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Was it possible that they could have a future together? Or was this a case of two people who couldn’t seem to let go of one another and move on with their lives? Even though he feared this might all lead to a dead-end, he couldn’t refuse to take the journey. What he felt for Fancy hadn’t faded with time. If anything, it had grown stronger.
Fancy arrived promptly at seven o’clock. As always, he found himself blown away by her beauty. Even dressed in a simple black dress, she looked gorgeous. Although her lips were painted red, she didn’t appear to have another shred of makeup on. Her amazing bone structure was all she needed to complete the overall look of a radiantly beautiful woman.
“You look stunning,” he said, suddenly wishing there was a new word in the English language he could use to compliment her. A word that could aptly describe her beauty. But he also knew that Fancy got tired of hearing about her physical attributes. There was so much more to her. Her spirit. Her kindness. It was clear her beauty radiated from deep inside her.
“Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said with an easy smile. “Here. I brought something for you.” She thrust a bouquet of tulips at him.
“Come on in,” he said, admiring the vibrantly colored bouquet in his hands. “Thanks for the flowers. I can’t think of the last time anyone thought to give me some.”
“Real men like flowers,” Fancy said with a smirk. “Or at least that’s what I’ve heard.”
“Absolutely. Miss Hattie taught me to appreciate flowers that day when I ruined hers. I’ve never quite forgotten that lesson,” Case said a wink. “Let me take your coat.”
Fancy shrugged out of her dark coat and handed it over to Case, who promptly hung it up in the hall closet, then turned back toward her. “Let’s go to the kitchen. I still have salad to prepare.”
“Let me help,” Fancy offered as she headed toward the kitchen right behind him.
**
Fancy looked around the townhouse as she made her way to Case’s all-white and chrome kitchen. Case, being a bit of a perfectionist, had purchased top-of-the-line items for his impeccably adorned kitchen. Microwave. Toaster oven. A special fridge for his wine. Copper pots. A stainless steel refrigerator. White backsplash behind the black and chrome stove. Beautiful track lighting. This kitchen had it all.
Fancy had always loved cooking in here with Case. Although neither of them were great cooks, there had always been an intimacy about it that she had always loved. It had allowed her mind to wander to thoughts of becoming Mrs. Case Duvall and preparing meals in this kitchen on a regular basis. She’d once felt as at-home here as in her own place.
Being here made her wonder how many women had been in this kitchen in the last few years. She rid her mind of the image of Case preparing a meal with another woman. It made her feel uncomfortable to imagine it. It created a little ache in her soul.
Case took out the lettuce, along with some tomatoes, cucumbers and feta cheese. He placed a big red bowl on the counter, along with a cutting board. Fancy busied herself cutting the cucumbers and tomatoes as Case checked on one of his dishes on the stove.
She wrinkled her nose in appreciation of the food. “Mmm. Something smells terrific.” She looked over at Case. She raised an eyebrow. “Did you cook this yourself?”
“I’m taking lessons,” Case boasted. “Once a week at the Bistro Savoir.”
“That’s wonderful. What smells so heavenly?” Fancy asked, reaching to lift the lid on the stove.
Case playfully slapped her hand away. “Nope. No peeking. No touching or tasting until it’s ready.”
“Give me a little preview, please. I’m practically drooling over here.” Fancy rubbed her stomach and made a face.
“Your favorite. Smothered pork chops, wild rice with black beans, a corn and red pepper medley and some cracklin’ cornbread.” He bent down and took out a bottle of white wine from his collection. “I think the Chardonnay will go with our meal nicely.”
Fancy let out a groan. “Oh my goodness. It sounds like you’ve really outdone yourself. I remember the days when you could barely cook a hot dog.”
Case pressed his hand against his chest. “Ouch. That hurt. You weren’t exactly Julia Child yourself. Remember that time you burned the greens? This place reeked of burnt vegetables for a week solid.”
Fancy covered her mouth and giggled. “Oh that was terrible. I was trying so hard to impress you that night with my down home cooking. I put those greens on the stove and then forgot about them. Thank goodness for the smoke alarms. Trust me. Living on my own in New York taught me Cooking 101 in no time flat. It was either that or break the bank eating out. Or starving. At least I have a few skills now.”
Case motioned for Fancy to sit down at the table. She grabbed the salad and placed it down on the table before taking a seat. Case placed the covered dishes on the table and the loaf of sliced cornbread. He sat down across from Fancy. After saying the blessing, they dug in to the food.
“You’ve outdone yourself, Case,” Fancy gushed. “Maybe I should sign up for some classes there myself.”
“All right. It’s confession time,” Case said with a grin. “I didn’t really make this meal. I ordered the food from the Harbor side Grill.”
Fancy looked at Case across the table. “So you lied about it?”
Case looked startled. “I’m sorry. It was meant to be a joke. Something light-hearted that we could laugh about.”
Suddenly, Fancy couldn’t keep a straight face. She burst out laughing. “I’m just kidding. I’ve known the whole time that you didn’t cook the food.”
Case sputtered. “How? Am I that bad of a cook that you knew it wasn’t possible?”
