by Karen Moehr
“Like a date?” he teased.
“Like a date,” she teased back.
“Oh, I guess…” he mocked sounding like he was being forced. “How about I pick you up at 7:00?”
“Perfect,” she said. She looked at the closed door once he left and couldn’t believe she had to wait nine more hours to see him again.
CHAPTER 14
Ben arrived looking great. He had just shaved and Ali could smell the hint of citrus aftershave. He had on a blue shirt, jeans and a blazer. His blue eyes shone. They left for the sushi restaurant in Ben’s car.
She has no idea how pretty she is, thought Ben as the sushi arrived. They both had Saki cocktails and were munching on salted edamame. Ali couldn’t have looked better. Her golden brown hair was set off by a jewel green blouse. She had on dark jeans and high-heeled boots. Her ears had dangling earring with matching green stones. She looks like a model, he thought.
They chatted about nothing particular. It was always that way with them. They could talk about important life matters or nothing at all. It was all the same. It was easy. It was right.
“Hey, Al,” he asked dipping a piece of fish in soy sauce.
“Yeah?”
“Why aren’t you dating anyone?”
Ali nearly did a spit-take. Ben never asked blunt, direct questions like this. “What?”
“Well, you’re gorgeous, smart, and available. What’s the deal?”
“Well, what about you?” she asked. “You’re the same. Or are you? Is there someone I don’t know about?”
The tips of Ben’s ears turned pink. This was a sure sign he was embarrassed and caught. He was keeping something from her. “OK, spill,” she said.
“Spill what? There’s no one.”
“Uh-huh,” said Ali unconvinced. “OK, don’t tell me then. I thought we were friends.”
Ben set his chopsticks down, took a large sip of wine and a deep breath. It was an opening. It was now or never. He decided to go for it. “I’ve wanted to tell you this for a while but I was, well, afraid, I guess.”
“What? Tell me what?” He has someone in his life, she thought, her heart sinking.
“Actually, Ali, you’re the only woman in my life. I mean I have dated here and there, but really there is no one.”
Ali’s heart skipped a beat. She put her chopsticks down. The sushi no longer had the appeal it had just moments ago. “Really, Ben?”
“Yes,” he said. “You’re it. I mean, I know you probably don’t feel the same way, but I just had to get it out.”
It was now or never. Ali quickly considered her option: Play it off and joke with him like he was kidding and let the moment go, or, admit to him she felt the same. She started to joke with him but instead, she reached across the table and took his hand. “Ben, I feel the same way you do.”
“You do?” He was surprised. “How come you never let me know?”
“You know why...because we’ve always been friends and friends only!”
“Ali,” Ben shook his head and laughed quietly. “I’ve loved you from the day I met you. At least, I’m pretty sure I did. It was second grade after all.”
Ali laughed. “I can still remember that day like it was yesterday.”
“Me, too,” said Ben. “You were in a blue skirt and yellow shirt and your long hair was in pig tails. You had big scuff on your knee and I helped you up.” He looked straight into her eyes. “You were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen.” He paused. “You still are.”
Ali blushed. She could feel the pinkness taking over her face and her heart racing. She couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. A casual sushi dinner had turned into true confessions.
“You know, I think I loved you, too.” She paused. “You know that night? Remember, the night we kissed?”
Ben nodded. He could never forget it.
“Well, I almost told you that I wanted it to be more than friends and not to forget the kiss.”
“What? That’s what I wanted too, but you seemed so set on just forgetting it, I didn’t want to screw things up and make things awkward so I went along with it.”
“Are you serious?” Ali sat back and laughed. “All those years when everybody else thought we were dating or should be, we were the only ones who couldn’t admit it?”
“And the time we were apart, well…” Ben paused. “I still thought of you all the time.”
Ali’s eyes grew soft. She had thought of Ben, too, but was too stubborn and pig-headed to ever do anything about it, to apologize, to find him.
“I didn’t think you wanted to talk to me,” he said. “But I did. I thought about you all the time. I dated several girls, but no one was right. No one was you. I finally realized it.”
Ali was dumbfounded. Was that why she didn’t date more? Why she found most guys boring or silly? She got asked out, but often turned them down. She searched her brain. Could it possibly be? All these years she had just been looking for Ben and didn’t know it? The rush of emotion and feeling overtook her. Suddenly she had tears in her eyes.
“Do you understand?” asked Ben.
Ali couldn’t speak. She didn’t dare or the tears would come rushing forward. She nodded yes and willed herself not to cry.
“Oh, sweetheart,” said Ben. He got up and sat in the booth beside her and cradled her. The restaurant was fairly dark and their high-sided booth was near the back. He was happy for the privacy.
Tears rolled down Ali’s cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Ben. I’m such an idiot,” she said in short sobs.
He wiped her eyes with the cloth napkin. “No, no…”
He let her cry for a moment and then she calmed down. He gave her some water and she took a long drink. Crying was so dehydrating!
She swiped the bottom of her eyes and hoped her mascara wasn’t running down her face. She turned to him in the booth next to her. “Ben, really, I am so sorry. I’m sorry I ever pushed you away or got mad at you for going to law school…or for any of it…”
Ben just laughed softly. “Oh, Ali, don’t be silly. Don’t you see? It was what was meant to happen.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, I do. We were great friends for years and then we had to go off and find out about ourselves and life and then come together again to know we are meant to be together.”
Ali chuckled. “Geez, you really are evolved aren’t you? Why didn’t I put that together? After all, I am smarter than you,” she said socking his shoulder softly and teasing.
“That you are,” he agreed smiling at her. “I’ve just had a lot of time to think about it all. You’ve been so busy with finding a school and your Dad and now your new job…”
Ali nodded. Maybe he was right.
He took her face in his hand and softly kissed her lips.
Since that night back when they were teenagers, they had not kissed. The kiss was so light, so warm. Ali’s heart fluttered. Ben is kissing me, she thought and then all her thoughts stopped.
What was now, what was right was that Ben loved her and told her they were meant to be together. That was all that was in her head.
***
“You know the Golden Door has a sister restaurant in San Fran, right?” asked April as she buttoned her white chef’s coat in preparation for a long shift.
“What? Really?” Ali wasn’t aware of the fact. Hmm, she thought. Maybe one day I’ll get out there…
“Yeah, you know if you want to go out there, they were looking for our trained pastry kitchen staff to come out and work there but no one wanted to go.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you should talk to Marcella. She might have some more info on that or let you know if it’s even still an option.”
“When was it they wanted people?”
“A few months ago.”
Ali’s heart started racing slightly. She walked to Marcella’s table in the far end of the kitchen.
“Marcella, do you have a minute?”
“Hmm
,” was all she said not looking up.
“April just told me about how your sister restaurant is looking for pastry chefs out in California. In San Francisco.”
“You ain’t no pastry chef. Not yet, anyway.”
“Uh, yeah, I know, but I was wondering…”
“You want to know if we can transfer you out there, huh?”
“Yeah. “
Marcella sighed. “I know they’re still looking. They really want Jenny, but she won’t budge. Whole family is here. They won’t take John, but you…”
Ali raised her eyebrows hopefully.
“Let me check into it. You haven’t been here long enough to really qualify as much help out there, but let me see.”
“Thanks, Marcella” said Ali. She wanted to hug her but thought better of it. Marcella didn’t look like the hugging type.
***
Two days later it was official. Ali would finish school here in Chicago, continuing to train in the pastry kitchen and then if prepared, would likely have a job at the Golden Palm West in her dream city of San Francisco.
“Can you believe it, Ben? I can’t believe how great that is.”
“It’s awesome,” said Ben. He was again amazed at the good luck Ali was finally having. He knew she deserved it.
“I’m glad I went to that baking competition,” she said. “I didn’t win, but I kind of feel like I did, you know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I do. You must have really impressed someone.”
“Actually Adolphe, the Master Pastry Chef, was at the competition. He goes every year to sample baked goods and see the local competition and possible talent,” said Ali. “I just found out that it was he that wanted to recruit me.”
“That’s amazing, Ali,” said Ben. He was grateful for the call and the break from his latest corporate case. He was again finding himself dragging to work and getting through the day. His mind kept going to his friend, Jason and his offer.
“So…” Ali began. “Do you think that if I go out to California, you would want to go, too?” Since their confessions in the sushi restaurant, she and Ben had been stealing every free moment to be together and each was riding on a high. They had agreed not to tell anyone. Not just yet. They wanted it to be a secret they shared.
Ben brightened somewhat. The dream was again becoming a possibility. He would call Jason and see. “What time do you get off today?”
“I’m off at 6:00,” said Ali.
“I’ll be over at 7:30. We’ll talk about it then, OK?”
Ali agreed. She hung up and floated back to her station in the pastry kitchen. She mostly floated everywhere these days with a permanent smile on her face.
“God, you are really shining your light on me lately,” said Ali quietly. “Thank you,” she said and looked up smiling, gratitude spilling from her heart.
***
After hearing Ali’s good news, Ben had made the requisite phone calls and secured his job offer at Jason’s organization. He would be flying out the next week for an interview, but Jason assured him it was just a formality. “We’ve been scouting an attorney with your skills for a year,” he had told Ben. “My boss is thrilled about your work there in Chicago and ready to let you write your own ticket.”
“And what’s better is that they have a program that works specifically with kids. It’s a youth advocacy program and he says I’d be perfect to apply to it once I’ve passed the bar there,” said Ben, filling her in on the events of his afternoon and call with Jason.
“Are you serious? That’s like…it’s your dream!” exclaimed Ali noticing the spark in Ben’s eye. It was a spark she hadn’t seen since he was working on the Bel Air Towers’ case.
“I know, said Ben grinning like a fool. It’s almost too much to think that after all this time I could really be doing something that I love…working with kids and helping them.”
Ali’s face beamed. Her dream of becoming a chef and working in San Francisco had almost died except for the gracious hand of fate and God’s favor. Now Ben was back in her life and they would be living their dreams together.
They embraced and kissed. Ali looked up at Ben and then up to sky. “Thank you,” was all she could mouth before Ben kissed her again.
“Ali?”
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said.
“If we go out to San Francisco,” he said, “I have only one request.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
He Bent down on his knee and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket.
Ali’s heart lept. This was it. This was the moment.
Ben opened the box and there sat the most simply gorgeous two-carat diamond ring Ali had ever seen.
Tears flooded her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as the smiling Ben looked up at her through them.
“You’ve been in my heart since we met. I love you now and will forever and if you would be my wife, you will make me the happiest man in the world. I don’t want to wait another minute.” He paused. “Will you marry me?”
Ali pulled him up and kissed him long and hard before she yelled “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you, Ben Harper!” She threw her hands in the air and clapped them together and then embraced him again.
He laughed and tears welled in his eyes as he slid the cushion-cut diamond onto her finger. He kissed her softly. “You’ve made me the happiest guy ever,” he whispered into her ear.
They hugged and kissed for a long time each savoring the moment.
“What do you think? Should we tell our friends and family yet or just let them wait until they get our wedding invitation in the mail?”
Ali laughed. “Let them wait,” she said. She just loves a good surprise.