Librarian Finds Long Overdue Love Ch. 08

Angelina rolled her eyes in annoyance and with a look that exclaimed Men, resumed walking toward the coatroom. Moments later, she and Harry were motoring in stone silence to her house.

"I don't suppose you've overcome your fear of entering a dark house alone since we broke up, have you?" Harry asked, when he pulled his Cadillac into Angelina's driveway and put the car in park.

When no answer came forth from the lips of his date, Harry shook his head in resignation, turned off the ignition and exited the car. Walking dejectedly around to the passenger side, he gripped the latch and pulled the door open. Placing her gloved hand in his upturned hand, Angelina stepped her booted legs from the car and the two walked to her darkened frontdoor.

Steps from the stoop, the sudden yelping of a fast-approaching small dog caused the ex couple to turn back to the driveway.

"Hey, Seymour. You gotta a lotta nerve coming here again!" said the raised voice of the man, restraining his brown cockapoo by the leash.

"Rocco, I've had a long night. Please go home," his annoyed sister-in-law requested, when her brother-in-law stepped into the brightness of her outdoor light.

"After I've said my peace. I've been waiting a long time to tell this jerk off."

The burly bricklayer now stood toe to toe with the nearly 70 year old retired school principal.

"It's OK," Angelina reassuringly told Rocco. "He's just dropping me off. He knows I don't want to see him again."

"No, it's not OK! Rocco answered. "He's not gonna get off that easy. Do you have any idea what you put this poor broad through?"

"I do, and I'm very sorry for the trouble I've caused Angelina and her family," Harry said in quiet sincerity.

"Sorry don't cut it, bub."

"I know I didn't always conduct myself the right way, but I loved her very much."

"'Love' my butt."

"No, I did."

"If you say 'love' one more time, I'm gonna punch you in the face."

"Rocco...I loved Angelina."

"That's it. I warned ya."

"Rocco, no!" Angelina begged.

Balling up his meaty right hand into a fist, Rocco reared back and let loose a haymaker that struck the unflinching, elderly man on the right side of his chin.

"Harry!" shrieked Angelina, dropping to the ground to comfort her ex-lover, who'd crumped to the brick walkway. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I think so," said the stunned man, gingerly massaging his bruised face.

"Rocco! What's wrong with you? Take your stupid machismo and go home."

"Alright, alright!" the brawler said, dragging his still-yelping mutt back to his house next door.

"Let's get an icepack on that," Angelina told Harry, helping the man to his feet and guiding him up the walkway.

Moments later the two were inside her house, with Harry stretched out on Angelina's couch.

"This should help with the swelling," Angelina frantically said, her gloved hand applying a frozen bag of peas to her ex-lover's chin. "I'm so sorry. My brother-in-law is a caveman. He doesn't know any better.

"Harry, for Godsakes, why did you do that? He could have killed you."

Harry took ahold of Angelina's gloved hand and gently moved it off his jaw.

"Angelina, if you really love someone, you shouldn't be afraid of the consequences."

The woman stared at her former boyfriend and allowed his words to register in her head.

"You foolish, sweet old man. Out of all the chivalrous and gentlemanly things you ever did for me, this act of bravery tops them all. You stood up to him, when we're not even a couple anymore. My God, you DO love me!"

"That's what I've been..."

Angelina silenced her ex-lover by delicately intersecting his lips with the raised index finger of her gloved hand. The brown eyes behind her owlish glasses blazed with intensity. Seconds later, she slowly moved her face in toward Harry's. The man met her half way and the pair's open mouths engaged in the first passionate kiss they'd shared in six years.