God In The Kitchen (6 page)

            Abigail blinked and looked at her watch. “I really have to get going.”

            Since she had broken the spell, I glanced at the clock on the wall. It had been two hours since I had arrived. I had nowhere to be, but I had a full day of work and appearances the next day. “Yeah, I guess it’s that time,” I agreed.

            “We should do this again,” she said, taking a sip from her mug.

            “Soon,” I seconded.

            “Call me?” Abigail questioned.

            “I have a busy day tomorrow,” I warned, “but I’ll give you a call on Sunday.” I never liked the idea of a guy telling a girl he would call and then making her wait. “We can set something up for next week.”

            “Perfect,” Abigail said as she stood.

            “I really enjoyed talking to you, Jared.”

            “More so than last time?” I asked.

            Abigail grinned even wider and I got to see the full breadth of her teeth. “More so than last time,” she said.

            I stood and followed Abigail to the door of the coffee shop. The bell jingled above us as I opened it. Once we were outside, she angled towards one side of the parking lot while I headed the other way.

            “Thanks again,” I said, stopping before I took another step to look at her one last time. “For meeting me and for listening.”

            “It was my pleasure,” she said.

            I could no longer resist the temptation and though I knew it was too soon to move in for a kiss, I managed to open my arms and take a step towards her, offering a hug. She moved into my embrace and I felt her arms wrap around my waist. I folded my arms around her shoulders and rested my cheek briefly against her hair.

            Perhaps I hadn’t fallen in love the very first time I had seen Abigail. But the second time….

The rest of the evening, I simply couldn’t get my mind off of Abigail. I kept seeing the way she looked at me before we left the coffee shop and feeling the touch of her hand against mine. I remembered people like my dad saying things like, “you know when you know” regarding love.

            I wasn’t sure that I really knew anything at that point but I was certain I wanted to see where things went. I promised myself that I would indeed read her book.

            I almost felt as if I was floating when I woke up the next morning and prepared my own homemade coffee so I could get ready for the remote broadcast at the local diner.

            As I threw back my first slug of the black drink, I thought about my dad. I wished he had lived long enough to see me get married. I could have called him and told him about my date with Abigail and he would have given me advice on what to do for our second date.

            The whole prospect was very exciting and as I left the house with a thermos full of more coffee, I was pretty sure I had an extra spring in my step.

            The diner where the remote was being held was a ten-minute drive past the studios. I stopped by the office first to pick up a few pieces of equipment along with Jim, our engineer and the station vehicle.

            Jim was a cranky old guy, but everyone loved him. I could never quite tell if he was cranky simply because he was cranky or if it was just a face he put on in order to get laughs.

            “Took your time getting here, didn’t you?” Jim asked as I walked through the studio’s front door.

            I glanced at my watch to ensure I wasn’t late. The clock read 5 a.m. on the dot. We needed to get to the site a full half an hour before the remote broadcast began so we could get everything ready. Jim would hook up the equipment and I would set up the table with the window stickers and giveaways and other materials while listening to Jim grumble.

            I ignored Jim’s comment and grabbed the bin of items I needed for the table. The promotions director had organized everything for me the day before.

            As I headed back out towards the front of the office space, I felt Jim fall into step behind me. “You got the keys?” he asked, referring to the station vehicle.

            “Not yet,” I answered, planning to pick them up at the front desk on my way out.

            “Humph,” Jim breathed as he swung around the desk at the entrance of the office space and grabbed the keys himself. Jim liked to feel that it was always up to him to do everything and usually, we all just let him.

            “Got everything?” I asked in a cheerful voice.

            Jim pursed one corner of his mouth at my sarcasm. If Jim was one thing, other than cranky, it was well prepared.

            By the time we got out to the station vehicle, a tiny sliver of light was beginning to show through the clouds in the sky. Jim unlocked the back door and swung it open so I could throw in my own box of items. Then, we both circled around the front. Jim unlocked the passenger side, leaned over and unlocked the driver’s side.

            I climbed in and caught the keys as they flew in front of my face.

            “Crank it hard this time, Jones,” he said gruffly.

            The station vehicle was a tad bit like Chloe’s car. It had seen better days. When the station was still building its image many years before my time, those in charge realized it needed to raise its public image. That meant making appearances around the city and it also meant placing the station logo in a prominent position each time.

            The company had not been able to afford a brand new vehicle and there were no car dealerships willing to work out a trade with a station that was still working its way up the ladder within the city. Instead of giving up, one of the employees got a lead on an old ambulance for sale for dirt cheap.

            The station secured the ambulance and managed to scrape together enough money to paint the exterior with the station logos and catch phrases. The inside of the old vehicle was gutted so that all that remained was the passenger and driver’s seats.

            It wasn’t legal for us to use the lights and sirens, of course, though we were permitted to use them in parades. The ambulance was unique and it stood out as it moved around the city, appearing at any and every station event. Over the years, it became so popular that now that the station could afford any vehicle it wanted and every car dealership wanted to work out a trade, it simply couldn’t bring itself to get rid of such an icon.

            And so there Jim and I were, cranking the battery on the old ambulance, hoping that it would work the first time so we wouldn’t be late for setting up. Jim never drove “that blasted contraption” as he called it, but he liked to instruct others on how to do so.

            Luckily, that morning, the ambulance roared to life and began to sputter down the road with Jim and me in tow.

            A few short minutes later, we were at the diner’s entrance, angling the vehicle in front of the restaurant to get the most visible spot.

            Cal’s Diner was a mom and pop type joint that had done very well in the area. The owners were looking to expand into other parts of the city and they wanted to draw as much attention to their business as possible.

            With the remote, we would talk about the food and the atmosphere all morning and we would give things away and make a giant spectacle.

            It was a great deal of fun. The hour before the broadcast began, however, was a great deal of work. As soon as the ambulance was parked in the right spot, Jim hopped out of his side of the car and ambled around to the back.

            He began throwing items out onto the pavement as he tossed a quick statement over his shoulder, “Well?” he said. “What are you waiting for?”

            I took that as my cue and I hefted one of the boxes onto my shoulder and headed for the diner door. I balanced the box and shifted my weight as I rapped on the front door. The diner was still dark, but I could see lights on in the backroom.

            Moments later, I heard feet shuffling around the counter to open the door.

            As the door opened, I turned, fully expecting to see Cal, the owner.

            Instead, I could only say one word. “Chloe.”

I could tell by the look on Chloe’s face that she wasn’t as surprised to see me as I was to see her.

            “What are you doing here?” I asked. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold the heavy box of equipment on my shoulder, but I had to ask.

            “I work here,” she said.

            “I was expecting Cal,” I replied as I moved past her into the darkened room. “You look nothing like him.”

            Chloe laughed. “Thanks…I think. Do you need help with anything?”

            “I think we can get it,” I surveyed the diner. “Where do you want us?”

            “Oh, I’m not sure,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “Cal should be out any minute.”

            I nodded, setting the box on the floor. I was glad to wait. It would give me a chance to talk to Chloe.

            “How’s the car?” I asked, glancing back out the front window. I was surprised I had missed it outside.

            “It’s…it’s good,” Chloe responded noticing the direction of my gaze. “A, um, a friend needed to use it today.”

            It sounded strange and Chloe looked almost nervous.

            “It’s good to see you,” I said honestly. And then, in my normal fashion, I spoke without reserve. “I’ve been thinking about you since we met.”

            Chloe blushed, smiled and looked down at the floor. “I’ve…I’ve been doing the same,” she said.

            As I ran the last few pieces of the conversation through my mind, I hoped I wasn’t giving Chloe the wrong idea. She was a pretty woman and she seemed very nice, but I was starting something really special with Abigail and I didn’t want her to think I was pursuing her.

            “How’s Ian?” I asked.

            “Good,” she said, her eyes brightening at the mere mention of her son’s name. “He’s had more energy the last few days. He was excited to be invited to a birthday party this weekend.”

            “So that’s where he is today?” I asked.

            Chloe laughed. “Well, not right now,” she said, gesturing to the still semi-dark sky. “He’s over at the neighbor’s apartment and she’s going to drop him off at the party this afternoon. I’ll get him when I’m done here.”

            “Sounds like the best day any boy could have,” I said, remembering my own childhood and how fun those birthday parties were.

            “I hope all of his days are good,” Chloe said, the sad look returning to her face.

            I was just trying to decide how I could turn the conversation to Ian’s father to get some more details about his whereabouts when Jim threw open the front door with his leg.

            “Thanks for the help, Jones,” he muttered in my direction as he stumbled into the diner with two boxes.