Longing to Belong - Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Birch Creek, September 2002
Teaspoon drummed his fingers on the rugged surface of his work desk as he nervously waited for the clicking sound that meant that the person on the other end of the line had taken the call. For days he had debated with himself whether to phone Rachel Dunne. With all certainty, the woman had not meant what she had said, or in the best case she had simply wanted to be kind and polite. Having a drink with her wouldn’t have to be awkward, would it? If the hint hadn’t come from such an attractive woman, Teaspoon wouldn’t have questioned himself so much; he would have taken it at face-value, and that was it. However, the thing was not so straight. He was sure she had been flirting with him, and the thought in itself made him excited and nervous at the same time. It was pretty ridiculous, Teaspoon had to admit. Here he was a man of a certain age acting as if he were a dopey teenager.
“Hello?”
Teaspoon gulped as he heard the feminine voice in his ear. “Uh… Ms Dunne?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“Officer Hunter here. I… I’m just calling to inform you that unfortunately, there have been no developments in recovering your stolen purse.”
“Oh!” Rachel sounded crestfallen but resigned. “Well, I didn’t expect to get it back anyway.”
“That… that doesn’t mean the case is closed.”
“I appreciate that, officer. Thanks for calling.”
Teaspoon took a deep breath. Now that his excuse for phoning her was already dealt with, he had to screw up his courage and utter the real reason of the call before she hung up. Maybe he risked making a fool of himself, but that would not stop him now. “Uh… Ms Dunne, I was wondering if you’re still up for that drink… you know, to thank you for the other day.”
“Absolutely,” Rachel replied a bit too enthusiastically for her taste, and then she demurred. “Uh… are you free tomorrow night?”
“I’m afraid I can’t do night. I’ve got to be home for Lou… my daughter.” He paused, breathed out, and added, “I thought we could meet for a coffee or a bit around 12. It’s my lunch break then and…”
“Thursday is okay for you?”
Teaspoon smiled as he gave her the details of the cozy burger place where he never had his lunch, but had gone to with Lou occasionally. The last thing he wanted was to have his colleagues tease him if they saw him with Rachel Dunne. They already called him the Birch Creek’s most eligible bachelor since he had not been on a date or in a relationship wince Mary died. Not that this was a date, just a friendly drink with, why not say it, a very nice and attractive woman.
Teaspoon’s smile did not fade even when he finally hung up, and the rest of the day he could not stop thinking about Thursday and meeting beautiful Rachel Dunne again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So how is…? Louise is her name, isn’t it?”
Teaspoon smiled at the woman across from him. She was as lovely as he remembered. Clad in a turquoise close-fitting dress, she wore her strawberry-blond hair down which surrounded her face like a halo in an angel. Teaspoon thought that the man who held her affection was a very lucky guy. And if he, Teaspoon Hunter, were ten years younger and a few pounds lighter, he wouldn’t hesitate to display his charms and pursue her like the best of them. Yet, his heyday was behind him, and he could not afford to behave like a moron.
“Lou’s fine… well, we had a few difficult days. This transition into womanhood isn’t an easy ride at all. She’s still quite a child, physically and mentally. Petite and shortish, and she still likes to play with her toys, so this puberty thing has taken her a bit by surprise.”
“Do we ever stop playing?” Rachel laughed. “You men are all hooked onto all these electronic gadgets, and we shift from dolls to real babies soon enough.”
“That’s a peculiar way of looking at it,” Teaspoon mused, mentally shivering at the idea of her Lou having babies. He cleared his throat to get rid of the frightening image and added, “Anyway, the thing is that Lou’s still finding it too hard to cope with what is happening to her body. Crying her eyes out and wanting to stay from school, saying everyone would tell, and then she’d die of embarrassment.” Rachel kept laughing and he also joined her. “Thankfully, things are gradually going back to normal now.”
“Until next month.” Teaspoon pulled a mocking frightened face, and Rachel chuckled again. “At this difficult age one often wishes they were still in diapers and keeping us up all night.”
Teaspoon nodded. “To be honest with you, I didn’t go though all that myself. I wasn’t around when Lou was a baby.” Rachel frowned, and the man elaborated, “I married her mother when Lou was six. She isn’t my real daughter, but I couldn’t love her more if she were my blood and flesh.” Rachel smiled, feeling moved by this rough man who kept surprising her with this tenderness. “Anyway,” Teaspoon continued after taking a sip from his cold tea, “you said you had children yourself, don’t you, Ms Dunne?”
“Please call me Rachel. We don’t need to be so formal to each other, do we?”
Teaspoon shook his head. “Then you must call me Teaspoon.”
“Teaspoon?” she echoed with a confused expression.
“It’s just a nickname, but please don’t ask me to tell you the story behind it.”
“All right. I won’t ask,” she said among giggles.
“So you have children then?”
“Three boys… Their father and I divorced a couple of years ago. My eldest lives with his father in San Francisco. He’ll soon be going to college - well, not so soon, actually. He’s spending a gap year in Europe, and after that year, he’ll start college. When I moved here a couple of months ago, I thought I could save him the hassle of moving to a new place and school when just in a few months, he would be leaving anyway. In fact, he’s flying in two weeks.”
“You must miss him.”
“Oh yes!” Rachel exclaimed. “I’ve only seen him a couple of times since we moved here. I tell myself that he’s eighteen and therefore an adult, so he needs to live his own life, but it’s not easy. I can’t help but worry.”
“And your other two sons? How old are they?”
“Seventeen and fifteen. They’re still in school. Good boys, but they cause me more headaches now than when there were small. Teenagers… the bane of my life.”
Teaspoon grinned. “It’s difficult to imagine that a young woman like you is a mother to grown children.”
“Thanks, but not so young, I’m afraid,” Rachel replied. “Anyway, I married when I was not much older than my eldest. Maybe that was why my marriage failed. Henry and I struggled to hold on for years, trying for the boys’ sake, but well… we couldn’t pretend any longer that our marriage was real in the end.”
“I’m sorry,” Teaspoon muttered.
“Oh don’t be. Our separation was of mutual consent, and Henry and I are good friends and get on better now than we ever did. Well, I can’t deny I’d have liked to grow old with the man I chose to love and marry, but that’s life. I’ve lost a husband, but I’ve definitely gained a good friend.”
They kept talking comfortably as if they had known each other for much longer than barely ten minutes. When it was time to go, Teaspoon gentlemanly walked Rachel to her car.
“Thanks so much,” Rachel said, turning towards him. “It was nice… very nice.” And suddenly, feeling driven by a strange force, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, and almost in synchronization her mouth responded when his moved in a soft caress. When realization of what was happening struck her, she jerked away. Her whole face pinked up even though deep down she did not regret the spontaneous kiss, It had been an impulse she had not wanted to refrain, and there was no shame in it. It had been brief, but also the best kiss she had had as of lately. Since her divorce she had dated a few men, but none of them had turned out to be the kind of man to meet her expectations, and she had not even been interested in a fling.
“I… I…” Teaspoon spluttered, looking flustered and bewildered at what had just taken place, and for once in his life he was speechless.
Rachel couldn’t help but laugh at the expression of his face. “I hope I haven’t offended you.”
“For being kissed by a beautiful woman?” Teaspoon shook his head. “Quite the opposite. I feel lucky. I loved it.”
Rachel smiled. “I did too, but maybe I was a bit too forward. We hardly know each other, and please don’t think this is something I usually do with every man I meet. I really don’t know what came over me.”
Teaspoon found himself grinning from ear to ear like a fool. “You know… I… I could have my lunch here today, and maybe we could run into each other at lunchtime from time to time if… if you feel like having some company, and…”
Rachel nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Same time,” she said before he could even finish the sentence. “Goodbye then.” She gave him another disarming smile, and this time feeling more confident she kissed him again… properly kissed him. Who knew what might come up from this peculiar liaison? Maybe nothing, but at least, she’ll have one more kiss, because, gosh, Officer Hunter was really a good kisser.
Birch Creek, September 2002
Teaspoon drummed his fingers on the rugged surface of his work desk as he nervously waited for the clicking sound that meant that the person on the other end of the line had taken the call. For days he had debated with himself whether to phone Rachel Dunne. With all certainty, the woman had not meant what she had said, or in the best case she had simply wanted to be kind and polite. Having a drink with her wouldn’t have to be awkward, would it? If the hint hadn’t come from such an attractive woman, Teaspoon wouldn’t have questioned himself so much; he would have taken it at face-value, and that was it. However, the thing was not so straight. He was sure she had been flirting with him, and the thought in itself made him excited and nervous at the same time. It was pretty ridiculous, Teaspoon had to admit. Here he was a man of a certain age acting as if he were a dopey teenager.
“Hello?”
Teaspoon gulped as he heard the feminine voice in his ear. “Uh… Ms Dunne?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“Officer Hunter here. I… I’m just calling to inform you that unfortunately, there have been no developments in recovering your stolen purse.”
“Oh!” Rachel sounded crestfallen but resigned. “Well, I didn’t expect to get it back anyway.”
“That… that doesn’t mean the case is closed.”
“I appreciate that, officer. Thanks for calling.”
Teaspoon took a deep breath. Now that his excuse for phoning her was already dealt with, he had to screw up his courage and utter the real reason of the call before she hung up. Maybe he risked making a fool of himself, but that would not stop him now. “Uh… Ms Dunne, I was wondering if you’re still up for that drink… you know, to thank you for the other day.”
“Absolutely,” Rachel replied a bit too enthusiastically for her taste, and then she demurred. “Uh… are you free tomorrow night?”
“I’m afraid I can’t do night. I’ve got to be home for Lou… my daughter.” He paused, breathed out, and added, “I thought we could meet for a coffee or a bit around 12. It’s my lunch break then and…”
“Thursday is okay for you?”
Teaspoon smiled as he gave her the details of the cozy burger place where he never had his lunch, but had gone to with Lou occasionally. The last thing he wanted was to have his colleagues tease him if they saw him with Rachel Dunne. They already called him the Birch Creek’s most eligible bachelor since he had not been on a date or in a relationship wince Mary died. Not that this was a date, just a friendly drink with, why not say it, a very nice and attractive woman.
Teaspoon’s smile did not fade even when he finally hung up, and the rest of the day he could not stop thinking about Thursday and meeting beautiful Rachel Dunne again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So how is…? Louise is her name, isn’t it?”
Teaspoon smiled at the woman across from him. She was as lovely as he remembered. Clad in a turquoise close-fitting dress, she wore her strawberry-blond hair down which surrounded her face like a halo in an angel. Teaspoon thought that the man who held her affection was a very lucky guy. And if he, Teaspoon Hunter, were ten years younger and a few pounds lighter, he wouldn’t hesitate to display his charms and pursue her like the best of them. Yet, his heyday was behind him, and he could not afford to behave like a moron.
“Lou’s fine… well, we had a few difficult days. This transition into womanhood isn’t an easy ride at all. She’s still quite a child, physically and mentally. Petite and shortish, and she still likes to play with her toys, so this puberty thing has taken her a bit by surprise.”
“Do we ever stop playing?” Rachel laughed. “You men are all hooked onto all these electronic gadgets, and we shift from dolls to real babies soon enough.”
“That’s a peculiar way of looking at it,” Teaspoon mused, mentally shivering at the idea of her Lou having babies. He cleared his throat to get rid of the frightening image and added, “Anyway, the thing is that Lou’s still finding it too hard to cope with what is happening to her body. Crying her eyes out and wanting to stay from school, saying everyone would tell, and then she’d die of embarrassment.” Rachel kept laughing and he also joined her. “Thankfully, things are gradually going back to normal now.”
“Until next month.” Teaspoon pulled a mocking frightened face, and Rachel chuckled again. “At this difficult age one often wishes they were still in diapers and keeping us up all night.”
Teaspoon nodded. “To be honest with you, I didn’t go though all that myself. I wasn’t around when Lou was a baby.” Rachel frowned, and the man elaborated, “I married her mother when Lou was six. She isn’t my real daughter, but I couldn’t love her more if she were my blood and flesh.” Rachel smiled, feeling moved by this rough man who kept surprising her with this tenderness. “Anyway,” Teaspoon continued after taking a sip from his cold tea, “you said you had children yourself, don’t you, Ms Dunne?”
“Please call me Rachel. We don’t need to be so formal to each other, do we?”
Teaspoon shook his head. “Then you must call me Teaspoon.”
“Teaspoon?” she echoed with a confused expression.
“It’s just a nickname, but please don’t ask me to tell you the story behind it.”
“All right. I won’t ask,” she said among giggles.
“So you have children then?”
“Three boys… Their father and I divorced a couple of years ago. My eldest lives with his father in San Francisco. He’ll soon be going to college - well, not so soon, actually. He’s spending a gap year in Europe, and after that year, he’ll start college. When I moved here a couple of months ago, I thought I could save him the hassle of moving to a new place and school when just in a few months, he would be leaving anyway. In fact, he’s flying in two weeks.”
“You must miss him.”
“Oh yes!” Rachel exclaimed. “I’ve only seen him a couple of times since we moved here. I tell myself that he’s eighteen and therefore an adult, so he needs to live his own life, but it’s not easy. I can’t help but worry.”
“And your other two sons? How old are they?”
“Seventeen and fifteen. They’re still in school. Good boys, but they cause me more headaches now than when there were small. Teenagers… the bane of my life.”
Teaspoon grinned. “It’s difficult to imagine that a young woman like you is a mother to grown children.”
“Thanks, but not so young, I’m afraid,” Rachel replied. “Anyway, I married when I was not much older than my eldest. Maybe that was why my marriage failed. Henry and I struggled to hold on for years, trying for the boys’ sake, but well… we couldn’t pretend any longer that our marriage was real in the end.”
“I’m sorry,” Teaspoon muttered.
“Oh don’t be. Our separation was of mutual consent, and Henry and I are good friends and get on better now than we ever did. Well, I can’t deny I’d have liked to grow old with the man I chose to love and marry, but that’s life. I’ve lost a husband, but I’ve definitely gained a good friend.”
They kept talking comfortably as if they had known each other for much longer than barely ten minutes. When it was time to go, Teaspoon gentlemanly walked Rachel to her car.
“Thanks so much,” Rachel said, turning towards him. “It was nice… very nice.” And suddenly, feeling driven by a strange force, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, and almost in synchronization her mouth responded when his moved in a soft caress. When realization of what was happening struck her, she jerked away. Her whole face pinked up even though deep down she did not regret the spontaneous kiss, It had been an impulse she had not wanted to refrain, and there was no shame in it. It had been brief, but also the best kiss she had had as of lately. Since her divorce she had dated a few men, but none of them had turned out to be the kind of man to meet her expectations, and she had not even been interested in a fling.
“I… I…” Teaspoon spluttered, looking flustered and bewildered at what had just taken place, and for once in his life he was speechless.
Rachel couldn’t help but laugh at the expression of his face. “I hope I haven’t offended you.”
“For being kissed by a beautiful woman?” Teaspoon shook his head. “Quite the opposite. I feel lucky. I loved it.”
Rachel smiled. “I did too, but maybe I was a bit too forward. We hardly know each other, and please don’t think this is something I usually do with every man I meet. I really don’t know what came over me.”
Teaspoon found himself grinning from ear to ear like a fool. “You know… I… I could have my lunch here today, and maybe we could run into each other at lunchtime from time to time if… if you feel like having some company, and…”
Rachel nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Same time,” she said before he could even finish the sentence. “Goodbye then.” She gave him another disarming smile, and this time feeling more confident she kissed him again… properly kissed him. Who knew what might come up from this peculiar liaison? Maybe nothing, but at least, she’ll have one more kiss, because, gosh, Officer Hunter was really a good kisser.