Worth The Wait

  “So about yourself,” Kipp asked again when she had gone.

  “Umm, my life isn’t too exciting.” She took a drink of ice water. “I live with my dad and help run the antique shop. As you can see, I babysit a lot for my brother, Zymon, and his wife. Again, sorry about that.”

  “Not to worry. They are fine boys.”

  “Fine? They are unruly. Their mother is always away on business trips. If their dad is around, he lets them run wild at home or at the shop.”

  “It must be difficult.”

  Had he taken his gaze off her? She suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Did she have something on her face? Lettuce in her teeth? What?

  “I’ve enrolled in courses at the U and hope to get my own apartment.” She rubbed her front teeth.

  “Really,” he said. “I’m taking classes there again fall semester. I’ve been going for three years. Odd jobs I am doing right now for money.”

  “What’s your major?”

  “Mechanical Engineering.”

  “Sorry, I’m not sure what that is.”

  “It’s all about controlling the movement of matter and energy. If there’s movement, most likely a mechanical engineer has designed it. We find ways to make products more efficient, sustainable, or user-friendly. Also faster and stronger.”

  “Wow, sounds interesting and totally out of my depth. And the tools you were looking for?”

  “All very usable no matter what the vintage. What do you plan to major in?”

  What did she plan? As if any of her plans had ever worked out in her life. “Nursing. I’ve always wanted to be a nurse and help others.”

  “Is that not what you are doing now?”

  She smiled. “Well, yes, actually, it is. What kind of jobs are you doing for the summer?”

  “I’ve been asked by my professor to help out the city by repairing the old water clock.”

  “The old clock?”

  “Yes. The one on Main Street and First South by the Zions First National Bank.”

  “That beautiful old clock?”

  “Yes. It used to be powered by City Creek along with the organ in the Temple. It’s been transformed multiple times since it arrived in the valley in the 1870s. However, if they take it down to repair it, new city ordinances won’t allow it to be erected again. They’ve asked the U if someone could repair it where it stands.”

  “And your professor picked you?”

  “Is that so shocking? I have the best grades in the ME department.”

  She blushed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, what an honor. How impressive.”

  He smiled that dashing smile. “I must tell you, I have never seen a more beautiful woman.”

  “Where,” she said, looking around.

  “Right here. Right at this table.”

  Her face warmed. Was he making fun of her?

  He took her hand. “I kid you not.”

  She blinked a few times, trying to get her brain to understand whether or not he was joking. “Well, thank you,” she finally said, realizing this man couldn’t be anything but sincere. It wasn’t in his nature.

  “You are welcome.”

  The server brought their dishes, and they settled into a delicious meal and very enjoyable conversation. She felt so comfortable around him. He was so attentive, practically hanging on every word she said. She could talk to him all day, let alone look at him.

  “But, Dad hasn’t been feeling too well lately,” she said, putting down her fork. “I’m concerned about him.” She glanced around the booth, hoping the boys couldn’t hear her.

  They were laughing and eating with their mouths open. Boys.

  Kipp gently took her hand. “You have taken on too much for yourself. Someone should be taking care of you.”

  “That’s very kind of you to say, but—”

  A meatball sailed over the booth divider and landed on Kipp’s sky blue shirt. It rolled down and landed in his lap, leaving a trail of spaghetti sauce behind. She looked up as Zach’s head peered over the top, and he busted out laughing.

  Zeke rushed up to the table. “Sorry, dude. Sorry. That was meant for Zach. He deflected it with his pizza crust.” He reached up and popped his brother in the head.

  Adele wilted in her chair, covered her face with her hands, and then glanced around for the nearest exit. “I am sooooo sorry.” She stood up, knocking over her chair.

  Both boys burst out in laughter.

  She grabbed her purse. “Get in the car, you two. Now.”

  Kipp was still brushing off his shirt with his linen napkin. “Must you go?”

  “I must,” she said, feeling like she could die.

  She wanted to take Zeke and Zach each by the ear and march them out to the car.

  Kipp slid out of the booth, the meatball falling to the floor and rolling down the aisle. “The taps.”

  She sprinted out of the restaurant, Kipp close on her heels. He must have wanted the taps very much to embarrass himself any further. She unlocked the door with the key and grabbed the wooden box off the passenger seat. The boys climbed in the back without a word.

  “Here you are,” she said, shoving them in his hands and dashing to the driver’s side.

  “But the money, Adele,” Kipp said.

  “Oh, yes.”

  She met him halfway, and he handed her the money.

  Folding it, she squished it in the palm of her hand. “It was nice to have met you, Kipp. I’d better get these hooligans home.”

  “But will I see you again?”

  Her jaw dropped. “See me again? Are you serious? A-a-after what just happened?”

  “Worrying you do too much. Nothing matters, Adele. Not the boys, not the mess, only that we are together.” He caressed her arm with his free hand.

  Is he for real? “I-I better go.” She flinched away from his touch and rushed around the car. “Thanks for dinner.”

  He couldn’t be for real. People just weren’t that nice or understanding.

  “I want to buy that chair,” he blurted out.

  “Chair? What chair?”

  He walked around to join her. “The one I set down in the aisle.”

  “You mean that big red chair that’s all ripped up?”

  “Yes. Do you do restorations?”

  “Well, yes.” She didn’t know what to think. Why was he interested in that chair? He hadn’t come into the shop looking for furniture. “Why?”

  “Something about it interested me. I’ll come in tomorrow and discuss it with you.”

  Zach rolled down the window and stuck out his head. “Can we go now?”

  “Yeah, can we go now?” Zeke yelled too.

  Kipp looked at her with pleading eyes.

  “Okay, tomorrow,” she said, slipping into her seat and driving off.

  Maybe tomorrow things would look much clearer. Right now, she had to take the kids home and try to find Zymon.

  Chapter Four

  Kipp watched Adele drive away, having a glimmer of hope. She’d agreed to see him tomorrow. It might have been about business, but at least he would see her.

  “There he is,” the server said, pointing at him. “He didn’t pay his bill or for those two delinquents who made a mess.”

  The big brute of a manager stomped toward him.

  Uh oh. He was in trouble now. He held up his hands. “Sorry, I was escorting the young lady to her car. The server hadn’t brought the bill yet.”

  “Let’s go back inside and pay,” the manager said, grabbing his arm.

  He reached for his wallet. He’d given money to the boys and the rest to Adele. “About that. Enough money I do not have. Is there something we could work out?”

  “How about I call the cops?” the manager said, shaking his head at Kipp.

  It didn’t matter. He’d spent the evening with the most beautiful woman on earth and tomorrow, unless he was in jail, he planned on seeing her again.

  He had no idea what he’d do with a pl
ush red chair. He didn’t have a place for it in his small apartment. Of course, even if he had owned the whole Capitol, he wouldn’t have room for anything. He’d always had a problem of keeping too many things. His apartment was wall to wall books, tools, equipment, parts, periodicals, magazines, paperwork, strewn clothing, and newspapers. His collecting may have something to do with the fact that his family had had so little in Budapest. Or it could be because his father had never been able to part with anything, saying it could be useful one day.

  He didn’t know, and it didn’t matter. Things of the mind were of most importance. Adele had become one of those things. Like a piece of art, she inspired him. He wanted to surround her in all that was beautiful.

  “The cops’ll be here in a minute.” The manager kept a firm grip on his arm.

  Kipp sighed. And how would he give Adele everything if he had to do it from jail?

  * * * *

  Kipp missed work. Oh, well.

  His father had wired him enough money to be released from jail, and he immediately drove to Abberley Antiques. Yes, he looked terrible. Yes, he still had on the same clothes with the same spaghetti stain. But, he hadn’t been able to think of anything except Adele all night and all morning. He had to see her. He knew without a doubt that he wanted to make her a part of his life.

  He parked, put a few coins in the meter, and went inside. Soft music played in the background. Fresca barreled toward him, and he bent down to pet her. A few customers wandered through the shop. Where were the kids? Adele emerged from the workroom, looking stunning and refreshed. Maybe he should have gone home and changed.

  “Kipp,” she said, surprise written all over her face. “What happened to you?”

  He smiled. It had been agony away from her. He felt relieved now that he was here with her. “Nothing really.”

  “But your clothes. You haven’t changed since the restaurant. What happened?”

  “I had a short bit for a bum beef.” He had learned a whole different language while in the slammer.

  “What?” she asked, cocking her head.

  “It was nothing. Where are the kids?”

  He stood and Fresca did back flips off his leg for attention.

  “Zeke and Zack are at the mall with my dad. I’m sorry about leaving so quickly last night. It’s just…” She wrung her hands.

  “No need to worry.” What should he say? He knew his own mind, but telling her he was in love with her so soon might frighten her away. “H-h-how is the chair coming along?”

  “Oh, well, I haven’t really had time to work on it. It’s been busy in here this morning. In fact, I haven’t even had a chance to move it. It’s heavy.” She nodded at a customer.

  He rushed down the aisle and picked up the chair. “Where do you want it?” he called.

  Several heads turned.

  Adele blushed. “Bring it into the workroom.”

  He followed her past the conference room and two offices and into a small room containing storage items and shop supplies.

  “Until we can expand, this is the only space we have.” Adele motioned for him to set the chair down in the middle of the room. “I have to get back out front. I can’t leave the customers alone.”

  “Can I stay?” he asked, crossing his fingers. “Maybe you could tell me what to do, and I could work on the chair.”

  “Didn’t you need to go to your job?”

  “I called in sick.” Love sick but still sick. His heart ached to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said, walking away like a floating cloud.

  Fresca trotted in, hoping for more attention. He sat down on the floor, leaned against the chair, and Fresca climbed upon his lap. His mind drifted, thinking about Adele and their future together. He’d get his degree, get a tenured faculty position at a top engineering school like MIT or Stanford, they’d move and Adele could do anything she wanted. School, nursing, raising a family… He only wanted her happiness.

  Adele walked into the room and he smiled, jumping to his feet. Fresca clamored out of the way.

  “I put up the closed sign. It’s been so busy I haven’t been able to have lunch. “Have you eaten? Let me grab us something from the conference room.” She disappeared.

  Kipp stared at the chair, picturing how odd an ornate Victorian chair would look in his apartment. It certainly would suit Adele. She looked like a queen. He’d have to work on organizing and cleaning up. That was important to women.

  He took off the cushion to set it aside. Fresca jumped up in the chair and started digging.

  “Wait,” he yelled.

  Riiiiiipppp!

  The black fabric ripped away on the seat and Fresca grabbed something in her mouth.

  “Drop it, Fresca,” he said.

  She flipped her head a couple of times and dropped an envelope into his hand. The whole bottom of the chair was filled with letters.

  Adele returned, carrying their lunch. “I found two oranges, one apple, a sour carton of milk and a can of cashews that aren’t too bad. Apple or orange?” She offered one of each.

  “This chair, have you looked over before?” he asked, mentally kicking himself. He had to watch his sentence structure around her.

  She made him nervous, in a good sort of way. One he could spend a life time getting used to. Fresca jumped down and rushed into the bathroom.

  “No, we haven’t had a chance to even look at it. Zymon just bought it a couple of weeks ago from a local estate sale. It had been stored in a storage unit. He shouldn’t have even put it on the floor in the condition it’s in, but as you can see, we don’t have a lot of space.”

  “Take a look,” he said, motioning her over.

  “That’s curious,” she said, bending down and picking up a letter. “There are dozens here.”

  Kipp studied one of the yellowed envelopes. Ms. Melisa Mathews, 1415 Federal Way, Salt Lake City, Utah. Then he noticed the postmark.

  “Take a look at this,” he said, tapping Adele on the shoulder.

  A small sweet gasp escaped her. “These are all postmarked 1950.” She quickly put them in order by date. “They’ve been opened.”

  He nodded. “Should we read them?”

  “I-I-I don’t know what to think. They’re forty-six years old.”

  “And probably private.” She touched a finger to her lips. “I hate to just throw them away.”

  A toilet flushed.

  Kipp looked up as Fresca come padding out of the bathroom.

  “Did your dog just—”

  “Yes. The silly dog just loves playing in the water. You should see her bite it from a faucet or hose?” She picked up the dog and gave her a loving hug.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “When she sees running water, she bites at it, viciously in fact. She loves to attack it and get wet.”

  He reached over and stroked Fresca’s head, noticing the water on her great big muzzle. “You have a strange dog.”

  “I know. Nothing normal about my family.” She smiled.

  He closed the space between them and pulled her into his arms, Fresca between them. He leaned down to kiss Adele, and she leaned toward him. She was going to let him kiss her. This beautiful woman! Let him kiss her. Fresca licked him on the mouth instead.

  “Az Isten szerelmére!” He spit and wiped his mouth with his shirt sleeve.

  Adele laughed…and laughed. She laughed so hard, she had to set Fresca down and hold her stomach. Kipp joined in. Adele tried to say something but couldn’t. They finally collapsed to the floor in gleeful tears.

  “What…what did you say?” she asked. “Or do I not want to know? What language was that?”

  “Hungarian and you don’t want to know. You do realize that dog had been in the toilet water?”

  She nodded, her face still aglow. “You should see some of the other things she eats.”

  “Do not tell me,” he said, still wanting that kiss.

  He slid closer to
her and put his arms around her. What a delicate beauty. Much like the stunning red Maltese Cross flowers growing in Budapest. He pressed his lips to hers in an explosion of pure joy.

  “Run away with me, princess,” he said, and then kissed her again before she could say no.

  He heard a noise from somewhere. Fresca barking. It sounded muffled and distant. His mind could only focus on the pleasure of Adele’s kiss. He felt a none-too-gentle hand pulling him up by the arm. He opened his eyes to face the scowl on Reginald Vega’s face. The man’s lips were moving, but Kipp hadn’t tuned in. He savored the taste and feel of Adele. Nothing could spoil it.

  “What do you think you’re doing, you Neanderthal? You’re kissing my girl.”

  Adele pushed her way between them. “Stop it, Reggie. I’m not your girl. I never have been. Just how did you get in here?”

  “Your brother gave me a key and a good thing too.” He puffed out his chest and eyed Kipp.

  Kipp was just barely beginning to understand what was happening. He moved away so that Adele wasn’t between them or in any danger of being hurt. “She has told you her view.”

  Reginald’s nostrils flared and he tightened his fists. Kipp hadn’t been in a good fight in some time. He had no qualms about beating the tar out of this jerk, but just didn’t want to do it in front of Adele. He circled the man, feeling a hatred he had never felt before. He’d ask him to step outside, and then he would clean his clock.

  * * * *

  Adele rushed to Kipp’s side. “Please, Kipp. Just let him go.”

  “What are you doing with my chair?” Reginald said.

  She stopped in mid-movement. “Your chair? What are you talking about? You don’t have any claim on this chair.”

  Reggie folded his arms across his chest, kept his body angled toward Kipp, and pulled his chin toward his neck. “What’s in it? Money?”

  “Te tetű.” Kipp put his fists up in a boxing stance.

  Reggie started bouncing and pointing his finger. “See? See? A foreigner. What did I tell you? Stay away from him. He’ll have you hog-tied and shipped off to some country with white slavery and you know what that means.”

  Fresca grabbed Reggie’s pant leg by the teeth and started pulling and shaking. Adele had never seen her act this way. In fact, she’d never seen her lick anyone on the lips before except for her. Was Fresca trying to tell her something?

  “Just stop this. All of you,” she told all three of them.

  She heard Reggie’s pant leg rip. Ooops. “Fresca.”