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lanalucyHappy Birthday, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
laura_mayfair, my wonderful friend! I kept this request from your epics wishlist in the back of my mind. I hope you enjoy it.
“Oh!” Laura’s carefully balanced stack of frozen dinners tumbled to the floor as she bumped into the customer in front of her. Frak! “I’m so sorry!”
The young man turned, bent to help pick up her frozen dinners, and grinned as he looked up at her. “It’s entirely my fault. I forget how big I am sometimes. I always take up more space than I think I do.”
He rose to his feet and Laura looked up at him. Gods! He is big. She ruthlessly shushed the voice inside wondering if he was big all over. I do not need to know that, she told herself primly.
He was still standing there holding her dinners, and she snapped herself out of it. “Oh! Thank you.”
He smiled as she took her dinners back, and he gestured to the checkout conveyor belt.
“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “You were in front of me.”
“I insist. I only have the two things.” He reached for her boxes and stacked them neatly on the conveyor belt. “There you go.”
Left with no choice, Laura nodded and stepped around him. “Thank you.”
The checker smiled and nodded at Laura, sliding Laura’s things across the scanner. “You find everything?”
“Yes. Thank you,” Laura responded.
The teenaged checker read out her total and Laura winced as she realized how much she was spending on processed food, how long it had been since she’d had a home-cooked meal. Her mother would have a fit if she could see her. She packed her purchases in her reusable bag, shoved the receipt into the bag, and headed for the door.
Behind her, she could hear the smile in the girl’s voice as she said, “Hi, Sam! You good today?”
“Sure am! How about you? You pass your test last week?”
Laura told herself the shiver running through her was from walking out into the bright sunlight. Certainly not from the pleasant glide of his baritone voice across her skin.
Unpacking her stuff at home, she discovered the receipt was accompanied by a note.
If you get tired of frozen dinners, I’m taking a cooking class, and could use a taste-tester.
It was signed with a big, bold S and an email address. When had he had time to write her a note?
She considered and discarded the invitation several times a day for the next week, and still wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, but when she happened to get the same checker on her next visit to the store, she found herself asking about him.
The checker’s entire face brightened, her smile revealing braces. “Sam? He’s such a nice guy! He’s got an entire posse of little old ladies who adore him. They’re so cute! He carries their bags out and loads them into the car. And when they can’t get out for some reason, he delivers. If he weren’t so old, I’d probably fall for him myself!”
Laura bit back the laugh threatening to erupt at the idea of Sam being old. He was at least ten years younger than she was. Old? What do you think I am? Ancient? She nodded as the girl finished ringing her up and gave her the total. She paid, bagged her stuff, and left, pondering what the girl had told her.
A week later, she was still thinking about him, so she sent him an email before she could talk herself out of it. From her work address, of course. Might as well find out up front if he would be scared off by her age or profession. As she microwaved a dinner and poured a glass of wine, she kept glancing at her laptop, half hoping he’d answer, half hoping her email had gone astray. She made herself wait to click the email until she’d finished eating.
Great! I’ve got a class this Saturday at noon. I’d love for you to come by.
This week’s lesson is roast. Is that okay for you?
I should tell you, the classes are in my apartment.
I can see you shaking your head no, but I promise, there are always other people here. Two of the ladies teaching me live right here in my building.
I would love to have another guest in class. Please? ::bats eyes::
He’d included a couple of photos of him in a goofy chef apron, alongside two short, stout women who might be of Tauron ancestry. She had been wanting to try some Tauron food. She sighed as she hit reply.
No promises. Depends on my schedule.
In the end, Richard made the decision for her. He told her they needed to work on something over the weekend, and she couldn’t stomach the idea of spending another Saturday fending off his wandering hands. She was thrilled to tell him she already had plans and was surprised to find herself actually looking forward to it. A part of her chortled with unholy glee at the childish disappointment on his face.
She sent Sam another email asking for his address and asking if there was anything she needed to bring.
Nope. Just an appetite! Looking forward to seeing you.
~*~*~*~*~
She climbed the stairs and listened for a moment outside the door, telling herself she could still leave: she hadn’t knocked yet.
Sound vibrated through the door - Sam’s hearty laughter, the unmistakable cackles of an older woman, someone’s insistent, “Taste! Pay attention!” accompanied by a smacking noise.
Samuel, when is your young lady going to be here?”
”I told you guys, it’s not like that!” Sam protested. “Not yet. She just - she looked lonely.”
Laura flushed.
”Ah! But you like her, yes?”
Laura waited for Sam’s answer, but heard nothing. She was about to turn around and leave when teasing laughter spilled out, louder than before.
”You cannot hide this from us! We shall see if she is good enough. It is time for you to settle down. You spend too much time with old ladies.”
“You know you’re all young and beautiful to me.”
Several women giggled girlishly.
That made Laura smile, remembering visiting her grandmother at her retirement home: Grandma had shamelessly flirted with any male under forty, swearing it kept her blood pumping.
She couldn’t wait any longer. She squared her shoulders and knocked.
The door opened almost immediately, the mouthwatering aroma of roast and vegetables wafting out.
“Samuel! Get out here! Your young lady is here!” The old woman looked Laura up and down, ignored her outstretched hand, saying, “Bah!” and reached up to kiss both Laura’s cheeks, then pull Laura into the apartment.
A gaggle of ladies surrounded Laura, overwhelming her for a moment. Towering behind them, Sam shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, “Sorry.”
Within moments, they’d pronounced her welcome and shoved Sam front and center. He took her hand and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. He whispered, “Sorry. If I don’t do this, they’ll get really out of hand. They mean well.”
She nodded and tilted her head. Deciding to fake the ease she wasn’t feeling yet, she smiled and squeezed his arm. Damn. “That roast smells positively wonderful! What part did you play, Sam, adding the pepper?”
Sam grinned and the cadre of ladies tittered and chuckled. “She’s got your number, Sam!”
Sam led her into the kitchen, which was much larger than she’d imagined, and opened into a dining room.
“What a gorgeous dining set, Sam!”
One of the ladies beamed at her. “It was my grandfather’s.”
As each woman chimed in with her contribution to Sam’s dining room or kitchen, Laura relaxed. All these women couldn’t be wrong about him, could they?
One of the ladies pointed at Sam and said, “Sit!” then firmly pushed Laura into the adjacent chair and bustled off to ferry dishes from the kitchen.
Once everything was on the table, the ladies spread out and seated themselves. There was a moment of silence and Laura wondered if she’d be expected to pray, but it was over quickly, and the women started chattering and passing the wine.
Laura had raised her glass to take a sip and nearly spit her wine out when one of them asked, “So, Laura. Are you married?”
She carefully put her glass down, glared at Sam, who was staring at his plate, and answered, “No.”
“Ah,” sounded in unison from around the table, and one said, “You have not found the right one yet,” with a knowing glance at Sam.
Her stomach in a knot, Laura forced a smile, kicked Sam under the table, and said, “Perhaps.” Her mother would be proud of her restraint.
The ladies all smiled, and Laura took a deep breath. “You all know my name, but I didn’t catch yours.”
Sam’s head shot up. “Gods. I completely forgot. I’m so sorry!”
The woman on Sam’s other side smacked his arm affectionately as Sam introduced them. The names whirled in her head: Margret, Sacha, Mrs. Adams, Polina, Bernice and her sister Bernadette.
Laura inclined her head slightly, saying, “It’s lovely to meet you all. Thank you for including me.”
They all smiled at her, and Polina said, “Enough! We eat!”
Laura exchanged a look with Sam, and conversation picked up again. The roast practically melted at the touch of her fork, and she couldn’t quite contain the moan of delight when she took her first bite.
“Good, yes?”
Laura took another bite, closing her eyes for a moment, then nodded her agreement. “It’s marvelous!”
Margret patted Sam’s arm. “We’ll make a cook out of Samuel yet.”
The rest of the meal passed in a blur and Laura was surprised when the women started leaving the table. She made to get up and help, and Polina said, “No. You two talk. We clean.”
The buzz of multiple conversations in the kitchen was a distraction at first, but the ladies began speaking more in their native tongues, and it became a pleasant backdrop to her conversation with Sam.
She learned how Sam had inherited his posse of grandmothers, that he loved pyramid, enjoyed a good boxing match, and had no other family.
She talked a little about teaching, getting involved in politics, and shared a few anecdotes about her sisters.
Eventually, she realize the apartment had become silent around them. “Did they all leave?”
Sam tilted his head, listening. “They must have. Usually they make a big fuss about leaving.”
Laura raised a brow. “Not very subtle, are they?”
Sam made a face. “Sorry. I’ve never invited anyone over before.”
Laura’s stomach flipped. She wasn’t sure how she felt about him being interested in her. There was the age difference, and her comfortable life. Did she want to make room for this?
Sam’s hand on hers startled her. “Hey. I enjoyed your company. And you got a home-cooked meal. That’s all this has to be.”
“All right.” She swallowed, not sure about putting herself out there. “What’s the next lesson?”
“Don't know yet. My schedule’s a little erratic for the next few weeks, so the next time will be in a month. The ladies decide and tell me what to buy. You’d like to come back?”
She clenched her fist in her lap and nodded. “I think I would. I haven’t had a big family dinner in a long time, and I really enjoyed this. I wasn’t sure I would.”
“I’m glad. I appreciate you taking a chance.” He poured what little of the wine was left into his glass, and said, “There’s a fight on. Would you like to stay a while, watch it together?”
She thought of her small quiet apartment and watching the fight alone, or staying here and learning more about a new friend. She knew what her mother and sisters would say. “I’d love to.”
laura_mayfair, my wonderful friend! I kept this request from your epics wishlist in the back of my mind. I hope you enjoy it.“Oh!” Laura’s carefully balanced stack of frozen dinners tumbled to the floor as she bumped into the customer in front of her. Frak! “I’m so sorry!”
The young man turned, bent to help pick up her frozen dinners, and grinned as he looked up at her. “It’s entirely my fault. I forget how big I am sometimes. I always take up more space than I think I do.”
He rose to his feet and Laura looked up at him. Gods! He is big. She ruthlessly shushed the voice inside wondering if he was big all over. I do not need to know that, she told herself primly.
He was still standing there holding her dinners, and she snapped herself out of it. “Oh! Thank you.”
He smiled as she took her dinners back, and he gestured to the checkout conveyor belt.
“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “You were in front of me.”
“I insist. I only have the two things.” He reached for her boxes and stacked them neatly on the conveyor belt. “There you go.”
Left with no choice, Laura nodded and stepped around him. “Thank you.”
The checker smiled and nodded at Laura, sliding Laura’s things across the scanner. “You find everything?”
“Yes. Thank you,” Laura responded.
The teenaged checker read out her total and Laura winced as she realized how much she was spending on processed food, how long it had been since she’d had a home-cooked meal. Her mother would have a fit if she could see her. She packed her purchases in her reusable bag, shoved the receipt into the bag, and headed for the door.
Behind her, she could hear the smile in the girl’s voice as she said, “Hi, Sam! You good today?”
“Sure am! How about you? You pass your test last week?”
Laura told herself the shiver running through her was from walking out into the bright sunlight. Certainly not from the pleasant glide of his baritone voice across her skin.
Unpacking her stuff at home, she discovered the receipt was accompanied by a note.
If you get tired of frozen dinners, I’m taking a cooking class, and could use a taste-tester.
It was signed with a big, bold S and an email address. When had he had time to write her a note?
She considered and discarded the invitation several times a day for the next week, and still wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, but when she happened to get the same checker on her next visit to the store, she found herself asking about him.
The checker’s entire face brightened, her smile revealing braces. “Sam? He’s such a nice guy! He’s got an entire posse of little old ladies who adore him. They’re so cute! He carries their bags out and loads them into the car. And when they can’t get out for some reason, he delivers. If he weren’t so old, I’d probably fall for him myself!”
Laura bit back the laugh threatening to erupt at the idea of Sam being old. He was at least ten years younger than she was. Old? What do you think I am? Ancient? She nodded as the girl finished ringing her up and gave her the total. She paid, bagged her stuff, and left, pondering what the girl had told her.
A week later, she was still thinking about him, so she sent him an email before she could talk herself out of it. From her work address, of course. Might as well find out up front if he would be scared off by her age or profession. As she microwaved a dinner and poured a glass of wine, she kept glancing at her laptop, half hoping he’d answer, half hoping her email had gone astray. She made herself wait to click the email until she’d finished eating.
Great! I’ve got a class this Saturday at noon. I’d love for you to come by.
This week’s lesson is roast. Is that okay for you?
I should tell you, the classes are in my apartment.
I can see you shaking your head no, but I promise, there are always other people here. Two of the ladies teaching me live right here in my building.
I would love to have another guest in class. Please? ::bats eyes::
He’d included a couple of photos of him in a goofy chef apron, alongside two short, stout women who might be of Tauron ancestry. She had been wanting to try some Tauron food. She sighed as she hit reply.
No promises. Depends on my schedule.
In the end, Richard made the decision for her. He told her they needed to work on something over the weekend, and she couldn’t stomach the idea of spending another Saturday fending off his wandering hands. She was thrilled to tell him she already had plans and was surprised to find herself actually looking forward to it. A part of her chortled with unholy glee at the childish disappointment on his face.
She sent Sam another email asking for his address and asking if there was anything she needed to bring.
Nope. Just an appetite! Looking forward to seeing you.
~*~*~*~*~
She climbed the stairs and listened for a moment outside the door, telling herself she could still leave: she hadn’t knocked yet.
Sound vibrated through the door - Sam’s hearty laughter, the unmistakable cackles of an older woman, someone’s insistent, “Taste! Pay attention!” accompanied by a smacking noise.
Samuel, when is your young lady going to be here?”
”I told you guys, it’s not like that!” Sam protested. “Not yet. She just - she looked lonely.”
Laura flushed.
”Ah! But you like her, yes?”
Laura waited for Sam’s answer, but heard nothing. She was about to turn around and leave when teasing laughter spilled out, louder than before.
”You cannot hide this from us! We shall see if she is good enough. It is time for you to settle down. You spend too much time with old ladies.”
“You know you’re all young and beautiful to me.”
Several women giggled girlishly.
That made Laura smile, remembering visiting her grandmother at her retirement home: Grandma had shamelessly flirted with any male under forty, swearing it kept her blood pumping.
She couldn’t wait any longer. She squared her shoulders and knocked.
The door opened almost immediately, the mouthwatering aroma of roast and vegetables wafting out.
“Samuel! Get out here! Your young lady is here!” The old woman looked Laura up and down, ignored her outstretched hand, saying, “Bah!” and reached up to kiss both Laura’s cheeks, then pull Laura into the apartment.
A gaggle of ladies surrounded Laura, overwhelming her for a moment. Towering behind them, Sam shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, “Sorry.”
Within moments, they’d pronounced her welcome and shoved Sam front and center. He took her hand and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. He whispered, “Sorry. If I don’t do this, they’ll get really out of hand. They mean well.”
She nodded and tilted her head. Deciding to fake the ease she wasn’t feeling yet, she smiled and squeezed his arm. Damn. “That roast smells positively wonderful! What part did you play, Sam, adding the pepper?”
Sam grinned and the cadre of ladies tittered and chuckled. “She’s got your number, Sam!”
Sam led her into the kitchen, which was much larger than she’d imagined, and opened into a dining room.
“What a gorgeous dining set, Sam!”
One of the ladies beamed at her. “It was my grandfather’s.”
As each woman chimed in with her contribution to Sam’s dining room or kitchen, Laura relaxed. All these women couldn’t be wrong about him, could they?
One of the ladies pointed at Sam and said, “Sit!” then firmly pushed Laura into the adjacent chair and bustled off to ferry dishes from the kitchen.
Once everything was on the table, the ladies spread out and seated themselves. There was a moment of silence and Laura wondered if she’d be expected to pray, but it was over quickly, and the women started chattering and passing the wine.
Laura had raised her glass to take a sip and nearly spit her wine out when one of them asked, “So, Laura. Are you married?”
She carefully put her glass down, glared at Sam, who was staring at his plate, and answered, “No.”
“Ah,” sounded in unison from around the table, and one said, “You have not found the right one yet,” with a knowing glance at Sam.
Her stomach in a knot, Laura forced a smile, kicked Sam under the table, and said, “Perhaps.” Her mother would be proud of her restraint.
The ladies all smiled, and Laura took a deep breath. “You all know my name, but I didn’t catch yours.”
Sam’s head shot up. “Gods. I completely forgot. I’m so sorry!”
The woman on Sam’s other side smacked his arm affectionately as Sam introduced them. The names whirled in her head: Margret, Sacha, Mrs. Adams, Polina, Bernice and her sister Bernadette.
Laura inclined her head slightly, saying, “It’s lovely to meet you all. Thank you for including me.”
They all smiled at her, and Polina said, “Enough! We eat!”
Laura exchanged a look with Sam, and conversation picked up again. The roast practically melted at the touch of her fork, and she couldn’t quite contain the moan of delight when she took her first bite.
“Good, yes?”
Laura took another bite, closing her eyes for a moment, then nodded her agreement. “It’s marvelous!”
Margret patted Sam’s arm. “We’ll make a cook out of Samuel yet.”
The rest of the meal passed in a blur and Laura was surprised when the women started leaving the table. She made to get up and help, and Polina said, “No. You two talk. We clean.”
The buzz of multiple conversations in the kitchen was a distraction at first, but the ladies began speaking more in their native tongues, and it became a pleasant backdrop to her conversation with Sam.
She learned how Sam had inherited his posse of grandmothers, that he loved pyramid, enjoyed a good boxing match, and had no other family.
She talked a little about teaching, getting involved in politics, and shared a few anecdotes about her sisters.
Eventually, she realize the apartment had become silent around them. “Did they all leave?”
Sam tilted his head, listening. “They must have. Usually they make a big fuss about leaving.”
Laura raised a brow. “Not very subtle, are they?”
Sam made a face. “Sorry. I’ve never invited anyone over before.”
Laura’s stomach flipped. She wasn’t sure how she felt about him being interested in her. There was the age difference, and her comfortable life. Did she want to make room for this?
Sam’s hand on hers startled her. “Hey. I enjoyed your company. And you got a home-cooked meal. That’s all this has to be.”
“All right.” She swallowed, not sure about putting herself out there. “What’s the next lesson?”
“Don't know yet. My schedule’s a little erratic for the next few weeks, so the next time will be in a month. The ladies decide and tell me what to buy. You’d like to come back?”
She clenched her fist in her lap and nodded. “I think I would. I haven’t had a big family dinner in a long time, and I really enjoyed this. I wasn’t sure I would.”
“I’m glad. I appreciate you taking a chance.” He poured what little of the wine was left into his glass, and said, “There’s a fight on. Would you like to stay a while, watch it together?”
She thought of her small quiet apartment and watching the fight alone, or staying here and learning more about a new friend. She knew what her mother and sisters would say. “I’d love to.”
