Her Lifelong Dream

by Judy Kouzel

  "Good luck with the English paper," Terry said. "Don't let Ryan get you to write it for him. I fell for that one once."

  "I'm just the typist," Jo Anne assured him. "He better have the thing written by the time I get there. See you two later!"

  "Drive safely," Leedy called, and just as quickly as Jo Anne had gotten into her car, she found herself standing alone with Terry.

  "Have you eaten dinner?" he asked.

  "No," she admitted. She had eaten a salad and a roll for lunch at Mr. Hobo's just before the lunchtime rush had started but that had been many hours ago.

  "Are you hungry?"

  "Yes," she said. "You could even say that I'm starving."

  "I am too," Terry said. "And I know just the place where we can go. It is a little out of the way, but the food is great."

  "Okay," Leedy said. "I'm always interested in trying out new, out of the way restaurants."

  Terry led the way through the dark parking lot. "We can take my car," he said, pointing his thumb at an older-model black convertible Corvette.

  "Is that yours?" she asked, pleased.

  "Yes."

  "Can I drive it?"

  "No," he said. "At least not on the first date."

  "Is this a date?"

  "Yes," he said, leading her to the car.

  Leedy smiled. "Oh, boy," she giggled, walking around to the passenger side. "I can't wait to ride in this! I love sports cars."

  "Me, too," Terry said, opening the door so she could climb in. "This is Susie. She's a 1976 Stingray and I've had her since I graduated from college."

  She sank into the soft black leather seats and felt a rush of excitement. She had been driving her old Jeep for as long as Terry had been driving his Corvette and it felt good to climb into a car that didn't double as a military vehicle.

  "Can you put down the roof?" she asked, like a child asking for an ice cream cone.

  "I think that could be arranged," he said. He unlatched the front of the ragtop roof from the windshield and pushed a button. The roof began to retract and Leedy yelped with joy as the roof came down. He then handed her a grey overcoat he had gotten from the small dark place behind the bucket seats. "Use this as a blanket, just in case it gets cold," he said, his blue eyes twinkling. Terry climbed in behind the steering wheel and smiled at her. He turned the key and revved the engine. Leedy loved the sound it made. "Ready?" he asked over the noise.

  "Oh, yes," she said, pulling the coat up under her chin. "How fast can this baby go?"

  "Pretty fast," Terry said. He gave her a wicked grin, then peeled out of the parking lot with tires smoking and the engine screaming. From the sound of things, Leedy guessed they had laid a patch of rubber on the pavement beneath them.

  He checked the road for traffic and possible police cruisers before he steadily began to increase their speed. Leedy threw her arms into the air and squealed with delight as the car went faster and faster. The acceleration increased until the street lights along the side of the road had begun to look like pickets on a blurry fence.

  "You're going to get me arrested," Terry shouted, glancing into the rearview mirror. "Or killed." But he showed no sign of slowing down the car. Leedy made chicken noises, and he pushed the Corvette to go even faster. They drove along the quiet, deserted streets until even Leedy knew they had to slow down.

  "I give up!" Terry yelled over the din of the engine. He took his foot off the accelerator and the Corvette slowed down. Leedy laughed breathlessly. "I've never taken her this fast," he shouted, laughing too. "You're a crazy lady!"

  The car slowed to a respectable speed and Leedy leaned against the soft leather seats and closed her eyes. She was enjoying the feel of the bracing wind against her face. "How's Deanna?" she called, loud enough for him to hear her over the wind and the roar of the engine.

  "She's fine," Terry said. "And she isn't allowed to drive my car either."

  "How's school going for her?"

  "Good, but she isn't home much these days. She has a lot of homework and she has a job at the campus bookstore, not to mention a social life that can only be described as clandestine. I barely see her. We still get together every Sunday though ... although lately I think she'd rather be spending her time with her friends."

  "She's a teenager," Leedy reminded him.

  "I know. I know," he said. "But she could drop me a line every month of so. Just to let me know how she's doing. Is that too much to ask?"

  "Causing worry is what teenagers do," she sighed. "Ah, to be young and carefree again."

  Terry raised an eyebrow. "If memory serves, I recall from your loan application, you're only 27."

  "I'll be 28 in three months," she said. "And 30 can't be too far behind!"

  "Should I slow down the car?" he asked. "I don't want to frighten you, old girl."

  "No way," she said. "As a matter of fact, why don't you see if you can take her up to ninety again?" She felt a thrill as Terry punched the gas pedal all the way down to the floor. It was the most thrilling (if not dangerous) car ride she had ever had.

  Ten minutes later, he pulled off a side road and into a parking lot. Leedy looked up and saw they were in front of an old wooden building that was surrounded by a haphazard parking area that was teeming with people.

  "Is this it?" she asked. She folded the bulky grey overcoat as best she could and hunted in her purse for a brush for her wind-blown hair.

  "Yes," Terry said. "Believe it or not. This is it."

  The building hardly looked like a restaurant at all. It looked as if it had once been someone's house which, over many years, had been added onto again and again and again. There was a rambling front porch and what appeared to be a complicated system of wooden decks and staircases that wrapped around the sides of the building. The decks and staircases led to balconies that were filled with people seated in small, round tables. Leedy heard laughter and music coming from the balconies. No one seemed to mind the chilly autumn weather.

  Terry parked the car and put the roof back up. He then walked around and opened the door for her, taking her hand and helping her from the car. He silently led her to the front of the building. She looked at the sweeping front porch and saw a large crowd of people waiting to get inside. "This is San Gimigiano Mill," he said, leading her past the throng of people and into the front door.

  "Hi, Terry," a pretty, auburn-haired hostess said when they walked in. "Table for two?"

  "Hi, Trish," he said warmly. "Yes. Do you have anything in the solarium?"

  "Of course," she said. Moments later she led them through a bustling dining room. It was dark, but cozy, and reminded her of the restaurant that she hoped to someday call her own. Leedy knew immediately she would like it there. The hostess led them past the kitchen and into a large room in the back of the building. Italian cuisine again, she surmised from the decor and aromas. Her favorite.

  This room was different from the main dining room. The walls were paneled in what had once been a dark knotty pine wood but had long ago been painted a bright and cheerful white. Each wall was lined with large windows. Hand-painted ivy crept up the sides of the windows and sometimes even onto the ceiling. There were fewer tables in this room than in the main dining room and instead of the soft ivory-colored tablecloths, the linens in the back room were brightly colored floral prints on a black background.

  "How is this one?" Trish asked, seating them at a nice table next to a window.

  "It's fine," Terry said.

  "This is lovely," Leedy said after Trish had left. "But I don't understand how we were seated so quickly. Why didn't we have to wait along with the others?"

  "My father and the owner were best friends growing up," he explained. My family has been coming here for years. I hate to cut in line, but I have a starving crazy lady with me. Besides, most of those people you saw outside are waiting to get into the lounge upstairs. They have some good bands performing here, from time to time, and they're popular with the college crowd."

 
A waitress appeared carrying glasses of water. "Hi, Terry," she said, smiling at them. "Would you like to see the wine list? We have a wonderful 1990 Chateau Leoville Barton. It's a Bordeaux red wine. If you would prefer a white wine, we also have a lovely 1993 Lucien Crochet Chene Marchand Sancerre."

  "The white wine sounds good," Leedy remarked, and Terry ordered a bottle while she examined the menu. Everything looked delicious. Moments later, the waitress brought them a basket of bread which he offered to her. Inside the basket was an assortment of steaming rolls and muffins and she eagerly chose one.

  "I didn't realize how hungry I was," she said, buttering a piece of soft, piping hot black bread. She bit into it and Terry watched her with open admiration. A dollop of butter dropped from the bread and onto her chin.

  "Excuse me," she said, embarrassed, reaching for her napkin.

  Terry unfolded his napkin and leaned closer to her. "You're very pretty when you're ravenous," he said, dabbing at her chin. He gently rubbed the napkin against her cheek, his hand lingering against her skin.

  "I'm sorry," she blushed. He was so close to her that Leedy needed to catch her breath. Instead, she looked into his handsome face and found herself instantly drowning in his blue eyes.

  "Um . . . ," he murmured, after a long moment. "The ... er ... shrimp dishes here are delicious."

  "Really?" she asked, her voice catching.

  The waitress had returned, carrying the bottle of wine. She poured a small amount in a glass and handed it to Terry. He sniffed it, dramatically, and then took a small sip. "Perfect," he said, giving the waitress a wink. She poured more wine into his glass and then some in Leedy's. She took their dinner orders and headed back for the kitchen.

  "I'm never sure how I'm supposed to behave when they hand me the wine," he confessed. "I've even thought of gargling with it, but ..."

  "No, silly," Leedy said. "You want to smell it first, to make sure the bouquet is pleasing, then take a small sip and aerate it, like this." She took a sip from her glass and demonstrated the technique as he watched in fascination.

  "That's revolting," he said, grimacing at her in mock horror.

  "Revolting or not," she said. "That's the way it's done."

  They talked about the class lecture, but not for long. The subject matter suddenly seemed not nearly as interesting as each other's company. Soon, the waitress arrived carrying a large tray of food. She set a plate of pasta covered with garlic, tomatoes, and gigantic shrimp in front of Leedy, and a plate of artichoke chicken before Terry. "This looks wonderful," he said.

  "It is wonderful," the waitress said before she went back to her work.

  Leedy was so hungry, it was all she could do to keep herself from wolfing down the delicious food. "This is so good," she moaned. "I would love to ask the chef for the recipe for his tomato sauce."

  "I can get it for you," he said. "Of course, I will not tell him that you're going to be his biggest competition some day."

  "Maybe in a few months?"

  "Or longer."

  "I hope my restaurant is as nice as this one."

  "It will be," Terry said, digging into his plate of food with equal gusto. "Mmm," he said and offered her a forkful of chicken. She took a bite and, it too, was delicious. Leedy ate until her belly was full and then ate some more. When the meal was done, they drank coffee and shared a cannoli.

  "Thank you for a lovely dinner," she said. "I can't remember the last time I had a meal this wonderful."

  "My pleasure," he said. His eyes met hers and, once again, Leedy had the sensation that she was falling. Falling. Falling. Terry's eyes were incredibly blue and he was looking at her with a look of yearning in his eyes. A look that surrounded her ... engulfed her. As if he were trying to drink her in.

  Terry leaned closer to her and softly ... gently ... kissed her.

  Leedy kissed him too. His lips were warm and delicious and irresistible. His mouth opened slightly against hers and she melted into him, returning the kiss with a passion that surprised her. He lightly cupped his hand under her chin and pulled her closer to him. His tongue probed her mouth and she felt her insides catch fire with a passion she had never felt before. It felt as if she had never been kissed before. She let her hand slide to his trim waist and felt his glorious body so close to hers.

  "No," Leedy moaned, suddenly coming to her senses. "We shouldn't ..."

  She pushed herself away. Terry reluctantly eased back into his chair. He looked around the dining room and saw Trish and the waitress were standing in a nearby corner of the room, smiling at them. "I guess you're right," he said, color rising in his cheeks.

  Leedy nodded. "We shouldn't," she said again. "I mean ... you're my teacher. And my loan officer ... How would this look? People would say I was kissing you to get a good grade or to get my loan approved ... Not that that would work."

  Terry looked at her curiously for a moment. "You wouldn't do that," he said, decisively. "You're not that kind of person."

  "No," she said. "Of course not." But she couldn't help but think ... would she? She wanted her restaurant with every breath in her body ... had dreamed of it for most of her life. If kissing Terry, a gorgeous and exciting man, helped to secure a loan, would she do it?

  She felt her face flush with guilt. She could never become romantically involved with someone to further her career! Especially someone she had grown to respect. Someone she had even grown to care about. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Her head ached with the sudden realization that she liked Terry, maybe even cared for him beyond a mere friendship. It was an insight she didn't want to acknowledge because it made her yearn for him more. But she wanted her restaurant too. She couldn't imagine kissing him to further her chances of securing her loan. That would be despicable. She could never do anything like that!

  Could she?

  Terry was watching her from across the table. It was all she could do to keep from jumping into his arms, if only to prove something to herself. "We could go somewhere else ..." he was whispering.

  Just then there was a soft ringing of his cell phone coming from the pocket of his jacket.

  "You better answer that," she said, trying hopelessly to slow the pounding of her heart.

  "I would rather ignore it," he said, but the other diners were looking at them so he answered it anyway. "Hello," he said, with a slightly impatient edge to his voice. And then, just like the night when Leedy was at his house, the phone call seemed to have an almost imperceptible influence over his demeanor. His body stiffened slightly and his voice dropped an octave. "No," he said. "Is this something that can wait until Tuesday? ... No ... I would like to help you, but ..."

  It was her again. Krissy. Somehow Leedy knew, but she didn't know how she knew. The person on the other end of the phone was Krissy Montgomery. Terry would never have been so perturbed if the call had been from Deanna, or from a co-worker. Leedy remembered the way Krissy leaned toward him when she spoke, lightly touching his elbow and whispering in his ear.

  She also remembered the look on Brian's face during the final months before their breakup. "It wasn't anyone you know," he had told her. "Just an old friend from school. What's with you these days? You've been acting so suspicious lately. It was just a phone call from a friend. Don't you trust me?"

  Leedy felt an icy chill come over her that made her shiver. She watched Terry as he spoke quietly into the phone and felt her throat tighten.

  "That would be fine," he was saying, glancing up at her and smiling awkwardly. "We'll talk about it on Tuesday ... I'll see you then. Good-bye."

  He hung up the phone and took Leedy's hand into his. "Sorry about that," he said. "I forgot to turn the stupid thing off."

  "That's quite all right," she said but, even to her own ears, her voice sounded formal and prim.

  "Are you cold?" he asked, gently rubbing her hands. "We better not take the top off on the way back."

  Leedy carefully removed her hands from his and gave him a weak smile.
"I think I'm just tired," she said. "Maybe we should be getting back now."

  He looked at her, a wounded expression on his face. But all she could think about was the phone call he had just received. How many times had Brian received phone calls from friends and co-workers?

  "Are you sure you don't want another cup of coffee?" Terry asked. "Or we could go for a drive ..." He leaned in closer to her, trying to recapture the moment they had before the phone call, but she pulled away.

  "No, thanks," she said. "I better not."

  "Can I get you two something else?" the waitress offered, carrying the check in a long black leather sheaf. "More coffee?"

  "No, nothing," he said. "It was a wonderful dinner."

  "Thanks for coming," the waitress said. There was an amused smile on her face and Leedy didn't understand it until she remembered the kiss she and Terry had shared. She looked around the room and saw that a few of the other customers seated nearby were watching them with the same silly grins on their faces too.

  Terry smiled, pulled out her chair and offered her his hand. "Thank you for a lovely evening, Ms. Collins," he said, but there was a hesitation in his touch. As if he thought she might suddenly slap him.

  "Thank you," Leedy said, taking his hand. They weren't dating, after all, she told herself. He's free to talk on the phone with anyone who calls him. Even Krissy Montgomery. Terry wrapped his fingers around hers and squeezed softly. They both could sense that something between them had changed. He took her by the hand and led the way back to his car.

  "I'm sorry if I was out of line," he said, as they walked back to his car. "I shouldn't have kissed you right there in the restaurant. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you."

  "You weren't out of line," she said. "At least not any more out of line than I was."

  "And that phone call . . ." Terry said, too quickly. "I have a situation at work that's giving me some trouble. It's nothing I can't handle though." He slipped his arm around her waist. Her body stiffened and she gingerly slipped out of his embrace.