Dream Lover

"Have fun, dear!" he mom called out.

She grabbed her purse and this time she remembered her coat just in case she had to hitchhike home.

She peeked through the side window and once she was sure who it was, she opened the door then before Darin could possibly step in, Reese stepped out onto the porch then turned to lock the door.

"I take it you're ready," he said as she nearly bumped into him before spinning around.

"Sorry. My mom was lecturing me on the men I date and I really didn't want the lecture to continue so..."

She locked the door behind her and when she turned around she was more than a little surprised at what she saw.

"Oh, my gosh. Darin. You look very...handsome."

He was wearing a very nice, very dark, charcoal-gray suit with a white shirt and a dark red tie along with a matching pocket square. His hair had looked good to her before, but she loved the way he'd styled it with just a bit of product in it.

"Well, thank you," he said as he offered her help with her coat. "I see you remembered this tonight."

"I don't want to have to depend on some other knight in shining armor to rescue me if this thing goes south tonight," she said trying to be very serious.

Darin laughed then said, "I'll try not to let that happen, and may I say you look very nice yourself."

It wasn't really fair because she had no idea he was going to dress so formally, so she'd worn a simple-but-pretty, buttonless, white silk blouse with spaghetti straps, a black skirt, and a black cardigan sweater.

"Thank you, but I've suddenly gone from thinking I was overdressed to horribly underdressed."

"All that matters is you're clearly doing your part," he said as he offered her his arm.

As she took she said, "My part?" having forgotten what he'd said at the Sugar Shack.

"I'll do all the work. You just sit there and look beautiful."

Reese laughed as he opened the car door for her.

"You really are smooth," she said again before he closed it.

He stopped midway before shutting the door and said, "And you really do look beautiful, Reese."

She couldn't think of anything witty to say so she just smiled and said very quietly, "Thank you."

The restaurant was dark except for the Emergency Exit sign above the door way as they walked in. Darin entered the alarm code then turned on the lights in the back where a table for two was already set up. There was a beautiful red rose in the middle flanked by two tall candles.

"May I?" Darin asked as he reached for her coat just before pulling out her chair.

"Thank you," she said as he hung up her coat.

He reached over and lit the candles then asked, "How about a nice bottle of wine?"

"That sounds very nice," she told him. "And this is very..."

"Romantic?" he said filling in the blank. "I hope it's not too much, but you know what they say about only getting one chance to make a good first impression."

"Well, I'd say you've done it," she told him sweetly as he poured a bit of merlot into her glass.

She took a tiny sip then said, "Oh, my. That is heavenly!

He filled her glass half full then poured some into his own glass.

"I'm glad you like it. It's our best red."

He stood next to her, put his hands together then said, "Okay, this is the part where I do all the work and you just sit there and look beautiful."

"I'll do my best," she said with a smile. "Hopefully you won't be too disappointed."

"I can promise you that's impossible," he assured her. "I've seen a lot of beautiful women, but none as beautiful as you."

It sounded a little hokey, but it was so sweet and so sincere, Reese was genuinely flattered.

Again, all she said was, "Thank you."

"Just one question," he said.

"Sure."

"Do you eat meat?"

"Yes. On occasion, anyway," she told him with a smile.

"Okay, then that makes this easy," he told her.

He had two possible meals ready to go when he realized he had no idea whether or not she might be a vegan like so many others in the Seattle area. She was very fit looking and it was more than possible meat was something she never ate. That she did was music to his ears.

The first dish was a lemon garlic pasta that was very simple to prepare. The one he hoped to make for her was a roasted spiced leg of lamb with blanched beans and baby Hasselback potatoes.

"So how long have you been a chef?" Reese asked as he prepared the meal.

"Just over a year now," he told her.

"I remember you telling me you were big into sports, so how did you discover you enjoy cooking?"

"Interesting story," he told her with a smile. "I was dating a girl who's father was a chef. I made some kind of quip about cooking not being all that hard and he invited me to help him one evening."

"And how did that turn out?" she asked taking another sip of wine.

"I was very humbled to say the least," he told her. "And he was actually impressed or at least he told me he was with how hard I worked and how quickly I picked things up. At any rate, I started asking about how to become a chef and the next thing I knew I was enrolled in culinary school."

He flashed her a big smile then said, "Here locally. Not in Paris or Rome."

Reese laughed and for the first time she saw him not as an 'overgrown boy' but as a very kind, very talented young man who was actually very handsome in his own right.

"How long does one go to school to become a chef?" she asked now genuinely interested.

"I spent two years, but you can get a basic certificate in as little as a few weeks or you can spend many years working towards ever-increasing levels of mastery. For me, the two-year program was just the right amount of time to get a good, decent-paying job in a nice restaurant, but I could never get hired in any truly upscale establishment until I well...establish myself."

Reese smiled then told him, "I guess I had no idea how it works. Now I'm wondering how much formal training Norm has."

"Ah, yes. The nice man with the crush," Darin said in a kind but teasing kind of way.

"He really is a very nice guy," Reese said.

"Has he asked you out?" Darin asked not trying to be nosy.

"No, but he hinted about it once. Ever since you mentioned that he, you know, might be interested, I find myself expecting him to ask me out every time he speaks to me."

"Would you go out with him?"

"Hmmm. I guess I might have had someone not got me thinking about the kind of guys I seem to keep choosing," she said with a smile.

"He sounds like a smart guy. You should listen to him," Darin told her smiling back.

"I said 'someone'. How do you it was a guy?" she asked as she tilted her head.

"Oh, right. Um...good point. Smart...person," he said correcting himself.

Reese laughed then said, "Actually it was two people. You—and my mom. It's funny, but she said something very similar to what you said, and it really did cause me to stop and think."

"In a good way, I hope," he commented.

"Well...we'll see," she said letting him know the fact that she was there with him was a kind of test case for this new theory of hers.

There were all kinds of sounds from sizzling to pepper being ground to slicing and dicing coming from the area where he was working.

"Something smells very good," Reese said. "What are you making?"

"It's a surprise," he told her.

"May I have a hint?" she asked as she tried to peek over the steel cutting area blocking her view.

"Um...it's my signature dish," he said knowing that wasn't much help.

"Oh. Gee, thanks," she said with a playful flip of her hair which she'd worn down and looked amazing.

"It's almost ready," he told her. "I had everything prepared. I just didn't know whether or not you eat meat so I actually had two meals ready to go."

"Can you tell me what you didn't make?" she asked finding herself very much enjoying his company.

"If I tell you, you can't tell me you'd have rather eaten that one though, okay?" he warned her.

"Promise," she said with a smile.

"Garlic lemon pasta."

"Oh, I love that!" she said.

He cut his eyes at her and she covered her mouth then quickly said, "But not as much as whatever it is you're making for me."

"That's better," he said with faux authority. "But I've got my eye on you."

Reese was amazed at how relaxed and how happy she felt as she told him, "Oh, I've noticed."

Darin just smiled then said, "Can you blame me?"

"I'm just going to have to take your word for it," she told him. "I find it hard to believe you could, you know, look at me 'like that'."

"Um...let's just say that if we lived in a country like Iran, I could be stoned to death for the way I look at you," he told her.

It was the strangest compliment she'd ever gotten, and yet it may have also been the sweetest.

"You have a way with words Bobby Darin-Reese."

"What can I say? I'm just lookin' for my...dream lover," he told her swiping the title from one of Bobby Darin's biggest hits.

"I love that song! I heard Kevin Spacey sing it in Down by the Sea."

"Oh, right. Yeah, that guy's got a voice. I thought he was lip synching until I listened closely. I think I like his version even better than the original."

"My mom is 75 and although I haven't heard her listen to music in years, I do remember her playing that record every now and then when I was growing up."

She saw him smile then said, "Okay, now it's my turn. Do not say anything about me listening to 'records' or about how long ago it was that I was growing up!"

"Who me?" he said pointing to himself with both hands.

"Uh-huh. Yes, you," she told him trying to sound tough.

She smiled at him then said, "I've got my eye on you."

Darin laughed and when he did, Reese laughed, too.

"I'd say someone is enjoying herself," he said as he began putting portions on clean plates.

"You know what? Someone really is," Reese said having to admit she was having the nicest time she could remember in many, many years.

"I hope the food will only make it better," he said as he laid the perfect garnish in just the right place.

"Close your eyes," he told her.

Reese closed them then Darin brought both plates over and set them down.

"No peeking," he told her as he pulled off the white apron, smoothed his tie, then sat next to her.

"My mouth is watering," she said after inhaling deeply.

"Okay," Darin told her.

Reese opened her eyes, smiled at him, then looked down at her plate.

"Oh, my gosh! Darin, this looks...beautiful!"

He smiled then said, "Yes, you do."

She was so moved by his kindness, his words, and the meal, she felt her eyes welling up with tears.

"Hey! I thought you said it looked good. If it's that bad I can have the pasta ready in no time," he told her feeling pretty sure he knew why she was getting emotional.

She picked up her napkin and touched the corners of her eyes then said, "I...I almost missed this...opportunity."

"I'm really glad you didn't," Darin told her.

Reese sat the napkin back in her lap then said, "May I?" looking at the delicious lamb in front of her.

"Please," he told her waiting for her to eat first.

She cut off a very small piece, held it up briefly, then took a bite.

Immediately, she closed her eyes and raised her chin as it melted in her mouth.

"Oh, my goodness, Darin! This is the best thing I've ever tasted in my entire life!"

He thought about saying something like, "Wow! Considering how long that's been..." but instead he thanked her then took a bite himself.

Reese was taking a second, and it looked like she was having what they called in culinary school a 'foodgasm'.

"Oh, my gosh! I am in heaven!" she said as she took a sip of wine.

She cut off the tip of a bean and paired it with the lamb then took another bite.

"You are so hired!" she said.

"I'm glad you like it," he told her sincerely. "I enjoy people enjoying what I make even more than making it."

"Then you should really be enjoying yourself," she told him sincerely. "This is too-die-for delicious!"

He sat there just watching her and it was two bites later before she finally said, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I will," he replied. "For now, I'm just sitting here relishing how unbelievably well you're doing your part."

She set her fork down then said with a touch of sadness in her voice, "For as long as I can remember, all I've ever really wanted was for someone to treat me the way you treat me."

"It's not hard when the other person is so special and so amazing," he told her as he reached out for her hand.

She looked into his eyes then down at his hand then back into his eyes again before reaching out and letting him take it.

"I really enjoy being with you, Reese," he told her sincerely.

"You know, it's funny. I honestly believed I'd never see you again after you took me home. And then when you came to the shop, I wasn't really sure I wanted to do this."

"And now?"

"Honestly? I can't ever remember having such a nice time."

He smiled at her then said, "I'm no Kevin Spacey, but I can carry a tune."

When she looked at him not quite sure what he meant, he began singing:

Every night I hope and pray

A dream lover will come my way

A girl to hold in my arms

And know the magic of her charms

'Cause I want

A girl

To call

My own

I want a—dream lover

So I don't have to dream alone.

Reese's eyes were again filled with tears and as he finished she said, "I don't know about being your dream lover, but I do know this has been a dream date."

She squeezed his hand and smiled and when she did, he leaned over and kissed her. It surprised her but only for the briefest of moments before she kissed him back.

"Wow. He cooks amazing food, he has a very nice voice, and he's an incredible kisser," she said very quietly as their lips parted.

He smiled then very quietly sang the last line again, "I want—Reese—to be my dream lover, so I don't have to dream alone."

Reese smiled back, then lowered her head slightly as she raised her shoulder in a way that said, "Who knows, right?"

They finished their meal mostly in silence.

"I'm not a pastry chef, but we do have some amazing desserts," he told her when she finished the last bite.

"I eat way too much pastry at work," she told him. "The last thing I need is something sweet."

"That's you, you know," Darin told her as they sat there quietly looking at one another.

Her facial expression told him she wasn't following.

"You are not only the most beautiful woman I know, you are just a genuinely...sweet person, Reese. I can't imagine anyone not being able to see and appreciate that," he told her as he softly brushed her hair back.

She lowered her eyes and said, "I don't really know what to say to something like that."

"You don't have to say anything as long as you know I think it's true," he said as he gently touched her cheek with the back of his fingers.

"I think I might want something sweet after all," she said as she looked up at him.

"What would you like?" he asked ready to list off her choices.

"I was thinking about...one more of your kisses," she told him.

"Ah, the low-calorie dessert," he said causing her to smile so big she covered her mouth for a second.

"Yes. That one," she said as she leaned over and let him kiss her again.

"Hmmm... That was sweet," Darin told her.

"Yes. Very," she whispered back. "I think I might need one more helping."

"Right. They're not exactly filling, are they?"

"Uh-uh. Not at all. They're kind of like...Chinese food," she said before she laughed and before she kissed him, this time for several seconds.

"More wine?" he asked after the kiss had ended as their fingers intertwined.

"Yes, please," she said.

After he topped off their glasses, Darin said, "You mentioned a food truck once. I'd like to hear about it. I actually took a course in operating one at the Culinary Institute where I learned to be a chef."

It was like a switch was flipped, and Reese opened up and began not only sharing her dream but pouring out her heart about the things she longed for and the kind of support she craved but had never had. And as wonderful as it felt to be able to tell someone what was important to her, it was even more so to have someone who not only listened to every word but who genuinely cared about what she had to say.

Some thirty minutes later during which Darin only asked several questions for clarification, she ended by saying, "A man who would support me like that would be my...dream lover."

"Well. Then...what can I do to be that man?" Darin asked as he touched her face again.

"This," she said looking around as a reference point for everything he'd done that night as she leaned over very much wanting to be kissed again. "Just keep doing...this."

"I really want to see you again, Reese," he told her as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'd...I'd like that," she told him as he put his arm around her. "And...I like this. A lot."

"Me, too," he told her. "A lot."

After walking her to her door and kissing her goodnight, both of them spent the rest of the night thinking about and amazed by the very unexpected, very pleasant opportunity life had presented them.

Reese was again feeling conflicted, however, and she was finding it difficult to square the way Darin made her feel with the thought of how telling anyone she knew about him would make her feel.

By the time she finally managed to fall asleep it seemed as though the most wonderful night of her life had been little more than a dream; a kind of fantasy she could touch but never have. And when she woke up the following morning, she lay there for some time trying to convince herself it really had happened in spite of knowing it had.

"How was your date with Prince Charming last night?" her mother asked when Reese came downstairs.

"Like...a fairy tale?" she told her.

"That sounds very nice, honey. Will you be seeing him again? I'd very much like to meet him."

"I don't know, Mom."

"I don't understand. You had a wonderful time and yet you may not want to see him again? I'm not sure how that works, Reese."

"Thinking outside the box sounds nice, Mom, but it can be very confusing," her daughter said without explanation.

"Reesy? You're not only my daughter, you're my best friend in the whole world. So I'm going to be honest with you and hope you'll do the same with me."

"Mom, I'm always honest with you," she said knowing that wasn't always the case.

"No, not like that, honey. I'm going to share something with you. It's going to sound obvious, but I've never once said this, but I need to say it now."

"Mom? Are you okay? Is there something you're not telling me?" Reese asked now very worried.

"No. I'm not ill if that's what you mean. But there is something I haven't told you."

Reese sat next to her, took her bony, withered hands in hers, and said, "Okay, Mom."

"Honey, I'm still in good health, but I am 75 years old. And while you're still a young woman, and you musn't live your life for me, I would like nothing more than to see you truly happy before I leave this world."

"Are you talking about grandchildren, Mom?" Reese asked assuming where that was going.

"No, dear. Well, that would be icing on the cake. I would just like to see my daughter find someone who will appreciate her for the amazing, beautiful woman she is. That's all."

"I love you, Mom," she said gently touching her heavily-wrinkled face.

"Well, I love you, too, Reesy-Peesy. But you need someone else to love you, and let's be honest. You need someone else to love. I will admit I gloated a bit when you finally got rid of Albert, and I was maybe a little too glad when you finally left...numb nuts."

"Mom!" Reese said trying not to laugh. Her mom hadn't called her ex-husband that in years, and it really took her be surprise.