Note from the author: Sorry to leave this story hanging so long. Life got in the way and, during a recent trip, I had some free time and was reading some recent stories on Lit. The thought occurred that I should carry this story forward. Upon returning home, I found that I had already written about 2/3 of this back in January. So the good news is, I was able to wrap up another chapter. Bad news is, I couldn't help myself and wrote it into a teaser for the next one, which isn't even started LOL. Please enjoy, and thanks for your patience if you already read the earlier chapters. If you haven't read them, they should be read in sequence. I don't repeat character introductions, so the story will make a little more sense that way.
The couple soon arrived at Brad's house. Once parked, Lucy took Brad's hand and stepped down, following him out of his truck. Immediately her mouth started watering. The scent of dinner cooking permeated the air, even out to the garage. "Brad, that smells delicious! You've been a busy man today!" He turned back grinning, "You have no idea. I usually leave the food preparation to professionals, so I forgot how much work was involved."
Brad unlocked the door and entered, turning on the lights. Lucy came through the door right behind him, removing her sweater and draping it over one of the dining chairs. "So what's on the menu tonight, chef?"
Brad reached into a cabinet and withdrew two wine glasses. "First we'll start off with a glass of wine while I get the rest ready." He poured the glasses and handed one to Lucy, then continued. "I have a pork loin prepared, along with some potatoes and mixed vegetables that were cooked along with it. Afterward, I've prepared a tasty desert, so be sure to save room. Why don't you take a seat and I'll have dinner served in a few minutes."
"I can't wait. It's great to have someone else do the cooking for once." Lucy grinned and sat at the table. She took a sip from her glass as she watched Brad preparing their plates. He looked cute, concentrating on getting the food pulled out and served. He moved around the kitchen with a purpose, clearly not used to this sort of production for a meal. While she waited, Lucy was reflecting over the past couple of hours. She could feel herself heating up a little, partially from the wine, but more so thinking about the night before.
"Dinner is served." Brad slid the plate in front of her with a flourish. Lucy looked up, her daydreaming spell broken, and looked down then back to Brad. He immediately turned red, realizing he had been so focused on the food prep that he had overlooked setting the table. Lucy had no silverware. "Geez. I can't believe I did that. Hold on a sec." He quickly produced the utensils and brought his own plate, sitting down. "I hope you enjoy this, Lucy. I'm not the greatest cook, but I can make a decent meal when I put my mind to it."
She put her fork to the plate and took her first bite as Brad looked on in anticipation. The meat cut easily with a fork. She savored the bite a moment then let Brad off the hook. "This is delicious! You've outdone yourself. I'll have to get your recipe for this." Brad was beaming at her as he started on his own plate. "Meili and I usually fix something fast or have take out. She is not much of a cook and both of us are usually too tired when we get home to prepare anything fancy."
"I was going to ask earlier, but what do you and Meili usually do when you're not working?"
"Not much. We usually work six days a week and are very tired by the time we get home. After a quick dinner we'll either watch TV or read before going to bed. On Sunday mornings we'll usually go to church with the family and then spend the afternoon catching up on laundry and cleaning house. Not that it gets very dirty - just the two of us and we both usually pick up after ourselves. Once in a while we'll catch a movie, but otherwise pretty boring."
Brad chuckled a little. "Sounds a lot like me. Half the time I fall asleep in front of the TV and wake up in the middle of the night to go to bed."
Lucy immediately glanced up into his eyes and smiled. "Sounds familiar." She felt butterflies as she contemplated the night before. "Something that is not always a bad thing."
Brad blushed and leaned close, placing his hand on her thigh. "I hadn't thought of it that way. You're absolutely right." The butterflies intensified with his touch. It was just a familiar touch of his firm hand, but it was like electricity inside her.
She glanced down to take another bite. When she looked back up, Brad removed his hand to get up. She hadn't noticed, but he had been eating faster and was already finished. "Sorry I wolfed down my dinner. I didn't realize I was so hungry." The corners of Lucy's mouth turned up into a slight grin as she noticed yet another possible double meaning with what he had just said.
"I agree. I hope you save some of that hunger for later." Lucy immediately felt her cheeks blush having said that. The wine before dinner had loosened her up a little and a bold statement like that was unlike her.
Brad put his dishes in the sink then came around behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned in close to her ear. "Plenty of that in reserve, my dear. Why don't you finish up while I prepare desert." Lucy let out a little moan when he nibbled her ear lobe before stepping away. She hadn't been expecting that and the sensation took her breath away momentarily. She watched him as he removed a small bowl from the refrigerator and a spoon from a drawer. As he went about adding some whipped cream she was finishing the last bites of her dinner. Before she could get up, Brad came by the table and scooped up the empty dish. "Don't get up. I am your waiter tonight as well as your cook."
