Ingrid Ch. 02

"I didn't even notice. I guess that matters to chefs, but to me, everything was perfect, especially the chef's presentation."

The compliment was genuine and Steve felt a wave of satisfaction pass through him. No man was immune to compliments from a beautiful woman. Her auburn red hair fell slightly over her brow on her right side, nearly touching her eyebrow. The dark red lipstick she wore was the perfect accent. She was absolutely stunning and he found himself staring at her on more than one occasion.

They sat for a while at the table exchanging small talk and relaxing with their wine. After a few minutes, Steve stood and removed the dinner plates. Ingrid rose and followed him.

"Are you ready for dessert or would you like to wait a while?" he asked.

"Why don't we sit in the living room with our wine? I think it's time you kept your other promise. You were going to tell me all about yourself and your secret past," she smiled.

"I was hoping you'd forgotten that promise you extorted from me yesterday. I only agreed to that to get you to come to dinner with me here," he offered.

"Extorted? That's a pretty strong word, don't you think. I like to think of it as a fair trade. You can't keep your past a complete secret forever you know."

It didn't sound to Steve like she was being confrontational. She asked him to tell her about himself and ordinarily he might not open up if she kept challenging him.

"Ok, I guess a promise is a promise," he sighed resignedly. "Where do you want me to begin?"

"Tell me all about your girl friends when you were in high school. That's a good place to start."

"What if all of them were only one?" he asked looking at her and frowning slightly.

"What do you mean, only one? You only had one girl friend in high school? That's hard to believe."

"Believe it or not, it's true. I met Diana at a Halloween dance when I was sixteen. I asked her to dance and we sort of hit if off. I was pretty shy then, but we had a good time, so I asked her out again. We went to the movies the next weekend. I was surprised because she was really pretty and I was pretty much a nerd. At that time I was a bit skinny and gangly, not exactly a stud.

Anyway, we became a couple going steady, as they say. We went everywhere together and we were comfortable with each other. We had similar personalities. We went to most of the same classes, studied together, got similar grades, and liked the same music, movies ... that sort of thing.

When we graduated from high school, we went to the same college nearby. It was as if we were already married. We never talked about marriage and we were both virgins. Diana wasn't very adventuresome when it came to sex, while I was a normal teenage male with the typical case of raging hormones."

Ingrid laughed knowingly at the comment.

"Anyway, we commuted to college each day for the first year, sharing our ride with a couple of other local students," he continued.

"About that time my parent's marriage was coming apart and I was very unhappy and uncomfortable around the house. I decided to move near the campus and rent an apartment, using the excuse that I wanted to cut the commuting time. I talked Diana into joining me so that we could share the expenses.

"She didn't tell her parents that she was moving in with me, just that she was sharing with some other girls her folks didn't know. Her mom and dad paid her share, and I had enough saved to pay for mine. So, starting our second year, we were living together.

"It was that summer that we gave up our virginity. We had been dating for almost four years and we didn't even think about seeing someone else. As I said, in a way, we were already married. I had some guilt about what we had done, the sex I mean, but Diana was much more mature about it. Anyway, we spent the last three years of our college days living together.

At the same time, I was running my investment hobby-business. It paid my tuition and living expenses and I still had some to put aside."

He paused for a minute to have a sip of wine. Ingrid was paying rapt attention and didn't interrupt.

"We graduated together and I already had a job offer with a private, medium sized investment firm in San Francisco. They had hired me after I sent them an unsolicited resume with little more than my investment record and portfolio.

"It was enough for them, or at least their C.E.O., Dave Marchand. He was impressed and I think my interview with him was two hours long. Anyway, I had a good job and good prospects, so Diana and I set about finding a place to live.

"We found a house in Walnut Creek, fixed it up and were living like a married couple, except that we weren't married. Diana never put any pressure on me or even broached the subject of marriage. We lived like that for almost three years. My career at the firm was moving very well and I was earning well over six figures by then. It was a great job and a really good company to be with. We were both very happy and I felt it was time to formalize our relationship."

He stopped again for a few seconds, sipping his wine and looking over to Ingrid.

She remained silent, concentrating on his narrative.

"I proposed to her one Friday night on the back deck of our home. We were sitting, having a drink and chatting about the day. I got up, went over to her, got on my knee and told her that I loved her and I wanted her to be my wife. I reached in my pocket and took out a ring and handed it to her. Not very romantic, looking back on it now. Needless to say she was surprised, but happy, and said yes.

"She said she always knew we would be married. She said she knew it almost from that Halloween dance, nine years earlier. We phoned our parents and they were not really surprised. My mother, true to form, wondered what took us so long. My father and Diana's parents were much more genuinely delighted. We were married three months later, spend a short week in Lake Tahoe, then returned to our already established lives."

Another pause, another sip and then silence for a minute.

"I was working mostly out of our house and only occasionally going into the San Francisco office. Diana was not working and kept the house and helped me once in a while with filing or other straightforward tasks. Several times a week she would go into the town centre to shop and pick up mail, supplies, and run small errands.

One day, about six months after our wedding, she went into town about eleven o'clock while I was home working on a new portfolio. I guess I got lost in the project because when the phone rang it caught me off guard. I looked at my watch and it was one in the afternoon."

He had slowed down his story and now he stopped. He looked at his wine glass and looked at Ingrid with an expressionless gaze. He blinked twice and began again.

"It was the police calling. Diana had been in a traffic accident in town and she had been killed."

Ingrid had a sharp intake of breath and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh no," was all she could manage.

"I was numb." he continued. "I went to the morgue and identified her, phoned her parents and mine, my boss, some others."

He stopped again.

"I guess I didn't handle it very well for a while. It wasn't denial, but I couldn't get myself back on track.

"The next week, I handed in my resignation, put the house up for sale and left for Toronto. My dad had long since moved back to Canada, and was living in a nice condo in the University Avenue district. He was great. No questions, no commiseration, no maudlin stories. He was just there for me.

"I stayed with him for five months. I needed time to grieve I guess, but I also needed some time to decide what to do next and where to go. So I came back here. This is where I grew up, or at least until I was thirteen and moved to California. I liked it on the Coast. I loved the ocean and the mountains. I loved the green in the not-so-cold winters and sun in the summer winter. I just liked it here. It's where I belong."

Ingrid let out a long sigh, quietly, almost under her breath. She had forced this painful experience out of him. She got up and crossed the short distance to the love seat, sat beside him and put her hand on his arm. He was expressionless. His head turned toward her and he smiled a wrinkled, quiet smile.

"Well, that's the secret I've been keeping from you. It happens to lots of people, I just didn't expect it to happen to me. I've been spending the last three years rebuilding my life. It isn't all perfect yet, but it's better. So now you know why I haven't had much experience in dating, despite what you think."

He couldn't resist an "I told you so" look.

"Uh, Steve, I'm sorry. I ... I don't know what to say except I'm sorry," she said, looking straight into his clear, hazel eyes. He was looking directly back at her, unblinking.

"It's OK Ingrid. You couldn't know. To tell the truth, I've wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn't think it was the right thing to do. I didn't want to ... I don't know ... I didn't want you to pity me. I can stand on my own two feet now. You're the first person I've met that's made me feel alive again. I guess that's why I asked you for three dates in three days," he laughed lightly.

His smile was back. She leaned toward him and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"I guess that's why I accepted three dates from a man I only met the day before. There's a message there somewhere Steve," she said quietly.

She picked up his empty wine glass.

"Isn't it time for dessert?"

"Of course. Would you like to sit at the table, or is the living room OK?"

"This is fine. Nice music, nice company, great food. I'd say this is just about as nice as it could be," she said looking into his eyes.

Again, she kissed him on the cheek and he flushed.

He rose and moved into the kitchen. Ingrid followed him and refilled the wine glasses.

He returned in a couple of minutes with a small tray and two wide shallow frost covered glasses with a bright green, white-crowned confection. He placed one of the desserts on a napkin on the table at one end of the love seat and the second on the other end table. He sat down beside her and picked up his spoon and dessert glass and turned toward her.

"Now, you realize I've broken every rule in the 'good service guidelines' book, don't you?" he said with a smile. "We've gone from informal appetizer to formal entrée and back to backyard barbeque etiquette. We've eaten on the kitchen counter, the dining room table and here in the living room. I hope Maurice never hears of this."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I don't stand on ceremony anyway."

She took a spoonful of the dessert.

"Ummmm, this is delicious. The perfect light dessert. You get an 'A' for this meal, Mr. Inhalt."

"You're very generous. I'll have to have you over for more evaluations of my skills."

He had turned sideways to face her.

"I value your judgment, Ingrid."

"Well, what skills besides cooking would you like me to evaluate," she said provocatively.

Steve was about to say something and then turned to his dessert and began to slowly eat without looking at her.

Ingrid sat quietly, her face flushed.

Steve turned back to her. "Can I call you tomorrow and talk about the house ... or maybe we can meet?"

Ingrid breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Yes, tomorrow is fine," she said. "Call me after three and we can meet and I'll show you what I've been thinking so far."

"That's perfect. We can go over our sailing trip at the same time. Why don't I meet you at your place? That way I can check out your grungy runners," he laughed.

"It's a date, your fourth if I haven't lost count," she smirked. "For a guy with no dating experience, you're a fast learner."

"No time to waste as the saying goes. Seriously, you may have gathered that I am very taken with you and I guess I'm not very subtle about it. Am I going about this the wrong way?"

"No, no, I get the message, Steve," she said smiling. "I'm just not used to someone quite as ... persistent and ..."

"Look, Ingrid. I'm sorry if I've been too aggressive. I've been without someone important in my life for three years and you've suddenly come out of nowhere. I don't want to put you off and I don't want to rush you. I don't want to rush myself, either. Why don't you tell me what you think? I've been doing all the talking and not much listening."

"Steve, I'm being careful too. I love your company and I enjoy being with you. I wouldn't be here if I didn't. But I'm your employee and you're my boss. Somehow we have to have a business relationship. There's a lot at stake for both of us. So I'm uncertain what to do with you ... I mean ... us."

"Ingrid, let's not over-think this. Let's just see what happens. There's no rush. We don't have to jump into anything until and unless we want to. I know you've been hurt too, so I'm being extra careful not to add to that," he said quietly.

Finally, she spoke. "I think it's time for me to go. It's been a lovely evening and the meal was superb. I'm looking forward to Saturday more than I realized," she smiled.

"One of these days we'll actually talk about the house," he chuckled.

"Tomorrow for sure!" she said emphatically. "I promise!"

He walked her to the door and opened it for her. "It was delightful to have you here. I hope I get to test more menus out on you soon."

"I'd love that. I love to eat, but I hate to cook. You'll call me tomorrow?"

"After three, as requested," he smiled. "Good night, Ingrid". He watched her walk down the hallway and around the corner to the elevator. He waited until he heard the chime of the car arriving and the doors opening and then closing. He turned back into his apartment and quietly closed the door.

He walked to the kitchen, took a snifter from the glass cupboard and poured himself a generous brandy. He walked back into the living room and stood in front of the window. He knew he couldn't see her leaving, but he looked anyway.

He gazed out over the bay toward the west. Dusk was passing into night. Only a blue and pink horizon to the north could be seen. The flashing light of Point Atkinson flicked its pattern over and over again. He didn't know how long he had been standing there, but his brandy was half gone.

-0- Ingrid was deep in thought as she backed out of the visitor parking space below his apartment, and slowly drove up the short street to Marine Drive.

"This guy can cook, god can he cook! I get hungry just thinking about it. I wonder if he's any good in bed. Based on the fact that he's barely touched me except for a couple of handshakes, I wonder. A little hand-holding, no pecks on the cheek, almost nothing.

"Maybe I can train him, ha-ha! Surely to god he isn't gay? No of course not, he was married and he's been badly bruised by her death. I can understand that, but why do I think there's something else? It's like a jigsaw puzzle with a piece missing and I can't find it," she mused.

Ingrid turned north up Taylor Way, and then west along the Upper Levels Highway. It was early yet and she wasn't ready to go home. She drove without a destination in mind until she came across an old familiar exit. She wound under the highway and turned right into the Gulf View School parking lot. It was a notorious hang-out for couples. There was a fabulous view of the inner harbor, and at night, the city lights. It was ideal as a romantic spot.

She parked at the north rear of the parking area to avoid being easily visible to the three cars already there. The dusk had turned to night and the city lights were clear and sparkling in the still warm spring air. The ships in the outer harbor were lit and the scene was something from a picture postcard. She pulled the recline lever on her seat and let it back a couple of notches.

Her mind drifted back to the evening at Steve's. He had told her about Diana's death and she found that it didn't come as a surprise. She knew it had to be something as traumatic as a death. OK, he's been grieving for three years. That's a long time and yet he admits he's hooked on me. Why the reluctance to move along. What's wrong with this picture?

She knew she shouldn't be frustrated. He was young, attractive, and successful, everything she wanted in a man. The sexy banter routine didn't seem to work very well. He got the meaning, he just didn't react the way she expected. She was trying to be patient, but this patient was very trying!

"Maybe when the job gets going and I've got something to show him ... maybe then," she thought.

She tried to look into the cars parked at the south edge of the parking lot. The warm, dry, evening air along with the various open windows, kept the glass from steaming up. She could see one couple with their heads together, kissing. It looked like they were comfortable and talking to one another between kisses.

The second car only seemed to have one person, sitting on the driver's side. It looked like that until she saw a second head pop up beside the first and then down out of sight again.

"Ah hah," she smiled. "A good old fashioned blow job if I'm not mistaken." The drivers head snapped back and waved side to side and then forward again.

"Yup, no doubt about it."

She felt a stirring in her. She hadn't had sex for some time. She couldn't remember the last time or with whom.

"It couldn't have been very good if I can't remember," she thought. "God, I'm horny," she said aloud to no one.

She looked at the outline of the third car. It was more difficult to see inside since the line of sight was toward the Gulf and there wasn't much light coming through the windows to silhouette the occupants. She couldn't see anyone, and guessed they might have gotten out and gone for a walk.

Then, she noticed that a light in the distance that was just alongside the edge of the roof of the car would appear and then disappear in a somewhat regular pattern. She watched it for a couple of minutes before she realized the car was moving.

"Oh, guess what," she cackled. "Someone is getting fucked! I wonder how much staying power the guy has?"

She looked back at the second car and both heads were visible again. They were kissing passionately and she wondered if they were going to go all the way too. She didn't have long to wait. The doors of the sedan opened and the two got out, opened the rear doors, and clambered in.

"Lucky bastards! The whole world is getting laid except me! I hope this guy Inhalt is worth the wait!" With that, she started her car and slowly leaving the parking lot, drove home. She would have to settle for one of her "toys" tonight while at least two of those couples were getting the real thing.

"Lucky bastards!" she repeated aloud.