Love Found Me 2

by Sharon Kleve

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Roy said. His eyes strayed to the coffee in Mitch’s hand.

  Mitch put it on the counter in front of Roy. “I brought you a large, caramel, swirled coffee.”

  “Well…thank you.”

  The surprised look on Roy’s face spoke volumes. In the past, he’d only come to Roy’s shop for help and advice, never to just chat with a friend. That would change too.

  “What brings you in today?” Roy asked. He used the straw to mix the caramel into the drink, then took a large sip. If he got brain freeze, he didn’t show it.

  Mitch quickly came up with an idea. “Would you like to go get a beer some night after work?”

  Another surprised look passed over Roy’s face.

  “Yeah. How about tonight? A bunch of guys from my bowling league are meeting at Pete’s at six. Can you make it?”

  “Sure I can. Maybe we can pick up a burger or something too?” That frozen macaroni and cheese would have to wait another night.

  Roy laughed. “You bet. Now that we got that out of the way, why don’t you tell me why you came by?”

  “Am I that transparent?”

  “Yep, you are. But that’s okay. Tell Uncle Roy what you have on your mind.”

  “I asked Chloe out on a date and I have no idea where to take her,” Mitch blurted.

  Roy rubbed his hands together. “This will be fun.”

  “It will?”

  “Of course. Chloe loves good food and wine but she also likes down-home comfort food.”

  “Really? Like pork chops with country gravy on mashed potatoes?” Mitch’s mouth watered at the thought of his favorite meal.

  “Yes. But, I wouldn’t take her to Denny’s on your first date. There’s a new Tapas restaurant in town called Simons, and they serve wine, but they also have a nice selection of beer. It’s casual yet chic.”

  Mitch’s pulse kicked up a notch. He’d have to research what casual yet chic meant. “Great. I’m buying the first round tonight. I really appreciate your help with Chloe. I don’t have a lot of friends outside of my coworkers at the prison.”

  “I’m glad you consider me your friend. See you tonight.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Mitch realized as he drove away that for the first time in a long time, he had a date and possibly some new friends.

  Chapter Five

  “Who was the hunk of burning love in your office earlier?” Kyla asked as she gave herself a pedicure. “Man. I’m a Picasso with nail polish. Want a fuchsia-colored butterfly, a Christmas tree, or a vintage car painted on your nails? I’m your gal.”

  Kyla grinned as she looked at her feet.

  “That tall, dark, and handsome guy was Mitch Broden and he asked me out,” Chloe said.

  “Aren’t you the lucky one? Do you think he’d let me give him a pedicure? I’m trying to expand my clientele.”

  “No. Absolutely not. But, I might convince him to let me give him a massage.”

  “Wow! Awesome. You might get to rub your hands all over that scrumptious body.”

  “Hey, you have your fair share of sexy men knocking on your door.”

  “I know, but you can never have too many.” Kyla laughed and continued to paint a frog on her big toe.

  “I’d rather have quality over quantity any day. Mike was sweet but had a drinking problem; Tim was unemployed and wanted to stay that way and then there was Ben.”

  “Ben was a charmer,” Kyla confirmed.

  “Yeah. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a monogamous bone in his perfectly sculptured body.”

  “Maybe Mitch will be your Prince Charming.” Kyla nodded at her perfectly painted frog and giggled.

  “I’d settle for kind and considerate. I haven’t tried that type of guy yet.”

  “That’s nice too.” Kyla smiled.

  Chapter Six

  Mitch made reservations for six o’clock at Simons. That gave him plenty of time to take a shower and wash away the ugliness from his day. With Zeke fed and the kittens taken care of, he drove straight to the local florist. He’d decided to buy Chloe flowers. Once inside the shop, he took his time and looked around. He wanted something fresh and bright like her.

  The clerk acknowledged Mitch with a nod and said, “I’ll be right with you.”

  “No problem.” In a glass case, tucked in the back, he noticed a small yellow vase filled with white and orange roses. They were pretty like Chloe.

  The clerk walked over. “How can I help you?”

  “I’ll take that arrangement in the back.”

  “Great. Give me a minute and I’ll get a box to put it in.”

  Mitch arrived at Chloe’s house ten minutes later with two minutes to spare. He leaned over and grabbed the flowers off the front seat and saw Chloe sitting on a porch swing. The temperature hovered around the mid-forties, definitely not porch swing weather. As he walked up, her golden hair caught in the cool wind and danced around her shoulders. She grabbed it, twisted it around her hand, and tucked it under her scarf.

  Chloe patted the seat beside her. “Have a seat. There’s a family of squirrels playing over in the yard.” She pointed to a large pine tree. “There. See them?”

  He sat on the cold swing and never felt more relaxed just watching squirrels play.

  “So, are those for me?” She fluttered her lashes.

  Mitch handed over the fragrant bouquet. “Yes. They reminded me of you.”

  She sniffed the blossoms and then lifted her eyes demurely. “How?”

  Mitch reached for her hand and said, “They’re pretty and smell good.” He leaned forward, wanting a taste of her lips.

  She’s pretty... pretty... pretty... Max sang.

  Mitch instinctively pulled back at the mocking voice, his first instinct suspicion. “Do you have company?”

  She reached for his hand as if to reassure him. “No. That’s Max a Million, my parrot. He’s a sarcastic son of a gun.” She laughed. “I wonder where he gets that from.”

  Max is pretty...Max is pretty... the bird continued to chant.

  “He’s jealous that we’re out here and he isn’t. Why don’t you come in and meet him and then we can go? I’m starved.”

  “Me too.”

  Mitch held the door open for Chloe and the warmth of her house engulfed him. He walked over and stood in front of Max’s cage. The bird tilted his head one way and then the other. Mitch’s stomach growled and the bird started talking again.

  Max is hungry… Max is hungry...

  Mitch laughed at the bird.

  Chloe walked up with her coat wrapped over her arm. “Sorry. He copies everything and he’s had his dinner.” She placed a red striped cover over Max’s cage and he immediately quieted.

  Ten minutes later, they arrived at Simons. The restaurant looked packed if the full parking lot was any indication. After he’d circled the lot several times, Mitch slipped the Jeep in as another car left. He turned off the ignition and turned to Chloe. “You look beautiful tonight. I forgot to tell you that earlier.”

  Chloe reached for her seatbelt and stopped. “Oh… thank you. It’s never too late to give a girl a compliment.” She unclipped the belt and reached for the door. “Have you been here before?”

  “No, but my stomach hopes for a large T-bone steak.”

  A curious look passed over Chloe’s face. “Have you ever been to a Tapas-style restaurant before?”

  “No, but a reliable source told me you’d like it.”

  “I do, but tapas means small snack or appetizer in Spanish. I have a feeling it’ll take a lot of small snacks to fill you up. Why don’t we go somewhere else for dinner?”

  Chloe smiled and he couldn’t take his eyes off the little indentation in her c
hin. “I want you to be happy.” He reached over and tugged at her scarf, fingering the nubby material between his thumb and index finger. He leaned closer and kissed Chloe softly and then with more urgency. After a moment he pulled back. “I can’t seem to stop.”

  She leaned forward. “Then don’t—”

  Chloe stopped talking when he tugged her closer, caressed her face, and said ever so slowly, “Don’t what?” His lips grazed the left corner of her lips. Then the right. She lifted her face to his and his lips brushed against hers once, twice. “This?” he asked and slid his hands along either side of her face. Her hands went to his shoulders, but their bodies remained apart. The stick shift of the Jeep saw to that. He rested his forehead against hers and took a deep breath. He’d never felt such an instant attraction before.

  “Umm, maybe we should get dinner?” Chloe sat back and re-clipped her seatbelt.

  “Good idea.” Mitch did the same. “I’m out of ideas unless you want to go to Arby’s.” He laughed as he tried to resist the urge to kiss Chloe again.

  “I’ve got an idea. I think you’re going to like it.”

  “Okay. Which way to food?” Mitch asked as he backed out.

  “Head toward Highway 10. Do you like Sci-Fi movies?”

  Mitch looked over at Chloe. Her sheepish smile told him she was up to something. “I’m fond of all kinds of movies, especially Sci-Fi. Did you want to go to a movie after dinner?” Mitch liked the thought of having the date continue into the evening.

  Chloe laughed again. “I was thinking of combining food and a movie. There’s an old drive-in on the outskirts of town. They have surprisingly good food, not gourmet, but high quality burgers, and crispy fries. And...Drum roll please…They’re playing the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. What do you think? Are you up for drive-in food and a cheesy movie?”

  “I couldn’t think of a better evening, as long as you’re beside me.” Mitch had never been able to expressed his feelings so easily before. It felt good, uplifting.

  Chloe touched his hand. “I agree.”

  Mitch knew the Vine Grove drive-in had been around since before his time. In high school it looked old, but it was a fun place to hang out. He could tell somebody had put money into revamping this drive-in. The concession stand looked new, painted in an eye catching shade of pink. Some of the old radios that used to hook to cars were stashed in the far corner.

  Now, the theatre mixed the old in with the new.

  “Where do you want to park?”

  Chloe pointed to several spots open half way to the screen, in the center aisle. “How about over there?”

  Mitch pulled in and turned off the Jeep. “It’s too cold to sit outside even if I had chairs. I have a radio that runs on batteries, but I’ll be happy to turn the Jeep on if you get cold.”

  “This is so cool. You can tell by the chairs, coolers, and warm clothes some of these people have done this before. They don’t seem to think it’s too cold.”

  “Yeah, well, by the looks of those coolers they have plenty of alcohol to keep them warm.”

  “Oh, my gosh. That one truck has a small keg on his bumper.” Chloe pointed and chuckled.

  “Let’s go load up on snacks before the movie starts. I don’t want to miss a minute of this ‘spine tingling sensation’, as the ad says.”

  “Me either.”

  Mitch took my hand and they laughed and walked, swinging their hands like teenagers, to the concession stand.

  “I could eat one of everything. You better order first in case they’re low on anything,” Mitch said, his tone sounded sort of serious yet sort of kidding at the same time.

  Chloe kissed the back of his hand before releasing it. They stepped up to the counter.

  “How can I help you?” the girl behind the counter asked, her purple hair and pierced nose framed in the florescent lights.

  “I’ll take a double cheeseburger with bacon, onion rings, and a medium chocolate shake.” Chloe said and stepped to the side for Mitch to order.

  “I’ll take two double cheeseburgers with bacon, a large fry and a large root beer, please.”

  “Maybe I should have ordered fries instead of onion rings.” Chloe wrung her hands in indecision.

  She looked behind them and there wasn’t anyone there yet. “Excuse me. Can you add another large fry and large buttered popcorn to our order please?”

  “You got it.” The girl rang up the food and handed him the receipt.

  They carried their trays of food back to the Jeep, distributed the napkins and ketchup and ate in silence as the opening credits appeared on the screen. The food tasted better than he remembered from his youth. They split the onion rings and he ate half of the burger Chloe couldn’t finish. Mitch made one more trip to the concession stand to pick up a couple bottles of water to drink with the salty popcorn. They held hands across the console but didn’t kiss. You never knew who might be parked behind you.

  Three hours later, Mitch pulled up in front of Chloe’s house. She’d been right. The food was pretty good and the movie on that huge screen was impressive. He walked around and opened her door, took her hand and helped her out.

  “That was the best first date I’ve ever had.” Chloe’s smile glowed in the moonlight.

  “I’d like the chance to do even better.” Mitch couldn’t stop himself, he stepped forward took her hand and tugged her against him. After he looked into her gorgeous blue eyes for a long and drawn out moment, he kissed her.

  Mitch pulled away when the lights from an oncoming car flashed. “I better let you go inside before we get arrested for indecent behavior.”

  “If you insist.” Chloe giggled.

  “One more,” Mitch said before he tugged her closer, bent his head and kissed her. He released her and stepped back, shaking his head.

  “Are you sure one is enough?” Chloe asked teasingly.

  “No, but for now it has to be.” He took Chloe’s hand and walked her to the door. “I’ll call you soon.”

  He kissed the back of her hand and then waited while she went inside and locked the door.

  Chapter Seven

  “How’d your date go with super-hunk last night?” Kyla asked first thing.

  “He’s more than a super-hunk. Mitch is smart, kind, and he likes me for me. Some guys are put off by my quirky personality. It doesn’t seem to faze him.”

  “True love looks past the quirks,” Kyla said and then answered the phone.

  “I never said we were in love.” Where did she get that idea? Chloe wondered.

  But her heart palpitated when she remembered his kisses. She’d never felt that comfortable and relaxed around a guy before. Could this be what love felt like?

  Mitch called every day at noon and they spent as much time together as possible. They went to the drive-in, garage sale shopping, and he even agreed to go to a murder mystery comedy dinner show with her. It didn’t seem to matter what they did as long as they were together. The one thing Chloe hadn’t done yet was cook for Mitch.

  At noon, on the dot, Kyla put Mitch through to Chloe’s office.

  “How’s your day going?” Mitch asked. His voice was soft and lacked his normal teasing tone.

  “Fine. Is everything okay with you?” Chloe was concerned.

  “Work stuff. I’m sure you don’t want to hear about it.”

  “Really? You listen to my work stories every day. Why would you think I wouldn’t be interested in yours?”

  “My wife wasn’t. I guess I assumed you wouldn’t be either.”

  “To be honest, she doesn’t sound like she was a very nice person. Please don’t hold back things that are important to you.” Chloe waited for Mitch to respond.

  He sighed. “There was a riot today. A couple guards were injured
.”

  “Are you okay? Were you hurt?” Panic seeped in as she fired questions at him.

  “I’m fine, and so are the guards. You just never know how it will turn out.” Mitch sounded even more tired.

  “I’m sorry. How about I make you dinner tonight? You can come over, relax, and let Max entertain you.”

  “I can’t think of a more perfect night.”

  “I’ll see you at six then?” Chloe confirmed.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  Chloe left work early and bought a pork roast, potatoes, and a chocolate cream pie. Mitch wasn’t big on green leafy foods.

  Mitch arrived as she took the roast out. She needed the drippings to make the gravy.

  “Something smells wonderful.” Mitch removed his coat, gloves and hat and laid them over the back of the chair.

  “I hope it tastes as good as it smells.” Chloe studied Mitch as he said hi to Max. He laughed at something Max said. His smile was like the rising sun—warm, vivid and beautiful. She melted. She cleared her throat and brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear.

  He turned and walked toward her. Mitch’s strong body, arms, and magnetism overwhelmed her senses every time he fixed his gaze on her. He had magnificent lips, smooth and warm, and she could feel every dip and arc when he kissed her.

  “How was the rest of your day?” Chloe asked and he stopped short of touching her.

  “It was all right.” He stepped closer and stroked her arm, and then brushed a kiss over her hair. “It’s all right now that I’m here with you.” He laughed, leaned in to kiss her and bit her lightly on the bottom lip.

  The oven buzzer announced the biscuits were done. Chloe reluctantly stepped out of his embrace.

  “Can I help with anything?”