Chapter5
After splitting an enormous piece of warm chocolate cake smothered in chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream, Drew paid the check before he and Kacey walked outside. She was certain she wouldn’t eat another bite of food for at least a week.
The dark sky sparkled with bright stars, and the air was crisp. Kacey breathed in the scent of a nearby woodburning fireplace.
Drew nodded down the street. “I parked at the end of the block.”
“Do you still have that old Beamer?”
“No.” He chuckled. “I got rid of it after I graduated from college and got my first teaching job.”
“What a shame. It was a classic,” she said as they started down the street together, passing the Warner movie theater, heading toward Scoops, the ice cream parlor.
“More like a money pit.” He smiled at her. “I got myself a practical Honda Accord.”
“How grown-up of you.” She bumped his arm with hers. They walked in comfortable silence for a moment, and Kacey soaked in her company and their surroundings. “Pretty soon all the light poles will be decorated with candy canes. I love when they decorate downtown for Christmas.” She looked up at him. “So are you going to have the choir practice something other than ‘Joy to the World’?”
“No, I figured we’d just sing that a dozen times for you next Tuesday and Thursday.” This time he bumped her arm as she laughed. “We’re planning to sing the usual Christmas favorites.”
“I look forward to the variety. I did talk to Riley and Colleen, and they promise to be quiet.”
“I got the impression that you didn’t tell Dani about my conversation with the two chatterboxes.”
“No, I didn’t. I promised Riley I wouldn’t tell her as long as she and Colleen behaved next week.”
“That’s a good plan,” he said as they walked past the Christmas Shop.
When they reached the end of the street, he pointed to a black Honda Accord. “Well, here it is.”
She ran her finger over the door. “Very pretty.”
“What do you drive?”
“A mint-green Prius.”
“Very practical and eco-friendly.”
She shrugged. “It was a great price, and I appreciate the gas mileage.”
He pushed a button on his key fob and the locks popped.Then he opened the passenger side door for her. “After you.”
“Wow. You have such nice manners.” She climbed into the seat and he closed the door for her. Then she fastened her seat belt while he jogged around the front of the car. “This car is lovely, but don’t you miss the Beamer breaking down every day?”
He shook his head and laughed. “I do miss the adventures we had, but I don’t miss paying a mechanic all the time.”
She relaxed in the seat as he headed down Main Street and then turned left onto Rosemont. “This was fun.”
“It was.” He peered over at her. “We should do it again.”
“Definitely. I really want to see your house. I always wondered what the inside of that place looked like.”
“You won’t be impressed.”
“Sure I will. After all, I need to meet those cats.” She looked at him. “Does the gray cat always look annoyed?”
He laughed. “Yes, Loki is marked that way. He has a permanent scowl.”
“Interesting.”
