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“That’s only because you don’t have a phone. But anyway, I
wanted you to know that it means a lot to me. I don’t have a lot of
experience in things like this.”
“Dinner?”
“Dating. It’s been a while.”
Join the club, she thought to herself. But it made her feel good
anyway. “Come on,” she said, motioning to the appetizer. “It’s
better when it’s warm.”
When the appetizer was finished, Katie rose from the table and
went to the oven. She peeked at the peppers before rinsing the
saucepan she’d used earlier. She gathered the ingredients for the
scampi sauce and got that started, then began to sauté the shrimp.
By the time the shrimp were done, the sauce was ready as well.
She put a pepper on each of their plates and added the main
course. Then, after dimming the lights, she lit the candle she’d
placed at the center of the table. The aroma of butter and garlic
and the flickering light against the wall made the old kitchen feel
almost new with promise.
They ate and talked while, outside, the stars emerged from hiding.
Alex praised the meal more than once, claiming that he’d never
tasted anything better. As the candle burned lower and the wine
bottle emptied, Katie revealed bits and pieces about her life
growing up in Altoona. While she’d held back about telling Jo the
whole truth about her parents, she gave Alex the unvarnished
version: the constant moves, her parents’ alcoholism, the fact that
she’d been on her own since she’d turned eighteen. Alex stayed
silent throughout, listening without judgment. Even so, she wasn’t
sure what he thought about her past. When she finally trailed off,
she found herself wondering whether she’d said too much. But it
was then that he reached over and placed his hand on hers.
Though she couldn’t meet his gaze, they held hands across the
table, neither of them willing to let go, as if they were the only two
people remaining in the world.