Vincent peered out the window of the limousine as it pulled up outside Andrew’s house. Earlier, he gave Cathy a big, warm hug when she picked up Mandy for the evening. Now, he was ready to unfold his romantic plans for the big night out with Andrew.

The limousine driver pulled open Vincent’s door, and he emerged in a charcoal gray suit just as Andrew stepped out the front door of his house. Vincent swallowed hard seeing Andrew dressed in a suit for the first time. He wore a lighter shade of gray with a dark blue, almost navy, shirt. Vincent stepped forward for a warm embrace and to give Andrew a quick kiss.

“What in the world is this?” asked Andrew looking over Vincent’s shoulder at the limousine.

“It’s your chariot for the evening.”

“Seriously, it’s for us?” asked Andrew.

“I thought we should ride to dinner in style.”

Vincent gestured for Andrew to climb inside while the driver continued to hold the door. Andrew slid across the seat, and Vincent followed him inside.

“You’re just too much,” said Andrew. Then he spotted the box of chocolates and laughed asking, “Are those for me?”

“They’re for me to feed to you,” said Vincent. “Do you want one now?”

“Of course,” said Andrew. “It can be an appetizer or, more properly, an amuse-bouche.”

While the limousine left the curb and pulled into the traffic on the street, Vincent opened the small box of chocolates and offered Andrew a small dark chocolate truffle dusted with tiny salt crystals.

After he watched Andrew swallow, Vincent kissed and tasted the chocolate on Andrew’s lips. He moaned softly, “Mmm, it is a sensual warm-up for the rest of the evening.”

Andrew responded by leaning forward and pressing his weight against Vincent. They wrapped their arms tight around each other while Vincent whispered, “Don’t take off any clothes yet. We’ve got a dinner to get through.”

Laughing, Andrew said, “You knew what I had in mind.” Instead of tearing at any clothes, Andrew slipped a hand between Vincent’s legs. He said, “Maybe I should just concentrate on keeping you hard all evening long.”

Vincent growled lightly and said, “I already think my balls are going to be aching by the time the evening’s over. I told Cathy I would be home by 10:00 so she can bring Mandy back.”

Andrew said, “I think both of us are likely to be in agony.” Andrew massaged Vincent’s stiff package and kissed the side of his neck.

“Another chocolate?” asked Vincent.

“If I can’t taste something else, yes.”

“We have a dinner waiting for us,” said Vincent, as he tugged open the box of chocolates again. He felt a shiver race up his spine when Andrew stuck his tongue out to pull the truffle into his mouth. He kissed Andrew hard and inhaled the aroma of chocolate broken slightly by the woodsy smell of Andrew’s shave lotion.

“The car stopped,” said Andrew, “And the driver is getting out. We must be at the restaurant. I didn’t pay any attention to where we were going.”

“It’s a surprise,” said Vincent. He busied himself brushing down his jacket and smoothing his pants. The limousine door opened, and Vincent climbed out. He reached back in to help Andrew to the curb.

“Parsley and Thyme!” exclaimed Andrew. “I’ve wanted to have dinner here for years. I even tried to convince Jeffrey and Doug. They always complain that it’s too expensive.”

“I’ve never been here either,” said Vincent. “We’ll explore it for the first time together.”

Vincent and Andrew sat near the kitchen in full view of the cooks and chefs busily prepping food for the evening’s diners. “I bet this is the best seat in the house,” said Andrew.

“That’s what I asked for.”

“And you thought of roses!” exclaimed Andrew. A cut glass vase filled with a dozen roses occupied the opposite corner of the square table. “At least I don’t see roses like this on any other table.”

Vincent said, “They are from me. At first, I wanted to order three dozen, but I thought that would be overkill. We want to be able to find our food.”

After ordering a first round of cocktails, Vincent reached his hand across the table and was met by Andrew’s. They held hands while Vincent said, “Thank you so much for going shopping with Mandy. She can’t stop talking about the experience. She says she learned so much, and you liked her ideas, too.”

“She’s a smart girl,” said Andrew. “I can see a lot of you in her. You’re raising a brilliant young woman, Vincent.”

“Then I’m glad I sent her out to learn from a wonderful man,” said Vincent. “She saw so many of the qualities I see in you. She even called you a ‘great new friend.’”

“I do think we hit it off.” Andrew asked, “Is she still troubled by what Dana might think about us?”

“I can’t tell for sure,” said Vincent. “That’s why I’m having her spend this evening with Cathy. They will have a nice, long talk, and Cathy is ready to share what Dana said before she passed about me finding a good man.”

Andrew squeezed Vincent’s hand tight. Andrew said, “I hope that goes well…For all of us.”

The dinner was one wave of mouth-watering food after another. Andrew fed Vincent a shrimp appetizer dripping in golden garlic butter. They both commented on the succulence of the steaks served as the main course. While Vincent offered Andrew a spoon filled with warm mixed-berry crumble, Andrew said, “The house is likely to be ready in just about ten days.” He asked, “Will you be moving in right away?”

As he watched Andrew take the bite of crumble, close his eyes, and moan softly with pleasure, Vincent said, “I’m hoping to move in quickly after it’s finished. Cathy is going to ask Mandy about taking a trip to Chicago for the weekend while everything is moved. I’ve got the movers on alert. They are friends of one of my store managers. We have a little bit of flexibility on weekends, but it does need to be locked in soon.”

Andrew said, “You can count on Jeffrey, Doug, and me to be there to help make sure the moving process goes smoothly. We have a professional investment in every last detail working out to everyone’s satisfaction.”

---

It was difficult saying goodnight to Andrew. The romantic evening unfolded without a single hitch. The Parsley and Thyme chef personally wrapped up the roses for Andrew and spoke with them about the meal taking at least fifteen minutes out of his busy night.

The kisses lingered long in the back of the limousine before Andrew finally exited and said, “Goodnight,” to Vincent.

Returning home, Vincent gathered a cup of coffee, took off his suit jacket, and settled in front of the TV to wait for the return of Cathy and Mandy. He didn’t have long to wait.

Within fifteen minutes, he heard a car pull into his driveway. Mandy used her key in the kitchen door lock and burst inside the house. She called, “Dad, are you still up?”

Vincent rose from the couch and said, “I’m right here.” He reached his arms out just in time for Mandy to rush into them. He wrapped Mandy up tight and glanced over her shoulder at Cathy who also stepped inside. “Did you have a good evening?”

Mandy pulled back from the hug and turned toward Cathy asking, “Can I tell him?”

Cathy smiled and said, “Of course you can.”

Mandy said, “Dad, we talked about Mom, and we talked about Mr. McCall. I’m so happy for you, Dad, and he feels like a new friend to me. That’s not the biggest news though.”

Vincent could see that she was nearly bubbling over with excitement. He was relieved to hear that the conversations with Cathy went so well, and he asked, “It’s not? What’s more exciting than that?”

“The invitation from Mrs. Riggs,” said Mandy.

“Invitation?” asked Vincent.

“Well, we need your permission of course,” said Cathy.

“My permission?”

Mandy said, “Mrs. Riggs mentioned that it’s a little early. It’s just the beginning of the summer, but she said the stores would have plenty of things to look at and consider buying.”

“Stores?” asked Vincent. “Are you getting into the furnishings process, Cathy?”

Cathy shook her head and laughed. “No, of course not. Mandy, go on and explain to him.”

Mandy was nearly breathless as she continued. “Mrs. Riggs said everything would be a little crazy here on the weekend that we move, so she invited me to come with her to Chicago for the weekend. She said that we could go shopping for clothes to wear to my new school in the fall.”

Vincent grinned and reached out to hug Mandy tight again. He said, “Well, how could I ask you to turn down an invitation like that. I think that’s a perfect idea. I would be happy to help you shop, but I think Mrs. Riggs would be much more of an expert than me.”

“Are you sure you will be okay here by yourself, Dad? Moving is a big job.”

Vincent said, “I have people hired to do most of the work, but I think I do need to supervise and make sure none of the more fragile things are damaged. There are china serving dishes from my grandmother and the pottery pitcher that your mom made. I’m sure there are some other things that I will move in my car.”

Cathy spoke up and said, “It was a wonderful evening, Vincent. I hope yours with Andrew was just as memorable. You are raising an outstanding young woman here.”