Route for the Home Team

Chapter 2

Late into the night, Lidia still lay awake staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. Altan was going to be her neighbor? After not talking to or seeing him for years, her heart still skipped a beat at the very thought of him. It nearly made her sick to her stomach to sound so much like one of her romance novel heroines, however Altan made her feel like one. He expected a gift basket, shaking her head she turned on her side, a gift basket. What a lunatic. A thought began to form in her mind as she stare at the wall now, and a mischievous grin tugged at her lips.

He wanted a gift basket, a gift basket he'd get. However, maybe he should have specified what KIND of gift he wanted. Jumping to her feet, decidedly not sleeping tonight, she grabbed a large basket from the top shelf of her closet. Quickly, she walked across her apartment and collected things she had no use for anymore. Three dead batteries, the empty tube from a roll of toilet paper, a discarded wrapper from an eaten snickers bar, and an out of shape hanger. "Perfect."

Along with the basket, she scraweled a short note inside of a blank notecard she'd found. "Welcome to the neighborhood, Altan. Enjoy the gift basket. Lidi." Grinning, she grabbed her shoes and slipped them on. To fight off the night chill, she slid her arms into a thin jacket and took off under the cover of darkness. The sounds of city life still beckoned beyond the street, and she found herself setting the basket right before his front door. She was hurrying toward her apartment at top speed, the chill having her shivering before she made it inside.

With one finger, she turned on her computer and sat in front of it. Ideas spinning in her mind she began to write the plot for a new book with a start something like her experience just this nice. A cocky hero, with a sense of humor and looks to add. A heroine very much like herself, sassy with a sharp tongue, incredibly attracted to the hero. Sighing, she stretched and looked at the clock as the hours had passed and the sun now peaked through her blinds.

At nearly eight, a knocking at the door had her getting up from her seat and saving the file quickly. The knocking persisted even as she took the ten steps it took to get to the door, "I'm coming, I'm coming, geez!" she exclaimed, unlocking the door and pulling it open.

No one stood behind the door yet again, however a note blew in the breeze from its place tacked to her mail box. "Very funny, meet me at Cozy Cafe for lunch at noon?" It was scraweled in nearly unreadable hand writing, but it got the message across. He wanted to see her again.

She walked back inside and closed the door behind her squealing in delight as the last message reached her brain. Altan wanted to see her again! Her gaze caught on her fuzzy bunny pjs. Yes, she'd definitely have to find something other than bunnies for tonight.

Walking to the closet barefoot, she gripped the door handle and yanked it open. Decisively, she grabbed her best dress suit for the occasion, and looked in the mirror with it held to herself. "Good?" Nodding twice, she smiled at herself "good," she decided.

Glancing at the clock, she noted she had more than enough time to get ready. All too soon, the clock was striking 11:30 and she was putting the finishing touches on her minimal make up. With a nervous smile in place, she set the essentials into a small handbag she used for business lunches and walked toward the car.

Within minutes she was at the Cozy Cafe just outside of town, she found a parking spot between two expensive looking cars and got out. Admiring the paint job on one as she walked toward the front door.

"Hey lady, watch my paint job!" shouted a familiar voice, followed by a chuckle.

Laughing too, she looked up, "I was doing just that."

--

Altan couldn't keep himself from staring as Lidia walked toward him looking quite like everything good in the entire world. Power suit, dark eyes assessing and twinkling, dark hair flowing over both shoulders. Sighing, she held out his arm to her, "You look lovely." he said finally as he opened the door and guided her inside.

"Thanks, I think. Why are we here?" she asked as they followed the waitress toward a table near the far corner of the restaraunt.

"I wanted to thank you formally for my welcome basket." he grinned maliciously and reached across the table to tweak a lock of her hair.

"Oh you are quite welcome, Altan, although lunch was hardly what I expected." she returned his good-natured teasing.

"What did you expect?" he could nearly see the wheels turning in her head as she contemplated what dasterdly deed she expected from her accomplis.

"I don't know.." she raised a hand to tick off the possibilities, "Egging, toilet papering, a 'hello, I'm here' gift of your own, a yoga videotape...who knows. With you, the possibilities are endless, Altan."

He chuckled, winking at her, "Oh wow, I didn't even think about half of those, thanks for the suggestions for next time. I was planning on making your front yard my new run way."

The waitress interrupted to take their orders, as she scurried away toward the kitchen Lidia was staring at him shaking her head.

"What?" he asked inquistive about her thought pattern.

"My yard your personal runway.."

"You know..you're pretty cute when you don't know what to say." he added finally when her voice trailed off.

"I know exactly what to say, but it wouldn't be suitable for little ears." she said nodding toward the table next to them where two little children sat babbling with their parents.

He leaned across the table, "You wanna' take this outside them?"

Laughter twinkled in her eyes before it escaped her mouth, "You are crazy."

Letting that one slide, he pulled back to notice the waitress coming their way with their food. They ate in a companionable silence, before reverting back to talking about old times. Glancing down at his watch he nearly gasped, it'd been three hours already. "I should probably get going, I've got a flight in an hour." he said finally, picking up the check that the waitress had brought ions ago.

Lidia looked down at her own wrist and her eyes got round, "Wow, I'd better get going too. I promised to go shopping with Jazzelle and Keely today."

"Okay well, I'll see you around the neighborhood!" he called as she walked out the door.

Shaking his head, he thought how ridiculous that sounded. Ridiculing himself, he paid the cashier at the front desk and walked out the door into the sunlight. Time to fly.