New Neighbor Pt. 04

"Ken's being modest," John said. "He's read every book there is on dog training and teaches classes both to volunteers and to adopters."

"You seem to do a lot at the shelter," Vicky said.

Ken said, "Yeah. I love it there. I get to fall in love with hundreds of dogs a year and train them enough so that they find great homes. Most dogs aren't here long unless they have behavior or medical problems. Pancake and Biscuit will be adopted today or tomorrow. I like to work with the unruly ones and get them ready for a forever home. We get a lot of big dogs that haven't had any training and they are hard to adopt until they learn some basic manners. "

"So, what do you do for work, Ken?" Vicky asked.

"I work at a tech firm, Plum Research, as a kind of manager. I oversee several groups working on the same project. I make sure everything runs smoothly and they have all the resources that they need."

"What kind of projects?"

"It's software and hardware for the film industry."

Ken said, "I'm beginning to think I'm on trial. How did you three meet each other?"

Laura said, "I'm sorry, we just don't know you yet. Vicky and I met as undergrads in college and have stayed friends ever since. I moved next door to John about a month ago and he swept me off my feet."

Ken said, "He called me after he met you. He went on and on about you. Now that I've met you, I understand why." Laura thought she saw John blush.

John said, "I met Vicky at a housewarming party at Laura's. She really made an impression on me."

Everyone had finished their food and John said, "It's getting late, we should get back to the shelter."

During lunch, Vicky found Ken to be an interesting guy that she wouldn't mind getting to know better. He was good-looking, charming, and he loved dogs. She wondered if she should ask him out. Nothing about his marital status came out at lunch. She needed to ask John if he was available.

They didn't get back to the shelter until after 4:00.

John said, "There's not enough time to finish today. I still need to do the big dogs. Ken, are you going to be around tomorrow? If not, I can get Bill to help. I'll pack up the stuff and leave it here until tomorrow. Ken, can you help me with the backdrop?"

"Do we need to help?" Laura asked.

"No, we've got it. It will just take a couple of minutes."

##########

John and Ken went to the back. They rolled up the backdrop and put it in the corner.

John asked, "How are you getting along with Vicky? Have you asked for her number yet?"

"Not yet. The time didn't seem right."

"Do you like each other?"

"Well, I like her."

"Maybe you can give her a ride home," John said.

"Do you think she likes me?"

"Oh my god. I feel like a teenage girl," John said. "Ask for her number and you'll find out. Or better yet ask her out to dinner tonight because you'd like to talk some more."

"Good idea."

"Could you go out and ask Laura to come back here?" John asked.

##########

Laura came back to see John.

"What's up?" Laura asked.

"I wanted to give Ken and Vicky a few minutes alone."

"Ha. I knew you're trying to fix Vicky up."

"For god sakes, don't tell her. Right now, I hope Ken's either asking her out or at least asking for her number. I don't want it to look like I'm fixing them up.

Laura helped him finish packing up. They were both dying to go and see what Ken and Vicky were doing.

"I guess we should go back out there," John said and they almost ran out of the room.

When they got to the lobby, they couldn't find either Ken or Vicky.

Stacey said, "They asked me to tell you that Ken was giving Vicky a ride home."

Both John and Laura smiled. Laura kissed John and said, "Just wait until we get home."

As they were driving home, Laura's phone chimed with a message that said, "Ken gave me a ride home. We're going out to dinner later. Thank John for me."

"Vicky figured out that this was a fixup."

Laura texted back, "Oh I will. Have fun. Text me if you need me."

They went to John's house, and they didn't make it past the first couch before she thanked John until they were both exhausted.

"That was a thank you from Vicky."

"Wow, she sure knows how to thank a guy."

"Just wait until we get upstairs for the thank you from me."

They went into the studio. John sent all the dog pictures to the shelter and was about to text the two of Vicky with Biscuit to her.

Laura said, "No! Don't send those yet. Send it to them while they're at dinner."

"Good thinking," he said.

Laura kissed John and said, "John, sometimes you're so nice it's embarrassing. Let's go upstairs so I can thank you properly."

##########

When Ken and Vicky left the shelter, she saw that Ken's car was hardly impressive. It was an old ratty minivan with no back seats. Ken opened the door for her.

"I'm sorry about the car. This is the dog mobile. Sometimes I'll have three or four dogs in here and I haven't cleaned it in months."

"It's not a problem," Vicky said. She could feel the dog hair attaching itself to her clothes. "Do you foster a lot?"

"Yeah. Once the shelter realizes that you're willing, they're constantly asking, and I can't say no. A lot of dogs need loving homes and the shelter doesn't always have room. I'm lucky enough to be able to foster them for a little while until there's room." Ken said. "Is there anywhere special you'd like to go to dinner tonight?"

"No. Anywhere is fine."

"Do you like Italian?"

"Love it."

"Let's go to Sergio's. You'll love it there."

"How fancy is it? I need to know what to wear."

"It's not fancy. It's a small family-owned place. I've seen people in there in jeans and shirts as well as formal attire. Shirt and slacks? Skirt? Dress? Whatever you wear, you won't be uncomfortable. What you've got on right now would be fine. I'll wear a sports coat and slacks because most of my other clothes are like the ones I have on."

Despite the car, Vicky liked Ken. He didn't brag about himself which showed that he didn't need to. He seemed a little nervous but that's because he was with a beautiful, sexy woman. Vicky still didn't know much about him. It could be that he was shy and didn't like to talk about himself. Or his life was just not interesting and all he cared about was dogs. But that didn't seem to fit.

When they arrived at Vicky's place, he stopped in front, ran around, and opened Vicky's door.

Ken asked, "What time should I pick you up?"

"Don't we need a reservation?"

"We'll be fine. How about 7:00."

"I'll see you then." Vicky thought, either Sergio's is a dump, or he doesn't go out on Saturday night much. Everywhere requires a reservation.

##########

Once inside she called Laura. Laura answered the phone out of breath, and she heard John in the background out of breath and laughing.

Vicky said, "Are you kidding me. At 5:30 in the afternoon?"

"It was a good day today."

"OK, what do you know about this guy, Ken?" she asked.

"Nothing, I'll put John on."

"Hello?"

"Spill, I need to know about this guy."

"Are you going out with him?"

"Yeah, dinner tonight."

"Ask him."

"But I want to know about him first. He won't talk about himself."

"All I'll tell you is that he is a really nice person. You'll be perfectly safe with him. Just relax and talk with him. Have you ever been on a date before?"

"Arg, put Laura back on."

"Make John tell you about Ken. He's picking me up at 7:00."

"He won't tell me anything. I'm afraid you're on your own." Laura said. "But from the look in his eyes, I'd say he's smitten with you. Call me when you get home. I want to hear about it."

"Have you heard of Sergio's?" Vicky asked.

"No. John? Have you heard of Sergio's? He hasn't heard of it either. Look it up on the web."

Vicky hung up and typed "Sergio's Restaurant" into her computer. She couldn't find a listing or even a mention.

She was nervous about this date. She was always a little nervous on a first date, but something was different tonight. It somehow felt more important. Maybe it was because they'd already spent the entire day together and she already liked him. She thought that he liked her too.

She changed clothes three times and was still not sure that her clothes were right. She picked a nice, conservative but not too conservative black dress. It showed off her assets but didn't flaunt them. Deciding on underwear for a first date was hard. She wasn't sure how this date was going to end. She put on her best black lacey bra and panty set with thigh high stockings, just in case.

The doorbell rang at 7:00 exactly. She opened the door, and saw Ken dressed in a sports coat and slacks that looked like they were made for him.

Ken said, "Vicky, you look incredible."

"Thank you. You're looking handsome yourself." She invited him in.

"This is a great apartment. Do you live here by yourself?"

"Yes. There's no boyfriend for you to worry about."

Ken said, "I didn't mean..."

"Are we ready?" Vicky interrupted and smiled at how cute he was when she teased him.

"You bet." Ken opened the door for her.

Outside, she saw that he was driving a deep blue BMW. It was a big step up from the dog mobile. He opened the car door for her, and she slid in.

Vicky took a good look at him and noticed again how handsome he was.

"I tried to look Sergio's up on the web to see how fancy it was, but I couldn't find it," she said.

"It's a small place. They don't need to be on the web. They have an exclusive and loyal clientele and don't need to advertise."

She couldn't find anything about Ken on the web either but decided not to ask about it now. She only looked up dates to see if they were serial killers. John knew him and she knew him a little. She was safe with him. But it was curious that she couldn't find any information about him.

When they arrived, Vicky felt a little smug when there was a line out the door. She knew there would be. It happens when you don't make a reservation, she thought. She was surprised when a man came to greet them as soon as they walked in.

"Ken, welcome!" he said and then started speaking to him in Italian. He escorted them to a booth in the back, bypassing everyone in line. Ken spoke to him in Italian.

"Sergio, this is Vicky Walker."

The man turned to Vicky and said, "Welcome to our restaurant, Ms. Walker. I'm Sergio."

"Nice to meet you." She said and shook his hand. "And please call me Vicky."

Before they had time to settle, a good-looking young waiter brought a bottle of wine to the table. He said, "I took the liberty of selecting a bottle of wine for you, Mr. Ken. I found it at a wine sale and thought of you."

"Thank you, Tony, but just call me Ken. This is Ms..."

"Vicky Walker, just call me Vicky."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Ms...I'm mean Vicky."

"Tony is Sergio's son. He's about to graduate from college."

"Congratulation."

Tony filled their glasses and left the bottle. Vicky was beginning to think she was in Wonderland.

"If you're trying to impress me, it's working," Vicky said. "Do you know everyone here?"

"Well, everyone who works here but only some of the customers."

"Are they your family?"

"No, just friends."

"How did you learn to speak Italian?"

"Learning languages has always been easy for me."

"How many do you speak?"

"You're going to embarrass me."

"Spill."

"Counting English, I'm fluent in five, and I know another five passably."

"Wow. That will get us through a lot of restaurants." She laughed.

He loved seeing her laugh. Her whole face lit up and he wanted to laugh with her.

"I guess I should get some of the standard date questions out of the way," Ken said.

"OK."

"I'm originally from New Mexico and my parents still live there. I went to Cal Tech, because it's a party school." Vicky laughed. "I got an MBA and a PhD in computer science."

"After school I started a tech firm targeted at the film industry and ran that for a while. I sold it to Plum Research where I work now trying to keep everyone on task. I got married in graduate school and divorced four years later. I don't have anyone significant in my life except for my dogs. Oh, and I'm 35 years old."

"How about you?" he asked.

"Boy, you don't waste any time. That was about three dates worth of information. I'm from Colorado and my parents still live there. I went to the University of Colorado which really is a party school. My degree was in English. I work at an advertising firm as an account executive. I'm the lead person when dealing with my accounts. I have a creative team under me that does the real work. I'm single, never married. The last significant person in my life was 5 years ago and he wasn't that significant. And I'm younger than you are."

"How is it possible that some one as beautiful, charming and entertaining as you, never married?"

"It just hasn't happened yet. I haven't met my prince."

"So, you're not opposed to marriage?"

Before she could answer, Sergio and another man came to the table with mountains of food. Every Italian dish she could think of was there. It barely fit on the table.

Vicky looked at Ken questioningly and said, "We haven't ordered yet. And when are the other six people coming?"

Ken laughed and said, "I'm sorry, Sergio told me that his wife was cooking so I told him to bring whatever she wanted to cook for us. Would you like something else?"

"No. But if I eat all this, I'll gain 5 pounds."

"Sergio's wife would tell you that you're way too skinny. She tells me that all the time. She'll be out here in a little while with dessert."

"Ken, you can say 'no' to dessert." Vicky said.

"I want to watch you say 'no' to dessert." He laughed.

"Dig in."

The food was delicious, and the conversation relaxed and pleasant. That was unusual for Vicky on first dates. First dates were always a little uncomfortable. But being out with Ken was different. It was fun being with Ken. He was constantly surprising her, making her laugh and laughing with her. Vicky and Ken already liked each other. They liked each other when they first met this morning. He was easy to relax with.

Watching him work so adeptly with the dogs this morning, made him extremely attractive. He could almost charm the dogs into doing what he wanted. He was doing an excellent job of charming her, too.

Vicky ate more than she should have and loved every bite. She could diet tomorrow and for the next two weeks. But tonight, she felt like celebrating. She'd had a wonderful day at the shelter and at lunch. Now she was out with a handsome man that she liked. She'd spent most of the day with him. It had been a long time since she'd felt this happy. She loved Sergio's. They made her feel special, like part of their family. And John. She couldn't believe that John took it upon himself to introduce her to Ken. Who does that for someone he'd only met once?

As Ken predicted, a slightly portly woman came out from the kitchen with dessert. She placed it on the table and said, "Come over here." to Ken. He got up and she grabbed him for a big hug.

She said something to him in Italian and he replied, "Yes, Mama."

She looked at Vicky and said, "You must be Vicky. Sergio didn't tell me how pretty you are. I'm Sofia, but everyone calls me Mama." Mama smiled and said, "Come here." Vicky got up and Mama hugged them together. "You two make a fine-looking couple. Ken, don't let her get away."

"Yes, Mama."

They sat back down.

"I made this dessert especially for you two," she said.

Vicky said, "I'm already stuffed. Everything was delicious."

Ken smiled as Mama said, "You're way too skinny like Ken. You need to eat," and stared at Vicky. Ken tried not to laugh. Vicky took a bite of the dessert. It was remarkably good.

"Thank you, Mama," Vicky said and kicked Ken under the table for smiling.

After she left, Ken laughed and said "I've never seen anybody say 'no' to Mama. You don't have to finish it. We can take it home. Are you ready to go?"

Vicky's phone dinged. She handed the phone with the pictures of her and Biscuit to Ken.

"Can you send those to me? They will be my first pictures of you."

Vicky thought, "He's planning on more pictures of me. Maybe I'll show him the ones John took someday."

Ken saw Tony and asked him if he could get someone to box up the extra food. They left with a big box of leftovers and waved at Sergio as they left.

"Don't we need to pay the check?" Vicky asked.

"We're fine." Ken said.

Outside, Ken opened the car door for Vicky. When Ken got in, he said, "I've had a wonderful evening with you. But as nice as it has been, I'm afraid that I need to take you home. I have a litter of very young puppies that I need to feed on a regular schedule."

"I should have told you before we went out, but I was afraid you'd cancel. I really wanted to talk to you some more after today at the shelter."

Vicky didn't want the evening to end and said, "I'd love to see the puppies."

"Really! Great, then we're off to my house."

Ken lived in a large but modest house in a neighborhood of monster houses. He pulled in the driveway and opened Vicky's door. She'd stopped trying to open her own door. When some men opened doors for her, it was insulting. She was a strong and independent woman and could open her own doors. With Ken it was different. He wanted to be a gentleman for her, and it felt nice.

Ken opened the door to the house and walked in first. That surprised her until she saw three large dogs, and a smaller terrier running at them. Vicky grabbed Ken's arm for support.

Ken said, "Sit," and all four dogs slid to a stop and sat in front of them, wagging their tails and quivering. Ken introduced the dogs to Vicky.

"This is Buddy, Lucy, Tucker, and this little girl is Pepper.

Vicky said to the dogs, "Nice to meet you."

"Which ones are yours?"

"Buddy and Tucker."

Ken pulled four treats out of his pockets and gave them to Vicky. He told her to give one to each of them. She did and they took them politely.

He said, "OK!" and the dogs got up and walked around them but didn't threaten to knock them down. They sniffed Vicky's hand looking for more treats and she scratched them behind the ears.

Vicky said, "That was impressive. Do you always have dog treats in your pocket?"

"Doesn't everybody?" he said and laughed.

Ken said, "When you have a lot of dogs, they need a little training or it's a madhouse. Sometimes it's a madhouse anyway."

"Are you ready for the nursery?" Ken asked. "I should warn you; it doesn't smell good in there."

"Lead on."

Before going into the nursery, Ken gave her some blue booties to wear over her shoes.

"Oh, how sweet, you got me slippers," she said.

Ken put on booties, gloves and a gown that covered his whole body.

"Why so much protective gear?"

"Puppies normally get disease protection in mother's milk. Without that, they can get sick easily. I don't want them exposed to my dog's germs until they're old enough for vaccinations."

They entered a room that looked like a large utility room, with two dog pens in it. The odor in the room was far from pleasant.

Ken said, "I know it stinks in here. I'm used to it. You can wait in the living room if you want."

"It's not that bad," she said.

When Vicky saw the puppies, she said, "They're so tiny."

Ken turned on an additional exhaust fan. There was another pen in the room and Ken swapped the puppies into that one. He picked up the dirty newspaper, took it outside to the trash. He sprayed the pen down with bleach and sprayed some deodorant that made the room smell perfumed, bleached, and bad.

"You said the mother died?" Vicky asked.

"Yeah."

"What are their names?"

"I haven't named them yet. I was afraid that they might die. It would be harder if they had names. Would you like to name them?"