Chapter 4: A chat, a walk in the park and invitation to the dinner

As Shaggy and Scooby returned from the hot dog stand, Shaggy offered Maggie a hot dog and asked, "Mags, will you like a hot dog?"

"Sure thing, Norville." Maggie replied enthusiastically. "I could definitely use a snack."

"Same here, Shag." Daphne smiled. "And I have to say that Sugie is lucky to have you as a brother."

Maggie blushed when Daphne made the comment, but she still managed to smile back at Scooby and her brother as he replied, "Thanks, Daph. Glad to see that you're becoming fast friends with Mags, and I like the nickname you've given her."

"Rame here." Scooby agreed.

"Glad you guys like it." Daphne smiled as she patted Sugie's head. "She's a really sweet cute girl, plus I really like her sense of fashion."

Shaggy smiled as he nodded in agreement. "Like, in case you're wondering, Daph, Maggie got her scarf as a Christmas present last year. She really liked it and has been wearing it ever since."

Daphne smiled as Shaggy explained what she was actually wondering about before nodding. "I see. I have to say that your scarf really matches your skirt and Shaggy's pants well, Sugie."

"I like your scarf too, Daphne." Maggie smiled. "It really looks like it matches Norville's shirt, plus it goes well with your purple dress, too."

Daphne simply smiled at Maggie last remark as they all sat down to relax on the bench facing the creek.

"Out of curiosity, Daph, you mentioned that you were living in Grande Cristal before you moved in here this past summer." Shaggy said after he took a bite from his hot dog. "Whereabouts was your old home at in Grande Cristal?"

"Primarily in the Ruby Hills neighbourhood." Daphne replied before she asked. "I take it you guys have been to the big city?"

"We had." Shaggy nodded. "Got an uncle living in Grande Cristal who was a fed."

"A fed?" Daphne raised an eyebrow.

"As in the Federal Bureau of Investigation." Shaggy explained. "Before he retired couple years ago, I heard that he was the bureau's regional assistant director. Now he's running his own private investigator's practice, guess he got too bored in retirement."

"We've met him plenty of times, and let's just say he's a piece of work." Maggie added with Scooby nodding.

"I see." Daphne nodded. "Whereabouts does he live?"

"The Portland neighbourhood." Shaggy responded. "Which has been around since near the turn of the century."

"Ah yes, I've been there a few times." Daphne said. "The architecture of the houses and other buildings in the Portland neighbourhood are definitely something, not to mention the neighbourhood is convenient to get to even if you don't have a car and driver's license."

"And I take it the same thing cannot be said for Ruby Hills?" Maggie raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it was one of those gated, purpose-built residential neighbourhoods, not sure what exactly was in Dad's mind when he bought the place after we moved from New York, especially when the houses there are...just drab in design." Daphne explained. "Not to mention it's not exactly the kind of place where there are public facilities like parks, stores, other points of interest, and schools within walking distance."

Shaggy, Scooby and Maggie exchanged looks before the latter remarked, "I can't imagine someone in their right mind would want to live in a neighbourhood like that."

"Not unless I were to somehow decide to swing here and there on the trees if there are no sidewalks." Shaggy offered, prompting Maggie, Daphne and Scooby to laugh out loud.

"Oh Shaggy..." Daphne chuckled as she placed her hand on Shaggy's shoulder. "Guess that explains why you excel in gym class and took part in those athletic competitions and help the school win those awards."

"Like, you got that right, Daph." Shaggy smiled as Scooby nodded while his sister placed her arm on his back.

As they continued to walk through the park, the four friends continued to chat about various other topics, eventually leaving the park and making their way down the sidewalk along Easy Street.

Upon arriving at the front gate to Daphne's home, the redhead said, "So I guess I'll see you guys around, eh?"

"Reah." Scooby nodded as Shaggy added, "Like, and Scoob and I should thank your father again for offering us the lift home."

Daphne smiled. "Well, I think your family should come over to my place and have dinner with my family sometime."

"Sounds like a groovy idea to me!" Maggie smiled as she looked up at Daphne.

"Reah. Roovy!" Scooby added in agreement.

Smiling at their responses, Daphne patted Maggie's head and shared a smile with the trio before taking her leave.

After Daphne took her leave, Shaggy turned to his sister and Scooby and said, "Guess we'd better head home, guys. Mom's probably preparing dinner right now and might need some help at the kitchen."

"Good idea, Norville." Maggie nodded as she smiled at her brother and Scooby.

As they crossed the street, she added, "Like, consider this my woman's intuition, Norville, but I think Daphne might be having an interest in you."

"Oh really, Mags?" Shaggy asked. "What makes you think that?"

His sister shrugged. "As I said, consider it my woman's intuition."

Shaggy nodded understandingly as they arrived at their house. "I see."

Daphne's parents were relaxing at the living room with George reading the newspaper and Elizabeth doing some knitting when Daphne arrived home, and as she made her way into the living room, they paused and turned towards her.

"How was your afternoon walk, dear?" George asked as Daphne entered the living room.

"It was groovy, Dad." Daphne replied. "Ran into Scooby, Shaggy, and his sister Sugie at the park."

"Taking Scooby out on a walk, I presume?" Elizabeth offered.

Daphne nodded. "Did some catching up and had some snacks with them."

"That's good." George nodded. "And I really cannot thank Norville enough for him helping you out yesterday at school."

"I agree, dear." His wife Elizabeth replied. "We really should invite the Rogers' over for dinner sometime."

"Good idea, Elizabeth. Perhaps we can invite both Police Chief Rogers and District Attorney Jones with their families here tomorrow night for dinner." George agreed.

"Sounds good, Dad." Daphne smiled at her father's proposal. "Will you like me to go over to Shag's place to ask him if he and his family will like to come over tomorrow?"

"If you want to, Daphne, then be my guest." George smiled.

Meanwhile across the street, Wendy Rogers was preparing the peppers in the kitchen when her two children and Scooby arrived home from their walk in the park.

"Hello, Norville, Maggie, how was the walk with Scooby?" She asked as she disposed of the pepper seeds and turned towards Shaggy, Maggie, and Scooby as they entered the kitchen.

"Like, it was groovy, Mom." Shaggy replied. "Ran into Daphne while walking by the creek."

"I see." Wendy smiled as she got the beef out and nodded. "Did you guys did anything special with her at the park?"

"Had a snack with her and did some catching up." Maggie offered. "She also suggested that we should go over to her place for dinner sometime."

"That right?" Wendy raised an eyebrow.

"That's what she suggested, Mom." Maggie only smiled.

"Reah, reah, reah!" Scooby added excitedly.

"That will be nice of Mr. Blake to invite us over to their place for dinner. After all, you helped stand up for her at school during your gym class yesterday, Norville." Wendy nodded.

Shaggy, Maggie, and Scooby all nodded as they joined their mother in preparing their roast beef dinner, with Maggie preparing the potatoes and Shaggy preparing the carrots and other vegetables.

Several minutes went by before the beef, potatoes, and other dishes were ready to be roasted in the oven, and Shaggy was in the process of getting them into the oven when the door bell rang.

"I'll get it." Wendy said as she put down the towel and headed to the front door.

Opening the front door, she saw Daphne standing at the other side and she smiled. "Daphne Blake, I presume?"

"That's me, Mrs. Rogers." Daphne nodded. "I came over to ask if Mr. Rogers and you are available tomorrow night, as my father is planning to invite you all and the Jones' to our place for dinner."

"Ah, that's very nice of him, Daphne." Wendy smiled. "I'm sure Norville, Maggie and Scooby will be happy to accept your invitation, and I believe we're available tomorrow night as well, so we'd be happy to come over."

"Groovy!" Daphne smiled. "I'll let my parents know right away."

Later that evening, after the police chief arrived home from work, the Rogers household sat together in the dining room for dinner.

Their conversations were mostly discussing their respective days, as well as Wendy informing that the Blakes have invited them and the Jones for dinner on the following night.

"You sure did good in standing up for Daphne that day, Norville." Sam commented after Wendy told him about how Daphne's father got the idea of inviting them to dinner.

"Like, it was nothing, Dad." Shaggy smiled. "Scoob and I just did what we had to do."

"That's good." Sam nodded. "I mentioned yesterday that I knew George Blake, did I not?"

"You sure did, Dad." Shaggy nodded. "And he mentioned to us that you guys served in the same battalion during the war."

"That, we did." Sam nodded again. "While we had kept in touch over the years following our discharges, we never really got together, especially since we started our families and got busy with our work, nor did we really had a chance to catch up, so this dinner makes it an excellent opportunity for us to do so."

A few hours later, Shaggy was laying on his bed tossing and turning, though he couldn't bring himself to go to sleep.

His mind was preoccupied with thoughts about his day and the events of the day prior. Specifically, the moment he was asked to escort Daphne to the nurse's office and the shy tone in her voice as she chats with him and Scooby during lunch period kept replaying in his mind.

He also couldn't stop thinking about the moment that afternoon the redhead agreed to join them in their walk at the park, and Shaggy was left wondering if his sister Maggie was right about her observations that Daphne was having an interest in him.

Shaggy only got to befriend her just yesterday, and yet it would seem she was developing some feelings towards him, as demonstrated during their encounter near the park when his sister noticed the slight hint of jealousy on her face before he introduced her.

Seeing his sister becoming close with Daphne added into the idea that she may, indeed, be having an interest in him, although he, for some reason, thought that girls like Daphne should be pursuing guys like Fred Jones.

Maybe there's really something more about Daphne that makes her more than being just a friend to him in his sister's view. Maybe his sister was right in her observations on Daphne.

All of those thoughts continued to cloud Shaggy's mind as he slowly but eventually drifts to sleep.

Meanwhile in her bedroom, Daphne was lying on her bed thinking about her day as well.

She really wondered why she was starting to develop some feelings towards Shaggy ever since he was asked to escort her to the nurse's office the previous morning during gym class.

He may look like an average guy with little sense of fashion, but she knew that inside him was the spirit of a kind gentleman who never hesitates to help others, complete with a great sense of humour that never fails to lighten up anyone's mood.

She also remembered the awkward moment she felt slightly jealous when she first spotted Shaggy and his sister walking Scooby. The sister, who she nicknamed "Sugie", came to like her a lot and viewed her as a sister figure and even mentioned that there's something about her that makes her special and more than being just a friend to Shaggy.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but maybe there is something about Sugie's woman's intuition that may be on to something.

Those thoughts continued to cloud Daphne's mind as she drifts to sleep.

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