Annie's Answer

by Hanson, Pam Andrews

  Randy only gave her a stiff nod although she’d served him pancakes dozens of times. In fact, he’d asked her out several times before he started going with Belinda Bennett, a beautician at the Cut and Curl. Rumor had it they were going to get married.

  The menus he handed them were printed on creamy paper stock reminding her of a wedding invitation and enclosed in dark red leather folders. Annie had never felt so much out of her depth.

  “We’ll begin with an appetizer platter,” Nathan said while she was still reading the menu. Was he going to order everything for her? Is that how things worked in fancy restaurants? She was beginning to wish they’d gone to a drive-in.

  “What looks good to you?” he asked, the warmth in his voice dispelling some of her discomfort.

  “Maybe the trout,” she said, grasping at one of the entrees without a French name. She’d never heard of the sauce, but it came with fresh asparagus and wild rice, two things she could at least recognize.

  “This looks like dinner for two,” she blurted out when Randy put a huge platter of appetizers on the table between them.

  Was that an indulgent smile Nathan gave her?

  “I don’t often eat like I’m starving,” he said. “I had toast for breakfast and no time for lunch.”

  She stared at the array of appetizers and failed to recognize any of them as food. They were all breaded and deep-fat fried. They could’ve been pig’s ears and octopus tentacles for all she could tell.

  “I don’t know where to begin,” she said, an understatement if there ever was one. What if she bit into something awful and wanted to spit it out? This dinner date was beginning to seem like a very bad idea.

  “Try one of these,” Nathan said putting it on the small plate in front of her.

  “It’s cheese,” she said after gingerly biting into it. The warm melted center was delicious, so she helped herself to another.

  “Try the zucchini,” he said, again putting it on her plate.

  She broke the piece in half and put it in her mouth, scalding her tongue in the process. Her first instinct was to put it in her napkin, but she didn’t want to make a spectacle of herself. Instead she grabbed the goblet of ice water to cool her mouth.

  Nathan didn’t seem to notice.

  “How was your day?” she asked when her tongue recovered.

  “Busy. I printed out a fourteen-page e-mail from my father this morning,” he said shaking his head. “This on a day when Bonnie was off, and I had appointments back to back until three.”

  “Fourteen pages?” she asked.

  “He tries to run the practice even when he’s not there—which is often. My mother has a travel bug, but I guess they deserve time to themselves. She’ll probably come home with seventeen kinds of French perfume and want me to sniff them.”

  “She must value your opinion.”

  “I can’t imagine why. They all smell the same to me—too strong. I like what you’re wearing though.”

  “It’s called shampoo,” she said with a giggle. “I’ve never found a perfume that smells as nice as lilacs in the spring. I’m excited to be surrounded by flowers when I buy my shop.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t think to get a corsage for you.”

  “We’re not going to the senior prom,” she protested. What would he think if he knew she was wearing her old prom dress?

  Randy practically tiptoed up to their table to remove the appetizer course. Did he think they were an item? If he spread the word about their date, she could imagine the questions her friends would ask.

  When he returned with their dinners, she nearly shrieked. The trout was staring up at her with a dead eye that gave her the creeps.

  “I can’t eat something that’s looking at me,” she blurted out, quickly realizing how naïve she must sound.

  “Take it back to the kitchen and remove the head, please,” Nathan said.

  “Yes, sir.” Was Randy holding back a laugh? Great, just what she wanted to do: provide entertainment for the waiter.

  Nathan didn’t cut into his Beef Wellington until Randy returned with her decapitated fish. He’d ordered a pink beef tenderloin filet surrounded by puff pastry.

  “Let me put part of this on your plate. Beef Wellington is the specialty of the house. You’ve got to try it.”

  Did he suspect she’d never even seen it, let alone tasted it?

  She tried to enjoy her dinner, but she was distracted by Nathan’s hands. They were lightly tanned with strong-looking fingers. It made her want to hide her hands in her lap. No amount of filing or polishing could disguise her chapped fingers from scrubbing up at the restaurant. Good old George didn’t want his waitresses to wear rubber gloves. Said they made them look like the cleaning crew.

  They finished dinner with tiny white china cups of coffee, but passed up the rich pastries and cheesecake on the dessert cart.

  “We’d better get going,” Nathan said. “Most theatres won’t let you go to your seat until intermission if you’re late.”

  This was one more bit of new information, but the important thing she’d learned during the dinner was about Nathan. He was easily the nicest man she’d ever met. When her enchanted evening ended, it was going to be very hard to go back to being nothing but his employee.

  Chapter 14

  Nathan had pretended to concentrate on eating, but he couldn’t help but watch Annie as she took delicate bites of her food. Maybe he’d made a mistake bringing her to the Windsor, the best but also the most pretentious restaurant in town. She didn’t seem completely comfortable in the surroundings, and that was the last thing he wanted.

  “Ready to go?” he asked after they finished their coffee. The cups were small enough for a child’s tea party, but Annie was adorable as she carefully held hers with a pinky finger extended.

  “Yes, of course.” Was that a smile of pleasure or relief?

  He flipped his credit card on the table and added a generous tip when their server immediately took care of it. They had plenty of time to get to the theatre, but he didn’t want to feel rushed.

  In only minutes they were in his car and on their way to the Barn Theatre.

  “Thank you for the lovely dinner,” Annie said.

  “It was my pleasure.” He absolutely meant it. “I don’t know much about the play we’re going to see. I hope it’s good.”

  “I’m sure it will be.”

  There were lots of things he wanted to know about Annie, but he’d have to break through her reserve.

  “I did a little theatre myself,” he said, a huge exaggeration but he wanted her to see him as something other than her employer.

  “Really?”

  “Really,” he said laughing. “I was in my prep school production of ‘Julius Caesar.’”

  “We read that in high school English. It must have been hard to learn those long speeches. Did you play Caesar?”

  “Hardly! I bungled the tryouts so I’d get the smallest possible part. I didn’t want rehearsals to interfere with soccer practice.”

  “So what part did you have?”

  “Second citizen.”

  “Second citizen?”

  “I had some stirring lines. My favorite was ‘Go fetch fire.’ You’d be surprised how many ways you can say that: GO fetch fire, Go FETCH fire, Go fetch FIRE.”

  “You must have been the star of the show,” she said laughing.

  He loved the sound of her laughter. Unlike some women he’d known, she didn’t cackle, shriek, or bellow. His mother wasn’t much on laughing. She tried to suppress it and sometimes sounded like she was strangling. He didn’t want to tell that to Annie. His mother cared too much about what other people thought, but he loved her anyway.

  “Let’s just say I was a good soccer player.”

  “On TV, attorneys always sound like they’ve taken drama lessons during trials.”

  “That’s because they’re actors,” he teased. “But my father can really hold his own in court. He loves the spotlight.
”

  “Do you?”

  “No way. Negotiation is my specialty. I always hope a client will plea bargain. The last one should’ve listened to me. The jury found him guilty in less than two hours.”

  “That must have been disappointing.”

  She was clutching a small purse on her lap, nervously clasping and unclasping it. He wanted her to be at ease with him, but he felt keyed up himself.

  “Let’s just say I’ll be glad when my dad gets back.”

  In a small town like Westover, it hadn’t been hard to learn a lot about Annie’s family. He knew her father had passed away when she was young, and her grandfather had lived with them since his retirement. Bonnie was a font of information, whether he asked for it or not.

  What he really wanted to know was how Annie felt about him. Unfortunately he still hadn’t figured out why it seemed so important.

  “What do you like to do when you’re not working?” he asked conversationally.

  She turned toward him looking surprised.

  “Oh, just ordinary things. See my friends—most of them are married and have children now. Help out at church, work in the garden. My life must sound dull to you.”

  “Anything but.” One consequence of going away to school so young was he had very few ‘old’ friends in town. He sometimes thought of becoming more involved at church, but he kept putting it off until he had more time.

  “When I was ten, my mother got some little stakes and string. She marked off a section of her garden and gave it to me to plant whatever I liked as long as I took care of it. I tried everything from cucumbers to hollyhocks, but now it’s my rose garden.”

  “Taking care of it is one more job you do.” He thought he was overworked, but compared to her, he had a leisurely life.

  “I have to admit my grandfather helps me now. He loves flowers as much as I do.”

  He wished again he’d taken time to get flowers for her. Bonnie was only gone for a couple of days, and he already realized how much he depended on her to do his errands. He was as bad as Annie’s boss at the pancake place: taking advantage of an employee to do things outside the job description.

  “Your grandfather is a great preacher. I can remember things he said when I was only ten.”

  “You’re nice to say so. Of course, I agree with you, but he’s also kind and understanding. I feel lucky to have him as my grandfather.”

  The ride to the summer theatre took at least half an hour, but time flew as they talked. Nathan was almost sorry to get there, and he looked forward to talking to her on the way home even more than the play.

  The Barn Theatre was a large red barn converted in stages over the years by a married couple who’d made their mark in several television series. Apprentices did everything from telling drivers where to park in a mowed field to serving as ushers. A few were already in makeup and costume for parts in the production as they did their other jobs.

  “I don’t remember it being so nice,” Annie said, stopping to admire large tubs of flowers flanking the entrance.

  He agreed but didn’t want to mention his parents were financial supporters. He’d already made a mistake taking her to a restaurant where she didn’t feel comfortable. Annie didn’t seem to have a clue how special she was: gracious, lovely, caring.…

  There weren’t enough words to express how he felt about her.

  The refurbished theatre seats bolted on risers were a big improvement over the folding chairs he remembered. After they were seated, Annie was quiet until the house lights went out and the owner/director came out for a short curtain talk.

  Did her silence mean she was intimidated by the party in the row in front of them? The women weren’t familiar, but he knew they were part of the self-professed high society in the county. Almost all of the women wore thick makeup under faces that barely moved from too much botox. Several wore floor-length gowns more appropriate to a Broadway opening and were weighed down by too much jewelry. His mother would be comfortable in that group.

  He glanced over at Annie in the darkened theatre and admired her sweet natural look. She was different from any woman he’d ever dated, and being with her was like a breath of fresh air.

  When the lights went out, he thought of taking her hand, but she was still clutching her little purse. He took it as a sign she felt out of place but failed to think of something to make her more at ease.

  The first act got off to a slow start with too much talk and not enough motivation. Until the curtain talk, he hadn’t realized this was a new play. The owners of the Barn held a contest and selected one for a trial run every season. They must be doing someone a personal favor to put this one on the boards. Five minutes after it began, he couldn’t remember the title.

  His eyelids drooped, and only frequent glances at Annie kept him from nodding off.

  The audience rose with a collective sigh at intermission, and he guided Annie to the refreshment area outside where costumed apprentices were selling beverages from a stand.

  “Sorry, I seem to have picked a lemon,” he said.

  “No, it’s fine. I’m enjoying it.”

  She wasn’t good at fibbing, but he instantly forgave her. It was only good manners not to criticize his choice of a play—and a restaurant. He’d imagined the evening as a time to get better acquainted with Annie, but she was as tense as a newbie attorney pleading a case in court for the first time. Where was the sweet, funny woman who’d taken him to Mama’s?

  He took her hand to return to their seats, surprised by how small and soft it was. Even in heels her head barely came to his shoulder, but she made him feel protective.

  “It’s not to late to escape,” he teased when they sat down.

  For a moment her face lit up, and he thought she’d agree to skip the second half of the play.

  “I’d hate to make the actors feel bad. I saw the people in front of us walking toward the parking area. Imagine doing all this work and having the audience leave half way through.”

  Much as he would’ve liked to skip the dreary second act, he was filled with admiration for her thoughtfulness. She chose sitting through the world’s dullest play over hurting the feelings of actors she didn’t even know.

  “This feels like the last day of school,” he said as they walked to his car after the performance was finally over.

  “Freedom as last,” she said laughing. “But the actors did the best they could. According to the program, they were all apprentices.”

  Nathan thought the equity actors were too smart to appear in a turkey like that, but he didn’t say so. He was humbled by Annie’s consideration.

  At least the bad play opened the floodgates of conversation. They talked about movies they liked and didn’t like, then books and television.

  “I rarely watch TV,” she said. “We don’t turn it on as a rule. My grandfather would rather read, and Mom has too many other things she wants to do after work.”

  “I’m glad you’re helping Aunt Mattie do something other than watch it,” he said. “She really likes you.”

  “I like her too.”

  “Even though she’s a constantly finding things for you to do?” he teased.

  “I know she’d rather be doing jobs herself.”

  Annie lapsed into silence when they reached the highway, and he soon realized she’d dozed off. It took all his effort to concentrate on driving and not stare at her in the glow of the headlights from oncoming cars.

  “Poor kid,” he said under his breath. He could only imagine how tired she must get working as much as she did. For the rest of the drive home, he tried to think of ways to make her life easier but came up blank. He was pretty sure she would turn down any financial help he might offer.

  The light on her front porch was a yellow glow when he stopped in front of the two-story frame house. Surprisingly she stirred but didn’t wake up. He unbuckled his seat belt and leaned toward her.

  “Annie,” he said in a soft voice.

  She moan
ed softly but didn’t wake up.

  “You’re home,” he said a bit louder.

  Her head turned on the headrest, but she didn’t open her eyes.

  Nathan did the thing he wanted to do all evening. He leaned close and gently pressed his lips against her cheek. Her skin was soft and smooth, scented as gently as a spring day when the sun comes out after rainfall. She stirred but didn’t open her eyes.

  He laid his hand on top of hers and brushed his lips against her forehead, tickling his nose with her hair. If this didn’t wake her.…

  But her eyes opened, and he realized he wanted her to be fully awake the first time their lips met.

  Was this the beginning of something significant? He drew back, knowing deep in his heart he couldn’t have a casual relationship with Annie. He’d resisted commitment since his first date at sixteen, and he still didn’t feel ready for the upheaval love brought.

  “Are we home?” She yawned and quickly covered her mouth.

  He nodded and backed away.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she said in an embarrassed tone.

  “No problem. I had a hard time staying awake during the play.” He got out of the car and went around to open the door for her.

  When she started to go ahead of him, he took her arm and walked her to the door.

  “Thank you for a nice evening.” She said the conventional words, but he really wanted to believe she’d enjoyed some part of it.

  “It was my pleasure.” He was totally sincere, but where did they go from here?

  After she let herself in and closed the door, he stood on her porch for several long moments, regretting he hadn’t kissed her properly and wondering whether he could walk away from her forever.

  Chapter 15

  “Did you have a nice time on your date?” Annie’s mother asked at the breakfast table.

  Annie wasn’t sure how to answer, so she delayed while Gramps dished out scrambled eggs with chives and cheese, one of his breakfast specialties.

  “The play wasn’t very good, but we had a nice dinner,” she said, hoping her mother would be satisfied with this brief account.