Annie's Story

Chapter Two: The First Date

Chapter Two: The First Date

Tael Café’s regular crowd shuffled in and out of the door like clockwork. The small café had only six small round tables and a long wooden table against the window with barstools that sat five people at most. Markus had become a regular customer, making his way to the café every morning and then at night just for a chance to walk Annie home. He liked having conversations with her about different things. He felt at ease with Annie. However, today he was nervous walking into the café. Annie had her back to the door as he walked in.

"Good morning, Annie. Good morning, Claire. Good morning, Donovan," he said.

"Good morning, Markus," they all said.

"What would you like today?" asked Annie.

"I think I will have the Earl Grey tea and a breakfast sandwich."

"Okay, which one," she asked.

"Actually, what I really want is two eggs over easy, fried potatoes, some bacon, and a hard roll, but I can’t get that here. So which sandwich do you like?"

"The one I eat isn’t on the menu," she said. "I make my own concoction."

"Really?" he said.

"Yes, she does, and none of us eat off this menu anymore," Claire said.

"It is so good," Donovan said.

"Can I try it?" Markus asked.

"Do you have a few minutes to spare?" asked Annie.

"For you, always," he said, smiling.

"Have a seat, and I will make enough for the four of us," Annie said with a big grin. Markus sat and let out a heavy sigh.

Annie went into the kitchen and began cracking some eggs. She added heavy cream, scallions, cooked bacon, potatoes, salt, and pepper. She whisked the eggs until they were fluffy. Putting them on the griddle, she watched them spread out. She made quick work of them, folding the omelet over itself until it was cooked to perfection.

"Are you okay, Markus? You seem a little off today," said Donovan. "You are not your usual flirty self."

"Yeah, just a little bit nervous," Markus said, running his hands over his face.

"A lot of things going on?" Donovan said, leaning over the counter, resting his chin in his hand.

"Yeah, you could say that," Markus said as Annie came out of the kitchen with the eggs and hard rolls. The other patrons had cleared out. It was just the four of them. They sat at one of the tables, each taking a piece of the omelet and placing it on the buttered hard roll. They watched Markus as he took his first bite.

"Annie, this is fantastic," he said, eyebrows raised.

"Thank you. It has everything you were craving, just not the over easy part," Annie said, smirking.

"That would have been messy and gotten all over my suit," Markus said.

"Yes, it would have," Annie said.

"I thank you for the breakfast. I have to go. See you later, Annie?" Markus said.

"Of course. Have a good day," Annie said, grabbing the plates.

"Thank you, I will now. Bye, guys," Markus said with a wave.

"Bye, Markus," Claire and Donovan said.

"Excuse us, but what did he mean by see you later?" asked Donovan, his eyebrows raised.

"He walks me home every night or to the diner when I don’t want to cook," Annie said with a shrug.

"So, have you invited him in?" asked Claire.

"No, he walks me to the front door of the building and goes home. He is a gentleman. I think he needs a friend to talk to. He seems lonely," Annie said.

"So, no kissing or anything? Does he even hold your hand?" Donovan asked, disappointed.

"No, nothing. We stroll along the sidewalk and talk. Sometimes, he eats at the diner with me, but then he goes home," Annie said.

"Does he pay when you eat?" asked Claire.

"For his meal. I always pay for my own," Annie said with a shrug.

"Dammit, we will never know what he looks like naked," said Claire. They all laughed.

***

Four blocks from the café, Markus was sitting at his desk on the third floor of a glass office building. Most of the office buildings along Orange Avenue are floor-to-roof glass structures. Markus couldn’t think straight. He wanted to ask Annie out on a date but didn’t know how to go about it. He never had this problem before. There was something different about her. He faced the windows and just looked out at the cityscape. He appreciated the hustle and bustle of all the people rushing around below.

"Markus," said David, startling him. "Sorry, dude, didn’t mean to scare you. Are you ready for the meeting?"

"Yeah, let’s go," he said, grabbing the manilla folder from his desk. They walked through the office. The conference room was full of board members. They were there to discuss the next step in the business. New products were being developed. One was a sure thing, and the other product was a bit riskier. Markus was fighting for the riskier one. He didn’t get where he was today by always going for the sure thing.

"Esteemed board members, I want to discuss our options. We need to go with investing in Tao Pharmaceuticals. They may not be known, but they are projecting big numbers next year. I have read about the new pharmaceuticals from Philip Morris, and while they always come through, I believe taking a risk will be beneficial. Let me hear your thoughts," Markus said.

"I don’t like this idea, Markus," said Sherry. "This new company has no proven track record. We don’t know what they are about. If we take this risk, we may fail. Failing will be detrimental."

"I agree with Sherry," Michael said. "We need numbers to make a decision. We need to know if their products are proven to work. We can’t afford for this investment to fail. We will go under with it."

"I say we take the risk. What is the saying? The greater the risk, the bigger the reward?" said David.

"I would need to see more data. Once we have it, then I will be more than happy to back you, Markus," said Anthony.

"I will get you all what you ask for," Markus said. "Then we will reconvene and discuss this further. Until then, you all have a good day."

Markus crunched the numbers and called Tao Pharmaceuticals to speak to their executives. He was having the company’s executives and scientists flown in to speak to the board about their products. He would convince the board to take the risk. It took him all day to make the travel arrangements. They would be here in a week.

Markus left the office and headed to walk Annie home. He saw her locking the door. She looked up and smiled at him. His heart skipped a beat. Tonight was the night he was going to ask her.

"Hello, Annie," he said, smiling back at her. "Are you ready for tonight’s walk home?"

"I am," she said. "You seem to be in better spirits than you were this morning. I am going to say you had a good day."

"I did," he said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she said.

"Would you go on a date with me?" Markus said, heat rising to his cheeks as he closed his eyes, bracing for her answer.

"You want to take me on a date?" Annie asked, furrowing her brow.

"I do," he said. "I want to take you to this restaurant by the beach. It is an Italian place with the best eggplant parmesan you will ever have."

"See, now, if that eggplant doesn’t live up to the hype, I will be very disappointed," Annie said.

"Is that a yes?" Markus said, smiling.

"Yes, I would like to go on a date with you," Annie said.

"How does tomorrow night around six sound? I know it is usually your day off. I will pick you up," Markus said.

"I will be ready. Is it fancy or casual?" Annie asked.

"Fancy," he said. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I just needed to know what to wear. I didn’t want to come out in jeans and not be allowed in the building," she laughed. He laughed with her. They walked in silence for a block. She was now the nervous one.

"Are you going to the diner tonight?" Markus asked.

"Yes, I need a root beer float," Annie said.

"Diner it is. I think I am going to get some breakfast for dinner," Markus said, reaching for her hand.

"That sounds great," Annie said, placing her hand in his. They walked up the steps and into the diner. "Evening, Val. How are you?"

"I am good, you two. How are the both of you?" Val asked.

"We’re fantastic," Markus said. They ate their breakfast meals, laughed, and joked around with Val. As always, they left Val a nice tip and headed home. "I’ll see you tomorrow night."

"I will see you then," Annie said. She climbed the five steps into her building and went to her apartment. She closed the door behind her and let out a squeal. She couldn’t believe he asked her to dinner. She danced around her apartment. She watched an episode of her favorite television show but barely noticed it. She was thinking about the date and what she would wear. She went to bed with a smile on her face.

It was five o’clock, and Annie was almost ready for Markus to pick her up. Her little black spaghetti strap dress and pumps were fitting for an upscale restaurant. She was putting on her earrings when her phone buzzed. She saw a text from Claire saying Donovan was ruining her fun. She laughed, texting back that maybe she was at her daily fun limit.

Her phone buzzed again. Markus was early. She told him to come up to apartment 405. She buzzed him in the front door. He stood at the door, taking a deep breath. He was poised to knock, then turned away. He walked down the hall a few steps, then turned back around. He raised his arm and knocked on the door.

"I didn’t know which ones you liked, so I got a bunch of different ones," he said, handing the bouquet he bought to her.

"These are all beautiful," she said, returning to the apartment. "Let me put them in water, and then we can go."

Markus looked around her modest apartment. He couldn’t believe how small it was. He could fit ten of her apartments inside of his. She saw him looking around.

"I know it isn’t much, but it is only me here, and it is what I can afford," Annie said.

"I think it is cute," he said. "You have all the basic needs without all the fluff."

"Exactly; besides, the more room I have, the more junk I gather," Annie laughed.

"I feel so attacked," Markus joked. They both laughed. They left her apartment. Markus’s Mercedes was right outside the door. He opened the door for her.

"Where do you keep this car?" Annie asked.

"In the garage at my apartment building. Why?" Markus said.

"Then why do you walk to work every day?" Annie asked.

"It clears my head," Markus shrugged. "Besides, if I drove to work, I would never have met you."

"That is true. So, where are we headed?" Annie asked.

"Fioria's in Ormond Beach," Markus said.

"I have heard of it. Claire went there one time. She said it had great food, and the Tiramisu was spectacular," Annie said.

"See, I am not a fan of Tiramisu. Give me a slice of cheesecake, and I am in heaven," he said.

"The only problem with getting cheesecake at a restaurant is they only give you a sliver. If I am paying five dollars for a piece of cheesecake, I want a piece of cheesecake, not just a taste," Annie said.

Markus laughed. He liked Annie more every time they talked. They pulled into the parking lot, and the valet took Markus' car keys from him. They walked in, standing by the hostess station. Her name was Ariel. Her blonde hair and blue eyes lit up when she saw Markus. She knew who he was.

"How may I help you, sir?" she asked.

"I have a reservation," he said.

"Oh," she said, looking down at her book. "Yes, you do, right this way."

They followed her to their table. As they sat down, Ariel gave Annie a look of disdain. Annie shrugged it off. Markus smiled at Annie. She returned it. The sommelier came over to them.

"May I start you off with some wine?" he asked. Markus looked questioningly at Annie. She shrugged.

"Can you give us a minute?" Markus asked.

"I will return," he said, walking away.

"Do you drink wine?" Markus asked.

"On occasion. What goes well with eggplant? A nice red, or would white be better?"

"Let's ask," he said, waving the sommelier back over. "We know what we want for dinner but would like a wine pairing."

"What will you be having?" the sommelier asked.

"The eggplant parmesan," Markus said.

"Then I would suggest the Valpolicella, a dry, fruity wine that pairs well with bold foods," the sommelier said.

"We will each take a glass of that then, please," Markus said.

"I will bring them right over," he said as the waitress came over to take their orders.

"My name is Gabriella, and I will be your server tonight. May I tell you our specials?" she said. Her red shoulder-length hair was held in place with a black ribbon.

"We kind of already know what we want. Thank you, though," Markus said.

"You two are going to make my life easy. What am I getting you?" Gabriella asked, only looking at Markus.

"We both want the eggplant parmesan," he said.

"I'll put that right in," she said as the wine arrived. "Nice choice in the wine selection. Your dinner will be out shortly."

"Thank you," he said. They sipped their wine and waited for their meal to arrive. Markus could see Annie becoming self-conscious as every waitress who walked by gave her a look. "Are you okay? Do you want to leave?"

"No, we came out here for dinner. I am just waiting to see if this eggplant lives up to the hype," she said, smiling. He grinned as the server brought out their food.

"Sir, here is your plate. This is for the beautiful lady. Please be careful as the plates are hot. Enjoy your meal," he said.

"Thank you," they both said.

"I see I am not the only one with good taste in here tonight," Markus said. Annie's cheeks flushed. They ate their meals and sipped their wine. "Well, what did you think?"

"That was great. That sauce was perfect," Annie said.

"I know good food when I taste it," he said. "Now, let's get out of here before these ladies burn a hole in you."

They left the restaurant holding hands while they waited for the car to be pulled around.

"How about a walk on the beach?" Markus asked.

"I'd like that," Annie said. Markus drove them to the access point and parked the car. They both took their shoes off as they walked along the water's edge holding hands under the moonlight. Markus stopped, turned toward Annie, and pulled her in for a kiss. Her knees went weak. He pulled her closer to him, enveloping her in his arms, holding her up.