled indulgently. "I didn't want to elaborate much… I knew this could be intimidating."
"I think it's fantastic, Vivianne. I can't wait to listen to him play and meet him afterwards."
Juliette saw her mom and Joe and hurriedly made her way through the crowd to greet them. She hugged Vivianne and looked at Joe with a smile as beautiful as her mother's.
"Joe, it's such a pleasure. I was looking forward to meeting the man who has my mother smiling again." She hugged Joe and it almost felt like it was Shane hugging him. That had to mean something, right?
"It's lovely to meet you, Juliette. Your mother continuously sings your praises when she talks about you."
"Aww, you're going to make me blush, Joe! Come with me, I saved your seats. Fifth row, center. Acoustics are perfect in that spot!"
"I didn't know your son was a virtuoso. That came as quite the surprise!"
"We don't want to let it go to his head, but yes, he's amazing. It was mom who caught onto Ollie's musical inclinations when he was a toddler. She helped with his music lessons, and today, here we are!" Juliette was obviously quite proud of her son and his nickname had Joe smiling warmly.
They settled into their seats and Joe perused the program, happy to see the music featured for the concert was movie scores. As the lights dimmed and the musicians took their seats, Vivianne held onto Joe's hand. He could tell she was nervous, as her grip tightened when Olivier took his chair as first violinist. When the first notes swelled, her grip loosened, and he could tell she was finally able to lean back and enjoy the performance.
The crescendo of the evening came when Olivier tackled the theme for Schindler's List. Joe had seen that movie long ago, but he remembered the music tugging at his heart, giving him goosebumps. It certainly was a transcendent piece of music. Vivianne's grandson played it with a feeling that was nothing short of genius for an 11-year-old. Looking at Olivier on stage, Joe could only imagine the weight on the little boy's shoulders for him to render such a deeply felt performance. Memories of Oliver at that age rose unbidden into his mind and he couldn't help the single tear that welled up in the corner of his eye. Life certainly must be cherished… time flies so quickly… As the last note of the gorgeous score stretched out from Olivier's violin, that single tear trickled down his cheek. He saw Vivianne taking a tissue out of her purse, as she was affected too by her grandson's talent and his brilliant execution of the music.
The audience's reaction was euphoric. They clapped ecstatically as they gave Olivier a standing ovation; cries of "bravo" taking over the concert hall. Vivianne leaned against Joe, grabbing his arm, as they both stood to join the crowd. She was obviously very moved. No words were needed to express what she was feeling; Joe understood. He cupped her face with his hand, stroking her cheek gently and then wiping away her tears with his thumb.
Juliette was dumbstruck as she witnessed the tender moment between her mother and this incredible man who seemed so attuned to her feelings. Dear God, can I get a man like this? Juliette looked up and elevated a silent prayer. She shook off whatever misgivings she might have been feeling about Joe and prepared to meet up with her son.
"Mom, Joe, do you want to come backstage with me?"
"Of course, Juliette, lead the way!" Vivianne replied.
As they made their way backstage, both ladies were bombarded with well-wishers and fans gushing over Olivier's performance. Joe watched, fascinated as both mother and daughter gracefully navigated the crowd, always offering a word of kindness to everyone who reached out.
"Joseph, this is Ollie. Sweetheart, this is the friend I was talking about," Vivianne touched his head tenderly as she introduced the two.
Joe crouched down, looking at Olivier from an even standpoint. "Very pleased to meet you, Ollie. That was one fine performance." Joe extended his hand to the little boy.
"Thank you, sir, I am glad you liked the concert," Olivier replied while shaking his hand. Joe's heart simply fell for the serious little boy with the amazing talent. The solemn expression and smattering of freckles over the bridge of his nose reminded him yet again of a young Oliver. "Are you going to take care of my grandma?"
"Ollie! Remember what we've talked about? You must watch your questions to people you've just met!" Juliette cried out, trying to keep her tone level.
Vivianne visibly tensed, but Joe just smiled. He looked directly at the little boy and said, "If she'll let me, Ollie."
Ah, dearest reader… please give me a moment, as this Author simply needs to reach out for a tissue. It won't do for your Author to be a blubbering idiot as we conclude our observations of these series of events.
Vivianne and Joe are in a league of their own. We all love our ShOliver, but these two make you feel all the feels, don't they? I simply can't wait to see what happens next… Do you think the night might be over? This Author surely hopes that isn't the case!