Love and Food by K.L. Prince Page B

her sleep, which I think was a blessing.”
                  “How long ago did she pass away?”
                  “It’s been about ten years now.”
                  “Do you think that you will every date again?”
                  “I do.  I just haven’t found anyone that has been worth dating.  It’s not that I’m trying to find someone just like Maggie, but I’m looking for a woman that knocks my socks off.  I want to be with someone that makes my heart beat faster when I’m around them, you know what I mean?  That may seem unrealistic, but it’s what I’m looking for.”
                  “I think that you should never settle.  If you want to be with someone that makes your heart flutter, then that is who you should be with.”
                  “I’ll drink to that,” he says, raising his glass to his lips and taking a sip of wine.  “Well, I better get going.  It’s late and I have an early morning.”
                  “Okay,” she says, thinking about what he told her about Maggie.
                  “I would like to thank you for a fantastic evening,” he says as they walk to the front door of the restaurant.’
                  “It was my pleasure.  I felt nice to cook for someone and be a part of something special again.”
                  “You know, I was watching you in that kitchen and you could not stop smiling.  I saw it in your eyes - you were absolutely loving every single second of preparing the dish you made.”
                  “It’s true.  I haven’t had that much fun in a while.  Thank you for giving me back the fire in my belly for cooking.  If you hadn’t pushed me, it may have never happened.”
                  “Sometimes, we just need a little push – a little help sometimes.”
                  “Well, thank you so much,” she says, looking him in the eyes.
                  “No, thank you,” he says and leans down and kisses her.
                  She finds herself returning his kiss.  When he wraps her in his arms and brings her closer, she doesn’t resist.  She likes the way that his lips feel on hers.  She doesn’t want him to stop.  Suddenly Kyle’s voice rings loud in her ears and his face flashes before he eyes.  She pulls away from Ethan.  “Ethan, I can’t do this.”
                  “Haillee…”
                  “Ethan, I’m with Kyle.  We’re engaged.  I can’t.”
                  “I know, but Haillee, I told you earlier that I try to be as honest as I can be at all times, so can I be honest with you?”
                  “Of course you can.”
                  “Well, I’ve seen you and Kyle together.  I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but when I see you two and the way that you interact, I can tell that something isn’t right.  It seems like there is a disconnect between the two of you.  When I see you two together, I don’t think love.  When I picture two people that are in love and I compare you and Kyle to the people I have known that have been deeply in love, you and Kyle don’t seem to measure up.  I’ve been watching you, Haillee, and I like what I see.  I think that you and I could be something, I really do.”
                  “Ethan, with all due respect, you don’t really know Kyle and I that well.”
                  “All I’m saying is what I’ve observed and how I feel about what I’ve observed.  Am I wrong in my observations?”
                  She can’t outright disagree with his statements because she and Kyle have been having problems.  She doesn’t doubt that their problems are showing up in the way that they interact with each other, but to say that they aren’t in love seems a bit of a stretch to her.